Assumption is the religious belief that a certain person was taken bodily into heaven. The belief is part of both Jewish and Christian tradition.
In Judaism, an assumption is called an aliyah, which means ascent or going up. In the Old Testament, or Hebrew Bible, there is only one specific reference to an assumption. In 2 Kings 2:1-13, God takes the prophet Elijah into heaven in a whirlwind. Other Jewish traditions based on Old Testament stories state that Enoch, the father of Methuselah, and the Israelite leader Moses ascended into heaven.
Belief in assumption is not found in the New Testament, but it became significant during the late Middle Ages, from about the 1300’s to the 1500’s, especially in the Western Church. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church. It states that the body and soul of the Virgin Mary were taken into heaven. Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Assumption a church doctrine in 1950. Roman Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Assumption on August 15. Assumption is not a Protestant doctrine but has been accepted as a belief in the Eastern Orthodox Churches.
The Assumption of Mary has been a popular subject in painting. Many pictures portray Mary ascending to heaven with angels or bands of cherubs.
