The theme of Acts 1:6-14 is the mission to the world and the ascension. I will utilize exegetical analysis, biblical theology, and homiletical application, moving toward intentional formation and exhortation.
The central thesis is that the ascension of Jesus marks a decisive transition from expectations of political restoration to a Spirit-empowered, global mission carried out by imperfect but called witnesses, sustained through waiting, prayer, and openness to the Spirit. I point for support of this thesis to three observations.
· The disciples’ concern with timing and restoration is redirected toward mission and witness.
· The Holy Spirit replaces Jesus’ physical presence as the animating power of the church.
· The ascension does not authorize disengagement from the world but intensifies vocation within it.
Summary
The disciples have a concern for the timetable of restoring the kingdom to Israel. The response of the risen Lord is like what we find in Mark 13:32, where only the Father knows when that day will come. Thus, neither the angels nor the Son will know. We are going to see the intimate connection between the Spirit and the church. The rule of God will come, not through armies, but through witnesses. Witnesses have only the power of words and a life that backs up their words. We will see the geographical interest of Luke as the story of the church begins in Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, and then the ends of the earth. The point is that the mission to the world, like Luke 24:47-48 (repentance and forgiveness preached to the nations by witnesses) and Matthew 28:19 (make disciples of all nations), replaces the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. As Luke records the ascension of Jesus, we might think of some biblical parallels. In Genesis 5:24, Enoch walked with God, but was not, for God took him. In II Kings 2:11, a whirlwind brought Elijah to heaven. Jewish tradition said God took Moses in a comparable way. Yet, Luke does not let us ponder this event too long. Two angels puzzle as to why they continue to stare into the sky. They have work to do. The mission to the world seems to replace the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel.
Thus, we have here the significant pause before this mission begins. They must wait and pray. “They” here is not just the 11. The group includes a larger circle of men and women who gather to wait and pray. The Spirit will come upon all of them in Acts 2. They will prophesy, even as the prophet Joel said, sons and daughters. Then, the Spirit will come, giving birth to the church. I think sometimes that a significant pause happens in our lives and in the lives of churches. The pause does not mean nothing happens. The pause gives us an opportunity to wait and pray. It gives us an opportunity to have open minds and hearts. We become open to the Spirit coming in a new way, in a way that enlightens the path and empowers us for new ministry. The point for us, then, is that the Spirit has been with us all along, but that we need openness to the new things the Spirit wants to do among us and in us.
I emphasize several theological themes.
One is that Mission Replaces Restoration. Israel’s restoration hope transforms into a worldwide mission. Thus, I treat Acts 1:8 as programmatic for the entire book of Acts. The geographical progression (Jerusalem → Judea/Samaria → ends of the earth) is intentional narrative theology, culminating symbolically in Rome. I am following mainstream scholarship in Luke.
Two is considering The Holy Spirit as Narrative and Ecclesial “Dynamo” I describe the Spirit as:
· The presence of God on earth in the era of the church,
· The source of power for witness, not coercion or force,
· The animating principle of Christian identity and action.
I reinforce these affirmations by engaging both Conzelmann and Fitzmyer. The Spirit is thus both theological hinge and pastoral hope.
Three is the notion of the “Significant Pause”: Waiting as Faithful Action. I frame waiting and praying are framed as active faithfulness, not passivity. This pause is both historical (between ascension and Pentecost) and existential (experienced by individuals and churches today). I seek to carefully balance: the danger of procrastination disguised as waiting, with the spiritual necessity of discernment before action.
Four is an emphasis on Witness as Persuasion, Not Coercion. I frame witness rhetorically and ethically:
· It relies on words aligned with authentic lives, not force.
· The 12 Angry Men illustration reinforces a model of gentle, relational persuasion rather than confrontation or fear-based evangelism.
I extend this theme into critiques of:
· Coercive preaching,
· Polarizing rhetoric,
· Spiritualized escapism.
This reflection unpacks the pivotal transition from Jesus' earthly ministry to the birth of the church's global mission. The disciples' concern for a political restoration of Israel's kingdom is redirected by Jesus, who emphasizes the Father's timing and the coming power of the Holy Spirit. This Spirit, as Luke's narrative dynamo, will empower them to be witnesses "in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth"—a geographical scope culminating in Rome.
The ascension itself, while paralleled with figures like Enoch and Elijah, also draws meaning from its Greco-Roman context of apotheosis, allowing early Christians to articulate Jesus' unique divine reality. Luke adapts available cultural language to articulate Christian conviction without collapsing Jesus into imperial ideology. Crucially, it initiates a "significant pause," a period of waiting and prayer for the disciples. This isn't idleness, but a vital time for openness to the Spirit, preparing them for new ministry.
I highlight that Christian witness isn't about coercion but authentic living, persuasive words, and building relationships, echoing the gentle approach of "12 Angry Men." The empowering Spirit enables this mission, reminding us that God has "no backup plan" beyond imperfect people. Ultimately, the ascension challenges a spiritualized escape from earthly responsibility, asserting that Jesus' departure empowers followers to partner with God here and now, embracing their mission in a world awaiting new creation.
Verse-by-verse study
In verses 6-11, the disciples have a concern for the timetable (χρόνῳ) of restoring the kingdom to Israel. The response of the risen Lord is like what we find in Mark 13:32, where only the Father knows when that day will come. Thus, neither the angels nor the Son will know. The risen Lord says in verse 7, It is not for you to know times or seasons (χρόνους ἢ καιροὺς) that the Father has fixed by his own authority. This passage signifies a shift in Luke from the soon-coming rule of God as proclaimed by Jesus to the emphasis in Acts on the present power of the Holy Spirit and the current mission of the community.
However, verse 8, a saying of the risen Lord, becomes central to the literary work Luke has produced as it foreshadows the ensuing narrative: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, who in Acts will bring gifts like tongues, miracles, prophesy, and wisdom, strength to witness, provide guidance for the community, the reception of which is associated with baptism and the forgiveness of sins, and you will be my witnesses (μάρτυρες), a primary theme in this book, in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Nothing can limit the apostolic mission. In his classic work The Theology of St. Luke (originally Die Mitte der Zeit), the great biblical interpreter Hans Conzelmann delineated the three-stage unfolding of God’s plan in Luke and Acts. He called the plan Heilsgeschichte, a term usually translated as “salvation history.” This passage marks the transition point between stages two and three of Conzelmann’s schematic. The period of Jesus’ ministry ends in his glorious ascension, and God will presently inaugurate the era of the church. The church has not yet received its baptism of the Holy Spirit, promised in Acts 1:5 and delivered at Pentecost (Acts 2), but in this passage, it does receive its commission. This verse marks the transition quite clearly and serves as a programmatic foreshadowing of the ensuing narrative. This verse introduces the importance of the Holy Spirit in Acts. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God on earth in the third phase of salvation history, the era of the church. Readers of Acts acknowledge the profound agency that Luke ascribes to the Holy Spirit in his account. In the words of Joseph Fitzmyer, the Spirit becomes “the dynamo of the Lukan story in Acts ... the power given to disciples, the dynamic principle of their existence as Christians and of their role as witnesses in the new phase of salvation history.”
First, this verse introduces the importance of the Holy Spirit in Acts: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” The Holy Spirit is the presence of God on earth in the third phase of salvation history, the era of the church. Readers of Acts acknowledge the profound agency that Luke ascribes to the Holy Spirit in his account. In the words of Joseph Fitzmyer, the Spirit becomes “the dynamo of the Lukan story in Acts ... the power given to disciples, the dynamic principle of their existence as Christians and of their role as witnesses in the new phase of salvation history.”
A second way verse 8 functions as a synopsis is through its geographical charge to the apostles. Jesus commands the apostles to “be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (1:8). In the travel narratives of Acts, the apostles will live up to their name (“apostle” fundamentally means “one who is sent”) by traveling from Jerusalem to Rome and many places around the Mediterranean in between. Part of Luke’s message in Acts is that the early Christian movement was cosmopolitan — not a provincial sect of apocalyptic Judeans, but an itinerant band of Jews and Gentiles that used the great Roman roads to reach the cities in Samaria, Syria, Asia, Greece and Rome itself. Indeed, Rome is here foreshadowed as the destination, although this does not come through in the usual English translation. The literal rendering of the original Greek in verse 8 would be “and to the end of the earth,” with a singular eschaton. The author had Rome in mind, the imperial power, the center of the civilized world, and the culmination of humanity, according to Roman ideology.
We see the intimate connection between the Spirit and the church. The Spirit energizes the church to fulfill its mission. This outpouring of the Spirit implies eschatological closeness to God. [1] We see here the significance of the Spirit in the inauguration of the next stage of salvation history, which is the church. The Spirit becomes the power that moves the church to fulfill its commission from the risen Lord. The Spirit becomes the dynamic principle of their existence as Christians and of their role as witnesses to the new phase of salvation history.[2] The rule of God will come, not through armies, but through witnesses. Witnesses have only the power of words and a life that backs up their words. We will see the geographical interest of Luke as the story of the church begins in Jerusalem, then to Judea and Samaria, and then the ends of the earth. The point is that the mission to the world, like Luke 24:47-48 (repentance and forgiveness preached to the nations by witnesses) and Matthew 28:19 (make disciples of all nations), replaces the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel.
In verses 9-11, as Luke records the ascension of Jesus, we might think of some biblical parallels. In Genesis 5:24, Enoch walked with God, but was not, for God took him. In II Kings 2:11, a whirlwind brought Elijah to heaven. Jewish tradition said God took Moses in a comparable way. The risen Lord is lifted by a cloud taking him out of their sight, an apocalyptic symbol of the presence and power of God (Exod 16:10, Ezek 10:3-4, Luke 9:34-35, I Thess 4:17). Yet, Luke does not let us ponder this event too long. Two angels puzzle as to why they continue to stare into the sky. The cloud conceals the ascending risen Lord, not allowing any further depiction of the event.[3] They have work to do. The mission to the world seems to replace the notion of the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. They must wait and pray. Discernment is required here, for waiting and praying is important, but must not become an excuse for inaction. Obedience to what one hears in the waiting is equally important. They would have to let go of their expectations, formed by Jewish apocalyptic, to receive the revelation of God in Jesus of Nazareth. We have here the significant pause before this mission begins. They must wait and pray. “They” here is not just the 11. The group includes a larger circle of men and women who gather to wait and pray. The pause does not mean nothing happens. Openness to experience allows the Spirit to move in a new way in a way that enlightens the path and empowers us for new ministry. Yes, Jesus departed from physical sight so that he might return to the hearts and lives of his followers.[4] This is a communal spirituality at work as they make important decisions together.
Luke is the only New Testament writer for whom the event of the ascension as a separate event has appreciable significance. Its literary function is a way of terminating the post-Easter appearances of Christ. It is Luke's way of saying that the community will experience the presence of Christ in a unique way from now on. It also marks the transition to the period when the apostles, as Christ's witnesses, function as preachers and teachers in his behalf. Thus, Luke has sensed the theological problem posed by the physical absence of Christ. With Christ gone, how does the church function?
One way of understanding the ascension as Luke relates it is to place it in its Greco-Roman context. Two more prominent ones relate to Romulus, the eponymous founder of Rome (Ovid, Metamorphoses 14:805-851), and to the hero Hercules (Greek, “Herakles”; Diodorus, History, 4.38.3-5). More importantly, the emperor Augustus was divinized by Rome and believed to have ascended to heaven after his death (cf. Dio Cassius, Roman History 56.46). The so-called “imperial cult” formed around such divinized emperors, who were transferred among the celestial gods by a process called apotheosis. Early Christians naturally drew much language from the imperial cult: Emperors were called “Lord” and “Son of God” and “Savior of the world.” The first evangelists could scarcely create a whole new vocabulary for describing their experience, so they used the best comparisons that Jewish and Roman culture had to offer. The 2nd-century Christian apologist Justin Martyr made specific connections to the apotheosis of the emperors:
“We propound nothing different from what you believe regarding those whom you esteem sons of Jupiter. ... And what of the emperors who die among yourselves, whom you deem worthy of deification, and in whose behalf you produce someone who swears he has seen the burning Caesar rise to heaven from the funeral pyre?” (First Apology 21).
Some scholars find it far more likely that the influence upon Luke derives from biblical and early Jewish traditions regarding Enoch (Genesis 5:24; I Enoch 39:3), Elijah (2 Kings 2:11), and Moses (Josephus, Antiquities, 4.326; Philo, Moses, 2.291). There may be other echoes of Elijah and Moses here in Acts 1 as well. Luke and other ancient evangelists had to figure out the best way to present what they believed about Jesus in the language of their cultural milieu.
As 1:12-26 continues, it becomes an invitation for an honest look at the ambiguity of the Christian community.
In verses 12-14, the disciples return from Olivet to the upper room, where they had celebrated the Last Supper with Jesus: Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. These persons were in one accord, devoting themselves to prayer (προσευχῇ), which is a theme of Luke and occurs at significant moments throughout the book, together with the women who were also witnesses to the burial and who received appearances of the risen Lord, especially Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Application
A fun and old saying of Paul Harvey concerns this text. He saw a sign on a Kentucky Fried Chicken door, as one left the establishment. "Thanks for coming. Hurry back." He suggested that is the stance of believers on this occasion of the ascension. We say to Jesus: "Thank you for coming. Hurry back."
As I read the gospel narratives, I am thankful that Jesus was here, walking upon the earth. That became especially clear to me, as you can imagine, when I went to Israel. It brought the gospels alive for me. I could almost visualize Jesus walking along the Galilean hills, or in the temple courtyard in Jerusalem. In fact, if you ever go to Jerusalem and tour the city, you will be taken to the little chapel of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives. In our case, the guide made it clear that there was no way of knowing exactly where the ascension took place. The little chapel is simply the traditional site. The guide said, "There in that piece of solid rock in the middle of the chapel is a form that looks like it could be the foot-print Jesus made when he ascended to heaven." Well, I must confess that struck me as funny and fanciful, the stuff of which legends are made. The overall impression I had in Israel, however, was that I am grateful that Jesus was here.
And, I might also say, I am glad that Jesus is coming back. The New Testament is so clear on this. There is an expectation that Jesus will return in glory and create a new heaven and a new earth. We will be invited to a banquet, as we feast upon the presence of Christ. That is truly something for which we can look forward.
Yet, it seems as if something is missing. Yes, Jesus, thank you for coming. And yes, hurry back. But what about now, in my world, in my situation? Something inside me wants to add, "Thank you for being here, through the Spirit which you have given to me--to us."
The ascension of Jesus offers some fertile soil for reflection upon Christian life and the church. Jesus departed from their sight so that he might come to their hearts, and to our hearts, in a new way, through the Spirit.[5] They must wait and pray. They would have to let go of their expectations, formed by Jewish apocalyptic, to receive the revelation of God in Jesus of Nazareth. Such is much of our lives, as we must be willing to let go of the life we have planned in order to have the life waiting for us.[6] The disciples must wait for the promise of the Father. Even when the Spirit comes, they enter another period of waiting for Jesus to return. We join them in their wait. The gift of the Spirit to the early church needed to begin with these persons. Yet, the gift of the Spirit needs to happen repeatedly in the lives of individuals and communities. If we think of it as a story, heroes know that things must happen when the time is right for them to happen. They must not abandon the quest. The happy conclusion cannot occur in the middle of the story. It has been two millennia, but we are still in the middle of the story.[7]
The last word of the risen Lord focuses upon the disciples becoming witnesses to what they have seen and heard. They witnessed a certain way in Jerusalem. They witnessed a little differently in Galilee. They witnessed still differently as Paul brought the good news concerning what God has done in Jesus of Nazareth to the Gentiles. The story has gone on through the centuries. The form of the witness changes, but the message itself and the need for sharing it does not change. Witnessing is hardly something any Christian should do in the strength they have. They rely upon the power of the Holy Spirit.
This story raises the interesting question of the ways in which we witness. We need to think of witness as a form of persuasion through words. Yet, such words will have negligible effect if not backed up by the life of the one witnessing. We must not think of perfection here. The honest seeker will not expect that from us as witnesses. Yet, our lives need to reflect an authentic desire and attempt toward Christ-like living. We also need to consider the individual or group whom we seek to persuade. We need to reflect seriously upon the content of our witness.[8] I briefly refer you to an old 1957 movie, 12 Angry Men, in which Henry Fonda portrays juror #9. Pay attention to his gentle words of persuasion, as he sees holes in the account by the prosecution. Others cannot believe it and are angry. In fact, they try to persuade by their anger and coercion, but juror #9 keeps gently persuading. It reminds me of an interesting book, The Art of Woo (2007), where the authors say that persuading is more like courtship than war. Our political environment could use a bit of this notion today, but that is another story. If you are to persuade, you must put yourself in the position of the other person and identify with their needs, desires, and hopes. The authors suggest that you must then be a credible and authentic witness. The risen Lord has promised power, but followers of Jesus must use it wisely. Too often, coercion through words has been a tool used by preachers and teachers. The question of if you were to die tonight where you will spend eternity may motivate someone, but I have questions whether it motivates many in our modern setting. Martin Luther King Jr offered a path toward racial relationships that too many race-baiters have ignored, to the detriment of this country. I would argue that the pastor of many years for President Obama, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, did not persuade many with his rhetoric, even if he was persuasive for the President. We will be tapping into the power of the Spirit when we share our personal and unique experience of the difference Jesus has made in our lives. If we do this, our focus will be establishing a relationship with the other person. It may sound trite, but the other person needs to know that you like them. One of the most basic questions we have is whether the other person likes us. Make a friend, be a friend, bring a friend to Christ, is not a bad way to stay focused on the type of witness we can have with others. The art of witness here is not so much about persuading people to an idea. Rather, the point is to help people make commitments that over the course of time will alter the course of their lives.
Of course, we can say we have not been Christians long enough or we have not received enough training. We may be fearful someone would ask a question we could not answer. We may think we do not have the time. At the same time, it seems as if the plan of God is working through imperfect people to fulfill the mission. God has no other plan. There is an old apocryphal story about what happened when Jesus arrived back at the gates of heaven, following his ascension. The entire heavenly host gathered to welcome God's Son, to celebrate his return home. Everybody had questions. They had heard of his exploits on earth. They wanted to hear it straight from him. Jesus described his adventures at great length: the preaching, the teaching, the healing. They laughed when he told them how he had tied the Pharisees' theological arguments up in knots, and they wept when he described both the agony of the cross and the joy of resurrection. Someone asked him, "Lord, now that you no longer physically walk the earth, who will share the good news?" "I've got a plan," said Christ. "I've selected 11 followers, my closest friends. To them I've given the responsibility of sharing the good news." "They must have some incredible talents, those 11," remarked one angel. "Well, actually no," the Lord responded. "These are average people, with ordinary abilities. They are vain and sometimes foolish. One of them, their leader, denied me three times." "But, Lord," objected another angel, "how can you be sure they'll get the job done?" "To be perfectly honest, I can't be sure." "What do you mean, you can't be sure? What will happen if they fail? What's your backup plan?" Quietly Christ answered, "I have no backup plan."
Yet, we do none of this alone. The risen Lord, through the Spirit, is our partner in witness. Many of us need to wait for our personal Pentecost when the Spirit grabs hold of us and empowers us. The Spirit is the one who leads us out of our self-centered concerns and toward the concerns of God for this world.
On a personal and spiritual level, we may need to embrace a willingness to leave behind a former way of living and embark on another. We often spend too much time gazing up in a daydreaming sort of way to the old ways that have vanished from our sight, rather than tackling what we know to be God’s will for us now.
Stephen Hawking added his considerable intellectual gifts to the idea that future generations of human beings will need to abandon earth or face extinction. Human beings should not have all their eggs on one planet. They will need to find a new planet to colonize. Of course, we take ourselves with us wherever we go. Do not expect the new settlement to be any better or worse than what we have on earth. Some Christians have their spiritualized version of this idea in the notion that earth is doomed, so live patiently now and wait until Jesus takes them to heaven. The problem with this line of thinking is that it is not in line with the biblical witness. The point, even as we see in this passage is not that God raised Jesus from the dead and therefore his followers are going to heaven. Rather, the biblical witness suggests that since God has raised Jesus from the dead, therefore the rule of God has begun, the Spirit is beginning the process of a new creation, and therefore followers of Jesus have a mission or vocation to fulfill during the life they have on earth.
Scientifically, I grant that at some point human beings will need to develop the technology to abandon earth if it is to survive. However, this is not an urgent matter. We have time. Before that event occurs, we need to appreciate what God has given us here. Amid the darkness of space, we live on this beautiful, shining, blue planet. God has made a garden of Eden amid an ocean of darkness in our part of the Milky Way galaxy. This planet is full of life, and we must take care of it. We have much work to do. On this account of the ascension of Jesus, the Father receives the Son into divine reality in heaven, abandoning earth while the disciples continue to walk upon it. Yet is this true?
This event gives us an opportunity to reflect upon how we partner with Jesus on this earth, in our unique moment of history and in our limited place. This event invites us to reflect upon the sense of our mission or vocation as individuals and as congregations.
Around the same time [as the Emperor Constantine’s conversion], perhaps the two most important theologians in the development of Western and Eastern Christianity were influenced by women in their lives. Without the prayers and encouragement of his mother Monica, Augustine of Hippo’s life might have continued on a wayward track. … Augustine’s impact on Christian thought and theology can hardly be overestimated, and yet his mother’s name is not nearly as recognized as his own. Still, she is acclaimed as a saint, and those who have read Augustine’s Confessions are familiar with her steadfast faith and her role in Augustine’s conversion to orthodoxy.
For Gregory of Nyssa, it was the influence of his sister, Macrina the Younger, that made him into one of the most renowned theologians of the Eastern Orthodox Church. She helped educate Gregory and the others in her family. … Gregory most directly credits Macrina with his work Life of Macrina, in which he praises her asceticism and devotion to prayer and spiritual education. …
Many Christians know the names of Constantine, Augustine, Gregory, and Basil, but fewer know the women behind those names, saints in their own right, whose contributions to Christianity as we know it should not go unremarked upon.[9]
Karl Barth characterized the period between the ascension and Pentecost as a “significant pause” during which the church was called only to wait and pray. Waiting and praying are signatures of faithfulness. Isaiah 40:31 proclaims and promises that those who patiently “wait for the LORD” shall “renew their strength ... mount up with wings like eagles ... run and not be weary ... walk and not faint.” When we are busy, we dissipate our energy on a host of tiny, inconsequential tasks. Thus, we never have a chance to feel the depth of our strength. Only in sustained and watchful waiting do we build up our endurance and develop the muscles of faithfulness. The disciples’ waiting, of course, includes one very important activity — praying. Until the coming of the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ still-fragile followers have no inkling about how God expects them to become witnesses for Christ to all the earth. The disciples do not return to Jerusalem despondent over Jesus’ departure. They are people on a mission. The disciples waiting in Jerusalem now know exactly that for which they are to ask. They are to ask for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I want us to be clear. Openness to a personal or communal Pentecost will involve some waiting and acceptance of a pause, although I hope it does not dissolve into procrastination. Some people use waiting as an excuse not to act. At the same time, a significant pause may be precisely what we need. “We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.”[10] We need to recognize that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. If the mission is large enough, it cannot end in a few years in either victory or defeat. The process will include trial and error, success and setbacks, but if the mission is worthwhile, we must never abandon it.[11] Yes, Jesus departed from physical sight so that he might return to the hearts and lives of his followers.[12]
[1]
[2]
[3] Hauck/Schulz, TDNT, VI, 576-7.
[4] Augustine of Hippo.
[5] Jesus departed from our sight that he might return to our hearts. He departed, and behold, he is here. -Augustine of Hippo.
[6] We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us. --Attributed to British novelist E.M. Forster.
[7] Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go unrescued for a long time, but not forever; a happy ending cannot come in the middle of the story. -Peter S. Beagle.
[8] Of the modes of persuasion furnished by the spoken word there are three kinds. The first kind depends on the personal character of the speaker; the second, on putting the audience into a certain frame of mind; the third, on the proof, provided by the words of the speech itself. —Aristotle, Rhetoric 1.2; 1358a2-4,
[9] —Kira Austin-Young, “The Women of Byzantine Christianity,” Ministry Matters, July 30, 2019.
[10] Attributed to E. M. Forster.
[11] Inspired by Peter S. Beagle.
[12] Jesus departed from our sight that he might return to our hearts. He departed, and behold, he is here. -Augustine of Hippo.
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