Introduction
Overview
In this joyful thank-you letter, Paul seeks to accomplish several things. He wants to thank the church for being so generous in supporting his ministry (1:5; 4:10–19). He updates them on his circumstances (1:12–26; 4:10–19) and prepares them for an upcoming visit from Timothy (2:19–24). He exhorts the congregation to unity (2:1–11; 4:2–5) and warns them against false teachers (3:1–4, 18–19).
Toward the end of his life, Paul wrote the Letter to the Philippians to the first congregation he had established in Europe. In it Paul reveals his passion for the gospel and his love for his fellow believers in Christ. In Php 4:15, Paul writes about the special relation that he shares with the Philippian church. This is a church close to Paul’s heart, one with which he shares true partnership in the gospel of Christ. When the Philippian church heard about Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, they responded by sending Epaphroditus with a generous gift. Paul apparently wrote the Letter to the Philippians in response to this gift and the news of the church he received from Epaphroditus. This is one of Paul’s Letters that was not occasioned by problems in a church but by gratitude and deep friendship with a congregation.
Date, Authorship, and Place of Origin
The traditional view is that Paul wrote the Letter to the Philippians from prison in Rome around the year AD 60. There is little reason to challenge this tradition, although several alternative locations have been suggested for the origin of the letter and for the city of Paul’s imprisonment, suggestions that will be discussed below.
Few scholars have questioned Paul’s authorship of Philippians. The letter opens with the greeting from “Paul and Timothy,” but it is clearly Paul alone who has actually authored the letter. Timothy might have been Paul’s secretary or companion, but he is not a coauthor. His name appears again only in 2:19, whereas the first-person singular pronouns “I,” “me,” and “my” appear over fifty times. Both the biographical section and the theology are consistent with what we know of Paul elsewhere in the NT, and from the earliest church fathers on, Paul has been considered the author of Philippians.
The date of Philippians is dependent on the decision about the letter’s place of origin. It is clearly written from prison, so the question becomes, During which of Paul’s imprisonments did he write the Letter to the Philippians? Although several locations have been suggested, only two deserve serious consideration, since Acts records only two places where Paul was imprisoned: Caesarea (58–59) and Rome (60–62).
Philippi
The text of Philippians offers several clues about where and why Paul was imprisoned: it appears that Paul was in prison facing a trial that could end in death or acquittal (1:19–24; 2:23–24), that he planned to visit Philippi upon his acquittal, that there were members of the “imperial guard” (1:13) and “Caesar’s household” (4:22) where he was being held, that Timothy was with Paul, that trips were being made between Philippi and the place where Paul was being held, and that extensive evangelistic efforts were being carried out in the city where Paul was being held.
Acts 23–24 records Paul’s two-year imprisonment in Herod’s praetorium in Caesarea, so the praetorian guard of Php 1:13 could refer to Herod’s soldiers. But in the first century a reference to the praetorian guard more often referred to the emperor’s elite troops stationed in Rome. Although anyone in imperial service could be called a member of Caesar’s household, far more likely this term would be used of the emperor’s household in Rome. There is also little evidence in Acts of life-threatening circumstances or imminent release while Paul was held in Caesarea. In Ac 23:11, Paul is told that he must also “testify in Rome,” and Paul himself seems to know his rights as a Roman citizen when he appeals to Caesar. So it is doubtful that his life would be in danger in a Roman court until he reached Rome.
The traditional view that Paul wrote Philippians from Rome in the early 60s fits all the data found in Ac 28 and Philippians. Acts ends with Paul preaching the gospel in Rome as he awaits his trial, the very picture Paul presents of himself at the beginning of Philippians. A location in Rome is the simplest explanation of references to the praetorian guard and Caesar’s household. This is a case where the traditional view is still the best. [Philippi: The City and the Church]
Literary Unity
The Greek manuscript evidence clearly indicates that Philippians originally circulated as the complete letter we have today. Some scholars have, however, questioned the unity of the letter on other grounds, mainly the use of to loipon (“in addition”) at the beginning of Php 3:1 and the change of tone and subject matter that follows. Such scholars suggest that our Philippians is really two letters combined. Since the same expression (there translated “finally”) is used in Php 4:8, some have even suggested that the end of Php 4 is a third letter of thanks.
But these objections to the unity of Philippians can be answered readily. The Greek expression to loipon, often translated as “finally,” is actually a phrase that indicates more follows and can be used as a transition between sections. Given the complete lack of manuscript evidence for more than one letter and the strong thematic unity of the letter, there is little reason to question the original unity of the Letter to the Philippians.
Theological Themes
Two terms are so characteristic of this letter that they clearly summarize its major theological themes: koinōnia, which can be translated “fellowship” or “participation,” and euangelion, the word for “gospel.” From beginning to end, Philippians is a letter about what it means to fully participate in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul briefly sketches the details of the gospel in Php 2 with attention to Jesus’s preexistence, incarnation, death, resurrection, and exaltation. Christ himself is presented as the model of the Christian life for the Philippians. According to the “Christ hymn” of Php 2:6–11, Christ emptied himself by becoming a servant, and, as a result, he was glorified by God. The pattern of emptying oneself and then being glorified is referred to as “kenosis theology” (from the Greek word kenōsis, meaning “an emptying”) and is important for understanding Christ’s incarnation.
Other leaders in the Christian community also model this dynamic of the gospel for the Philippians. Timothy and Epaphroditus do not look out for their own interests; they are willing to pour out their own lives for the work of the gospel. Paul is willing to share in Christ’s sufferings, that he might also know the power of his resurrection (Php 3:10). This imitation of Christ in his humiliation and exaltation is important not just for leaders in the Christian community. Christ’s servanthood is the model for every Christian, and Paul urges the Philippians to have the same mind in this matter as Christ Jesus. For as they participate in the dynamic of humiliation and exaltation that characterizes the gospel, they participate in Christ’s sufferings and resurrection. This participation produces true joy and peace even in suffering, one of the great themes of the Letter to the Philippians. Like Paul, the Philippians do not need to fear persecution or death for the sake of Christ and the gospel, for “to live is Christ and to die is gain” (1:21). Christlike humility is also the key to true Christian community and brings unity for the sake of the gospel. The great enduring message of Philippians is that the Christian life is a life lived in conformity to the image of Christ as he is presented in the gospel.
Outline
1. Paul’s Apostolic Salutation and Prayer (1:1–11)
A. Address and Salutation (1:1–2)
B. Paul’s Thanksgiving and Confidence (1:3–8)
C. Paul’s Apostolic Prayer (1:9–11)
2. Paul’s Ambition and Joy Is the Gospel of Christ (1:12–26)
A. The Condition and Mission of the Gospel (1:12–18a)
B. Paul’s Own Condition (1:18b–26)
3. The Great Example of Christ and Life Lived according to the Truth of the Gospel (1:27–2:18)
A. An Exhortation to a Life Worthy of the Gospel (1:27–30)
B. A Call to Corporate Life in Christ (2:1–4)
C. The Supreme Example of Christ (2:5–11)
D. A Call to Christlike Obedience (2:12–18)
4. Judge Those Who Work among You by the Truth of the Gospel (2:19–30)
5. Paul’s Life as an Example of the Truth of the Gospel (3:1–21)
A. Beware of Those Who Oppose the Truth of the Gospel (3:1–3)
B. Paul’s Life Illustrates the Truth of the Gospel (3:4–14)
C. Follow the Example of Paul as He Follows the Example of Christ (3:15–21)
6. Encouragements, Appreciations, and Greetings (4:1–23)
A. Encouragements to Steadfastness and Unity (4:1–3)
B. Encouragements to Prayer and Noble-Mindedness (4:4–9)
C. Appreciation of the Philippians’ Gift (4:10–20)
D. Greetings and Benediction (4:21–23)