This new interdisciplinary treatise on the unusual features of literary and cultural items connected with the ancient idea of “translation” including the motif of ascension as a phenomenon complete with its own premises, literary and narratological conceits, but one that has been understudied as an influence on Western culture, religion and its literary production. Professor Sorensen has completed a wide-ranging study and made some surprising conclusions as to the full weight and impact of this religious motif in medieval, Renaissance, Classical and Modern literature and art. “The work is one of great cultural and aesthetic value.” -Professor Andrew Woznecki, Fleischacker Professor of Philosophy, University of San Francisco