rist did not ascend by His own
power, because it is written (Mk. 16:19) that "the Lord Jesus, after
He had spoken to them, was taken up to heaven"; and (Acts 1:9) that,
"while they looked on, He was raised up, and a cloud received Him out
of their sight." But what is taken up, and lifted up, appears to be
moved by another. Consequently, it was not by His own power, but by
another's that Christ was taken up into heaven.

Obj. 2: Further, Christ's was an earthly body, like to ours. But it
is contrary to the nature of an earthly body to be borne upwards.
Moreover, what is moved contrary to its nature is nowise moved by its
own power. Therefore Christ did not ascend to heaven by His own power.

Obj. 3: Further, Christ's own power is Divine. But this motion does
not seem to have been Divine, because, whereas the Divine power is
infinite, such motion would be instantaneous; consequently, He would
not have been uplifted to heaven "while" the disciples "looked on,"
as is stated in Acts 1:9. Therefore, it seems that Christ did not
ascend to heaven by His own power.

_On the contrary,_ It is written (Isa. 63:1): "This beautiful one in
his robe, walking in the greatness of his strength." Also Gregory
says in a Homily on the Ascension (xxix): "It is to be noted that we
read of Elias having ascended in a chariot, that it might be shown
that one who was mere man needed another's help. But we do not read
of our Saviour being lifted up either in a chariot or by angels,
because He who had made all things was taken up above all things by
His own power."

_I answer that,_ There is a twofold nature in Christ, to wit, the
Divine and the human. Hence His own power can be accepted according
to both. Likewise a twofold power can be accepted regarding His human
nature: one is natural, flowing from the principles of nature; and it
is quite evident that Christ did not ascend into heaven by such power
as this. The other is the power of glory, which is in Christ's human
nature; and it was according to this that He ascended to heaven.

Now there are some who endeavor to assign the cause of this power to
the nature of the fifth essence. This, as they say, is light, which
they make out to be of the composition of the human body, and by
which they contend that contrary elements are reconciled; so that in
the state of this mortality, elemental nature is predominant in human
bodies: so that, according to the nature of this predominating
element the