Original Research

Zechariah the model priest: Luke and the characterisation of ordinary priests in Luke-Acts

Louis W. Ndekha
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies | Vol 74, No 1 | a4916 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v74i1.4916 | © 2018 Louis Watson Ndekha | This work is licensed under CC Attribution 4.0
Submitted: 18 January 2018 | Published: 30 April 2018

About the author(s)

Louis W. Ndekha, School of Liberal and Performing Arts, University of Gloucestershire, United Kingdom and Department of New Testament Studies, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

This article argues that Luke’s characterisation of Zechariah and the other ordinary priests in Acts 6:7 represents the most striking characterisation of the priesthood in the Gospels. This positive depiction, seen against the generally stereotypical image of chief priests in the Gospels, makes Zechariah’s image that of a model priest. Such characterisation demonstrates that despite Jewish hostility towards early Christianity, not all Jewish priests were against early Christianity. Through this, the article presents a fascinating and obscure dimension of the Jewish priesthood and, therefore, helps uncover the hidden voices in the gospels’ representation of Jewish priesthood.

Keywords

Characterisation; chief priests; ordinary priests; model priests; Luke-Acts

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