Chapter 6 Topos and Topography: Jerusalem in the Memory of Christian III, King of Denmark–Norway

Abstract

This chapter discusses the relevance of the Jerusalem code as political legitimization strategy at the introduction of the Reformation in Denmark and Norway. It does so by an investigation of the rhetorical use of Jerusalem in the funeral orations for Christian III. The concept of place, or “ topos ” , a central part of rhetorical theory of that time, was meant to direct the invention process of a speech by pointing the speaker to a field where he might find authoritative and convincing arguments. This chapter employs the topos concept to analyze the speeches ’ rhetorical strategies and Jerusalem ’ s role in them. The second part of the analysis establishes connections between the rhetorical strategies and concrete descriptions of places, primarily of Christian III ’ s kingdom, Copenhagen and Denmark-Norway, descriptions which in this chapter are labelled as “ topography ” . This chapter uses Jerusalem to describe early Danish knowledge culture and its role in religious politics by investigating, first, how Jerusalem might have played a role in lending authority to these speeches and, secondly, how it contributed to the official memory of the King.