1 NOw it séemeth good to discourse of the taking vp of Elias; and what I haue determined to speake of, I will diuide into thrée principall points. 2 First, I thinke it méete to be vnderstood, whither Elias ascended, that is, what place he hath occupied by his ascending; secondlie, whether he be dead, and whether he inioie his bodie, or hath put off the same; thirdlie, if he liueth, whether he shall returne vnto vs, and to what end he was taken vp. But forsomuch as this lot; namelie, to be taken vp, was common, aswell vnto Henoch, as vnto him (as we read in the fift chapter of Genesis) we will intreate of them both togither. 3 Howbeit, 4 this testimonie of Henoch differeth from the historie of Elias; bicause therein is no mention of the place, wherevnto Henoch was translated. But in verie déed it is written of Elias; that he was taken vp through a whirlewind, into heauen: 5 albeit some man may suppose that word Schamaijm, to be of the genetiue case, as though it were said, In a whirlewind of heauen; that is to saie, that Elias was taken vp in a heauenlie whirlewind. But the interpretation that is receiued in a maner of all the expounders, is that that word should be vnderstood, as put in the accusatiue case: and noteth the place, vnto the which Elias ascended. Yet haue we not héereby anie thing certeine or defined, bicause the name of the word heauen, is manifold, and vnder that name manie things are signified.
Heauen (among the Hebricians ) is this aire, wherewith the earth and water was compassed. And sometimes it signifieth those vpper spheres, which are garnished with sundrie and manifold starres. Also, those high seats of the blessed, which are manifest far and wide aboue those visible spheres, are called heauen. Albeit manie in this our time account heauen to be a certeine spirituall and bodilesse place of the blessed, which is wholie euerie where. But this is nothing else but to mingle togither the highest with the lowest, and the lowest with the highest. We leauing this vbiquarie and fained heauen, saie not that the seats of the blessed are bodilesse; but are wide and largelie spred, beyond the compasses of the starres, and beyond the firmament it selfe. 6 Héereof also we thinke it commeth, that it is said that Christ ascended aboue all heauens; as the apostolicall historie teacheth, and as it is written in the epistle to the Ephesians: 7 where it is properlie vnderstood, that he came to the lower most parts of the earth, (for he was conuersant among men in this world:) so must the heauen, whither he ascended, be properlie vnderstood to be the highest, if respect be had vnto the Antithesis or contrarietie. And vndoubted credit also must be giuen vnto the testimonie of the angel, wherein it was said; that He should come to iudge from thence, whither he by ascending went. And Peter in expresse words affirmeth, 8 that Heauen must conteine him, vntill the restitution of all things. In which words the aduerbe [Vntill] hath great force: for it is euen as if it were said; He shall not come out of heauen vnto vs, before all things shall be restored by the last iudgement.
2 Neither onelie be the latter fathers (as Beda and Strabus ) of our side, whose testimonies be recited by Peter Lombard: 9 that they affirmed heauen to be Empyreum: not so called, as though anie thing were burned in them with ⟨…⟩ but bicause of the firie light, with which kind the place is perpetuallie lightned: & they will haue it, that the angels were there placed, immediatlie after their creation. Yea and Ambrose and Basil, being men of great authoritie among the ecclesiasticall fathers, were of the same mind: for they, expounding the works of the six daies, demanded whether the darknesse was created by God? And they answered, 10 that darknesse hath no essence and proper nature, which may be brought foorth by creation; but that séeing it belongeth vnto priuation, it followeth of it owne accord, the firmament being vnder put as an arch or vault to an vnshapen matter. For they saie, that before the world was made, God himselfe liued in a most splendent light, which being shut forth, remained, when the firmament had béene compassed about with inferiour things. So as the light being hindered, darkenesse did result within the world.