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The Rabbula Gospels are named after the Mesopotamian monk who wrote this liturgical codex in Syrian, on parchment, in the late 6th century. The manuscript is one of the most richly ornamented of the period. It contains 292 folios with the four gospels, in Syrian translation. It is illustrated with 26 miniatures and 19 canon tables. The canon tables were introduced by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea around 330 A.D., in order to make it easier to locate identical content in the texts of the four gospels.
Folio 13 verso shows the ascension of Christ into heaven. In the centre of the lower zone is the Virgin Mary, vested in purple, her hands upraised, in the attitude of a woman praying. Amongst the apostles, Peter (to the right, with the keys) and Paul (to the left, holding a book and pointing upward) are given special prominence. Above, two angels are bearing a mandorla, which surrounds the figure of Christ ascending, while two others proffering him crowns, a sign, as Paul had written, of Christ's twofold nature, both human and divine.
The frame, which looks like coloured stone decor, may imply that a mosaic served as the model for this monumental composition. It has been proposed that there was such a mosaic in the church on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where the ascension took place.
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