The topos of Divine Testimony in Luke-Acts. James R. McConnell

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The topos of Divine Testimony in Luke-Acts - James R. McConnell


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from which an orator can draw in order to bring evidence in a forensic or deliberative speech. In the Latin rhetoricians, and particularly in Cicero, there is a strong emphasis on legal applications of topoi and the use of rhetoric in service to the State. My argument here is that this particular definition is underrepresented in NT studies involving rhetoric and topoi.

      I then moved to a particular topos described in many rhetorical writings, the external topos of divine testimony, which receives its fullest explanation in Cicero’s Topica. Through many examples I demonstrated that the testimony of the gods, which occurs through various means, was widely applied in ancient speeches and treatises when arguing a case or seeking to persuade an audience. Specifically, orators often applied this form of testimony in order to praise one’s client, or, conversely, to denigrate an opponent. Likewise, the testimony of the gods was used to demonstrate the gods’ support or lack thereof for a potential course of action. Finally, I argued that ancient audiences would have perceived this particular form of evidence as extremely persuasive.

      Given this position, the next task is to examine Luke-Acts and other similar extra-biblical works in order to investigate if and how the topos of divine testimony is applied in these more narrative genres. In the next four chapters of this study, I will attempt to demonstrate that the topos of divine testimony was used rhetorically by ancient authors of narratives, including histories and biographies, in order to praise and denigrate characters, and to convince readers of the validity or inconsistency of a particular course of action.

      Seneca, Ep. 34.19: “I remember one day you were handling the well-known commonplace [Memini te illum locum aliquando tractasse],—that we do not suddenly fall on death, but advance towards it by slight degrees; we die every day.”

      Seneca the Elder, Suasoriae 1.7.9: “He then spoke the commonplace [Dixit deinde locum] on the variability of Fortune. He described how nothing is stable, everything fluid, now raised, now depressed in unpredictable change.”


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