Lukan Literary Slam

In Acts 9:33-34 Luke writes of Peter as he travelled "here and there among them all" that "he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. [34] And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose."

Luke's mention of Aeneas is a not too subtle claim of the superiority of the gospel over Roman imperial claims to hegemony. Aeneas is the main character of Virgil's Aeneid, a fictional account of the founding of Rome. Though fictional Virgil's account was justly famous then and is now for its literary artistry and for it's not too subtle claims for Augustus Caesar's rule.

Luke was not forced to mention Aeneas's name but providence provided him with an opportunity to record an amazing healing and hint at Jesus Christ's greatness against any Caesar's. It would be like an American Christian healing a man whose name happened to be George Washington or Abraham Lincoln.

Christ came to found a better city than Rome. In the Aeneid Aeneas founds his city upon the blood of his enemy Turnus. Though Christ will come in judgment one day, his city is founded upon his own blood, a blood that speaks peace and bids all who will to rise and walk in his name.