Where in the Bible does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven?
Full Question
Where does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven?
Answer
If you mean where it is explicitly written in the Bible, there is none. But there are several scriptural passages in the Bible, the meditation on which illustrates the Assumption doctrine.
Pope Pius XII formally defined the dogma in his apostolic constitution Munificentissimus Deus on November 1, 1950:
“The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.”
He pointed to the passages as follows:
- Arise, O Lord, into thy resting place: thou and the ark, which thou hast sanctified. (Psalm 131:8)
- [The Spouse of Canticles] that goeth up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatic spices, of myrrh and frankincense (Canticles 3:6)
- The Woman clothed with the Sun (Revelation 12)
- I will glorify the place of my feet. (Isaiah 61:13)
- Who is this that cometh up from the desert, flowing with delights, leaning upon her beloved? (Canticles 8:5)
When you meditate on these passages in light of the Assumption, the dogma becomes clearer.
Early Church Belief and Tradition
St. John Damascene, wrote: “It was fitting that she, who had kept her virginity in childbirth, should keep her own body free from corruption even after death.”
Feast of the Dormition of Mary, commemorates the dormition of the Virgin Mary, meaning her peaceful death, followed by her bodily assumption into heaven. This celebration is now widespread in Eastern Christianity.
Conclusion
So while the Bible does not explicitly confirm Mary’s Assumption, this belief is deeply rooted in Scripture and tradition.
Where in the Bible does it say that Mary was assumed into heaven?
