By Phillip Rolfes | Staff Writer
August 19, 2025
Is the Catholic dogma of Mary’s assumption biblical?
Although not explicitly mentioned in the Bible, there is certainly biblical precedence for the Catholic dogma of Mary’s assumption, body and soul, into heaven.
It’s important to note from the beginning, however, that the Bible alone is rarely sufficient for articulating core Christian beliefs.
For example, the word “Trinity” doesn’t appear in the Bible. Nor does the Bible clearly state Christ's divinity or how His two natures are united in one Person.
If the Bible alone were sufficient for articulating Christian beliefs, there wouldn’t have been any ancient heresies, nor would the Church have had to meet in ecumenical councils to definitively interpret the Scriptures and articulate the orthodox beliefs of the catholic Faith.
So, while there may be no explicit mention of the Catholic dogma of Mary’s assumption in the Bible, it is still deeply implicit in Sacred Scripture.
Assumptions in the Old Testament
The first thing to note is that Mary’s assumption, unlike her virginal conception of Jesus, is not unprecedented in Israel’s history.
There are two figures in the Old Testament who were assumed, body and soul, into heaven.
In Genesis 5:24 we read how Enoch is vaguely described as “walking with God,” breaking from the pattern of previous generations, where the usual formula is simply “then he died.”
Although the text from Genesis itself implies that Enoch was assumed into God’s presence, this assumption is made explicit in Hebrews 11:15, which describes Enoch as being “taken up so that he should not see death.”
The second Old Testament figure who is assumed into heaven is none other than the prophet Elijah.
In 2 Kings 2:1, 11-12, we read how Elijah was taken up into heaven in a “chariot of fire with horses of fire” while Elisha stood watching nearby.
These two figures provide the Old Testament precedence for the Church’s dogma of Mary’s bodily assumption.
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The Assumption and the Book of Revelation
But there is also New Testament precedence for the dogma Mary’s assumption, so long as one reads the Scriptures typologically as the ancient Christians read it and as the Catholic Church continues to read it today.
We read in Revelation:
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, loud noises, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.” (Rev 11:19-12:2)
The first thing to note is that, in the original Greek, the phrases we translate as “was seen” and “appeared” are a single word: ὁράω (horaō). That word itself connects the ark of the covenant and the woman.
But, as Dr. John Bergsma points out in his The Word of the Lord volume for feasts and solemnities, we’d expect to read a description of the ark of the covenant after hearing John announce seeing it in the heavenly temple.
Instead, after announcing the appearance of the ark in one sentence, in the very next sentence he announces seeing “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child.”
The conclusion, Bergsma argues, is that the woman, who appears bodily in heaven, is the ark!
This is further confirmed in the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel where Mary is presented in ways that closely parallel the ark of the covenant:
- The Holy Spirit overshadows her at the annunciation, just as God’s presence overshadows the ark (Lk 1:35, cf. Ex 40:34-35; Nm 9:18, 22).
- In the presence of the pregnant Mary, John leaps in his mother’s womb like David leapt and danced before the Ark (Lk 1:44, cf. 2 Sam 6:14-22).
- She remains in the hill country of Judea for three months, just as the Ark did (Lk 1:56, cf. 2 Sam 6:1-12).
Just as the ark held the 10 Commandments, Aarons priestly staff, and the manna from heaven (cf. Heb 9:4), Mary, the new ark bears Jesus, the definitive lawgiver and high priest and the bread of life come down from heaven.
Conclusion
From this it can be concluded that, although Mary’s assumption into heaven isn’t explicitly stated in the Scriptures, there is a strong biblical case for the dogma.
Why is this dogma so important to Catholics?
Paragraph 966 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church explains:
“Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. 'The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians.”
If you'd like to learn more, check out:
The Word of the Lord: Reflections on the Mass Readings for Solemnities and Feasts: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/the-word-of-the-lord-reflections-on-the-mass-readings-for-solemnities-and-feasts
Hail, Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God: https://stpaulcenter.com/store/hail-holy-queen-the-mother-of-god-in-the-word-of-god
Biblical Proof for the Assumption of Mary
The Bible and the Virgin Mary (part of the St. Paul Center’s Journey through Scripture series)
