Luke provides several geographical indications that make it possible to locate the place of the ascension with relative precision. At the end of his Gospel, he specifies that Jesus led his disciples “as far as Bethany” (Luke 24.50). In the Acts of the Apostles, he adds that the disciples then returned to Jerusalem from “the mount called Olivet,” situated “near Jerusalem, at the distance of a ” (Acts 1.12). This distance corresponds to approximately one kilometer.
These two pieces of information are not contradictory. The village of Bethany was situated on the eastern slope of the , about fifteen stadia from Jerusalem, or nearly three kilometers (John 11.18). The expression “as far as Bethany” used by Luke therefore does not necessarily refer to the village itself, but rather to its direction. The ascension would thus have taken place on the , in the region that extends toward Bethany, a short distance from Jerusalem.
This place was certainly not chosen at random. The holds an important place in the ministry of the Messiah Jesus. There he taught his disciples about the events to come (Matthew 24.3), often spent the night (Luke 21.37), and it was in the garden of Gethsemane, located on its slopes, that he went through the hours of anguish preceding his arrest (Matthew 26.36-46). It is therefore particularly significant that it was from this same mountain that he left his disciples to be taken up into heaven (Acts 1.9-11).
The angels moreover announce to the apostles that Jesus will return “in the same way” as they saw him go (Acts 1.11). This declaration has often been connected with the prophecy of Zechariah, which announces that the Lord will set his feet on the at his final intervention (Zechariah 14.4). Thus, according to an interpretation widely held in Christianity, the place of the ascension would also be that of the Messiah’s glorious return. The would then appear as the witness both to the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and to the future fulfillment of his reign.
The proximity of Jerusalem allowed the apostles to return quickly to the city (Acts 1.12), where they would wait for the fulfillment of the Father’s promise (Acts 1.4-5). Thus, the is not only the place of the ascension, but also a place charged with deep historical, theological, and prophetic significance.