Abstract
This study addresses the unsettled question concerning the genre of Philippians 2:6–11, long considered a poetic ‘Christ-hymn’, but more recently classified under a number of alternative genre headings: exalted prose, encomion , epainos , early Christian confession, didactic poem, and prose hymn. The study examines the text in the light of ancient rhetorical theory of hymnos and notes the essential features of the genre identified by ancient rhetoricians on a descriptive basis. The study then shows the presence of these same features in Philippians 2:6–11, albeit with one key innovation: conventional, Greco-Roman notions of honour and shame that typically shaped the hymnos genre are turned on their end, with the result that the god of the ‘Christ-Hymn’ is praised for taking up conventionally shameful stations in humility and service to others.
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