An Encomium for Jesus

Luke’s narrative about Jesus followed the conventions for ancient biography. Trained

in rhetoric, Luke employed the genre of the encomium, which regularly used to

showcase biographical aspects of a person’s life worthy of honour. An Encomium for

Jesus argues that Luke mastered the genre, its conventional topics, and specific

instructions for composing one.

The usual topics of an encomium served as Luke’s template to organize and narrate

the life of Jesus. The first topic, ‘origins’, displayed Jesus’ worth in terms of his

geographical origins (Bethlehem) and generational origins (son of David, heir to his

throne). His genealogy confirms a very noble ancestry. Angels and prophets speak to

the importance of his birth, all conventional items.

Second, Jesus was raised as an observant Israelite: circumcised, dedicated, and an

annual participant at Passover; he customarily attended synagogue. Although

precocious, he lacked training in a familial virtue, which he learned subsequently by

obedience to his parents.

An encomium focused on a person’s actions, generally described in terms of the

canonical virtues, wisdom, courage, justice and self-control. Luke adeptly portrayed

Jesus’ actions according to these virtues, correctly presuming that his audience would

label this or that action as virtuous, a safe assumption. Jesus was wise in

understanding people, courageous in facing death, just in his teaching, and moderate

in controlling emotional reactions.

An encomium should also speak of a person’s death, a conventional feature in funeral

oratory. Luke employed the tradition of the ‘noble death’ to highlight aspects of

Jesus’ death, especially its voluntary and beneficial aspects. Most importantly, he

narrated the many posthumous honours awarded Jesus, as cited in Acts: he did not see

death; God vindicated and enthroned him; and he became the Author of salvation.

Thus Luke composed a conventional Encomium for Jesus.