Philippians
The Epistle of Paul to the Philippians, usually referred to
simply as Philippians, is the eleventh book in the New
Testament. Biblical scholars agree that it was written by St.
Paul to the church of Philippi. This authentic Pauline letter
was written c 62.[1]Paul's composition of Philippians is
"universally accepted" (Beare, p. 1) by the academic
community, both ancient and modern. It is possible that the
kenosis passage in Philippians 2:5-11 may have been a
Christian hymn that Paul quoted.
Philippians 2:5-11:...
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LITERATURE
I. Paul and the Church at Philippi.
Paul was on his second missionary journey in the year 52 AD.
He felt that he was strangely thwarted in many of his plans.
He had had a most distressing illness in Galatia. The Spirit
would not permit him to preach in Asia, and when he essayed
to enter Bithynia the Spirit again would not suffer it.
Baffled and perplexed, the apostle with his two companions,
Silas and Timothy, went on to the seacoast and stopped in
Troas. Here at last his leading became clear. A vision of a
man from Macedonia convinced him that it was the will of God
that he should preach in the western continent of Europe.
The way was opened at once. The winds were favorable. In two
days he came to Neapolis. At once he took the broad paved
way of the Via Egnatia up to the mountain pass and down on
the other side to Philippi, a journey of some 8 miles. There
was no synagogue at Philippi, but a little company of Jews
gathered for Sabbath worship at "a place of prayer"
(proseuche, Acts 16:13), about a mile to the West of the
city gate on the shore of the river Gangites (see
PROSEUCHA). Paul and his companions talked to the women
gathered there, and Lydia was converted. Later, a maid with
the spirit of divination was exorcised. Paul and Silas were
scourged and thrown into prison, an earthquake set them
free, the jailer became a believer, the magistrates repented
their treatment of men who were Roman citizens and besought
them to leave the city (Acts 16:6-40). Paul had had his
first experience of a Roman scourging and of lying in the
stocks of a Roman prison here at Philippi, yet he went on
his way rejoicing, for a company of disciples had been
formed, and he had won the devotion of loyal and loving
hearts for himself and his Master (see PHILIPPI). That was
worth all the persecution and the pain. The Christians at
Philippi seem to have been Paul's favorites among all his
converts. He never lost any opportunity of visiting them and
refreshing his spirit with their presence in the after-
years. Six years later he was resident in Ephesus, and
having sent Titus to Corinth with a letter to the
Corinthians and being in doubt as to the spirit in which it
would be received, he appointed a meeting with Titus in
Macedonia, and probably spent the anxious days of his
waiting at Philippi. If he met Titus there, he may have
written 2 Corinthians in that city (2 Cor 2:13; 7:6). Paul
returned to Ephesus, and after the riot in that city he went
over again into Macedonia and made his third visit to
Philippi. He probably promised the Philippians at this time
that he would return to Philippi to celebrate the Easter
week with his beloved converts there. He went on into
Greece, but in 3 months he was back again, at the festival
of the resurrection in the year 58 AD (Acts 20:2,6). We read
in 1 Tim 1:3 that Paul visited Macedonia after the Roman
imprisonment. He enjoyed himself among the Philippians. They
were Christians after his own heart. He thanks God for their
fellowship from the first day until now (Phil 1:5). He
declares that they are his beloved who have always obeyed,
not in his presence only, but much more in his absence (Phil
2:12). With fond repetition he addresses them as his
brethren, beloved and longed for, his joy and crown, his
beloved (Phil 4:1). This was Paul's favorite church, and we
can gather from the epistle good reason for this fact...
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was St. Paul from Rome in A.D. 62 or 63. St. Paul's
connection with Philippi was of a peculiar character, which
gave rise to the writing of this epistle. St. Paul entered
its walls A.D. 52. Ac 16:18 There, at a greater distance
from Jerusalem than any apostle had yet penetrated, the
long-restrained energy of St, Paul was again employed in
laying the foundation of a Christian church, Philippi was
endeared to St. Paul not only by the hospitality of Lydia,
the deep sympathy of the converts, and the remarkable
miracle which set a seal on his preaching, but, also by the
successful exercise of his missionary activity after a long
suspense, and by the happy consequences of his undaunted
endurance of ignominies which remained in his memory, Phm
1:30 after the long interval of eleven years. Leaving
Timothy and Luke to watch over the infant church, Paul and
Silas went to Thessalonica, 1Th 2:2 whither they were
followed by the alms of the Philippians, Phm 4:16 and thence
southward. After the lapse of five years, spent chiefly at
Corinth and Ephesus, St. Paul passed through Macedonia, A.D.
57, on his way to Greece, and probably visited Philippi for
the second time, and was there joined by Timothy. He wrote
at Philippi his second Epistle to the Corinthians. On
returning from Greece, Ac 20:4 he again found a refuge among
his faithful Philippians, where he spent some days at
Easter, A.D. 58, with St. Luke, who accompanied him when he
sailed from Neapolis. Once more, in his Roman captivity,
A.D. 62, their care of him revived-again. They sent
Epaphroditus bearing their alms for the apostle's support,
and ready also to tender his personal service. Phm 2:25 St.
Paul's aim in writing is plainly this: while acknowledging
the alms of the Philippians and the personal services of
their messenger, to give them some information respecting
his own condition, and some advice respecting theirs.
Strangely full of joy and thanksgiving amidst adversity,
like the apostle's midnight hymn from the depth of his
Philippian dungeon, this epistle went forth from his prison
at Rome. In most other epistles he writes with a sustained
effort to instruct, or with sorrow, or with indignation; he
is striving to supply imperfect or to correct erroneous
teaching, to put down scandalous impurity or to schism in
the church which he addresses. But in this epistle, though
he knew the Philippians intimately and was not blind to the
faults and tendencies to fault of some of them, yet he
mentions no evil so characteristic of the whole Church as to
call for general censure on his part or amendment on theirs.
Of all his epistles to churches, none has so little of an
official character as this.
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was written by Paul during the two years when he was "in
bonds"
in Rome (Phil. 1:7-13), probably early in the year
A.D. 62 or in
the end of 61.
The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus, their
messenger, with
contributions to meet the necessities of the
apostle; and on his
return Paul sent back with him this letter. With
this precious
communication Epaphroditus sets out on his homeward
journey.
"The joy caused by his return, and the effect of
this wonderful
letter when first read in the church of Philippi,
are hidden
from us. And we may almost say that with this letter
the church
itself passes from our view. To-day, in silent
meadows, quiet
cattle browse among the ruins which mark the site of
what was
once the flourishing Roman colony of Philippi, the
home of the
most attractive church of the apostolic age. But the
name and
fame and spiritual influence of that church will
never pass. To
myriads of men and women in every age and nation the
letter
written in a dungeon at Rome, and carried along the
Egnatian Way
by an obscure Christian messenger, has been a light
divine and a
cheerful guide along the most rugged paths of life"
(Professor
Beet).
The church at Philippi was the first-fruits of
European
Christianity. Their attachment to the apostle was
very fervent,
and so also was his affection for them. They alone
of all the
churches helped him by their contributions, which he
gratefully
acknowledges (Acts 20:33-35; 2 Cor. 11:7-12; 2
Thess. 3:8). The
pecuniary liberality of the Philippians comes out
very
conspicuously (Phil. 4:15). "This was a
characteristic of the
Macedonian missions, as 2 Cor. 8 and 9 amply and
beautifully
prove. It is remarkable that the Macedonian converts
were, as a
class, very poor (2 Cor. 8:2); and the parallel
facts, their
poverty and their open-handed support of the great
missionary
and his work, are deeply harmonious. At the present
day the
missionary liberality of poor Christians is, in
proportion,
really greater than that of the rich" (Moule's
Philippians,
Introd.).
The contents of this epistle give an interesting
insight into
the condition of the church at Rome at the time it
was written.
Paul's imprisonment, we are informed, was no
hindrance to his
preaching the gospel, but rather "turned out to the
furtherance
of the gospel." The gospel spread very extensively
among the
Roman soldiers, with whom he was in constant
contact, and the
Christians grew into a "vast multitude." It is plain
that
Christianity was at this time making rapid
advancement in Rome.
The doctrinal statements of this epistle bear a
close relation
to those of the Epistle to the Romans. Compare also
Phil. 3:20
with Eph. 2:12, 19, where the church is presented
under the idea
of a city or commonwealth for the first time in
Paul's writings.
The personal glory of Christ is also set forth in
almost
parallel forms of expression in Phil. 2:5-11,
compared with Eph.
1:17-23; 2:8; and Col. 1:15-20. "This exposition of
the grace
and wonder of His personal majesty, personal self-
abasement, and
personal exaltation after it," found in these
epistles, "is, in
a great measure, a new development in the
revelations given
through St. Paul" (Moule). Other minuter analogies
in forms of
expression and of thought are also found in these
epistles of
the Captivity.
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INTERNAL EVIDENCE. The style, thought, and doctrine agree
with Paul's. The incidental allusions confirm his
authorship. Paley (Hor. Paul. 7) instances the mention of
the object of Epaphroditus' journey to Rome, his sickness;
the Philippian contribution to Paul's wants (Philemon 1:7;
Philemon 2:25-30; Philemon 4:10-18); Timothy's having been
long with Paul at Philippi (Philemon 1:1; Philemon 2:19);
Paul's being for long a prisoner at Rome (Philemon 1:12-14;
Philemon 2:17-28); his willingness to die for Christ
(Philemon 1:23, compare 2 Corinthians 5:8); the Philippians
having seen his maltreatment at Philippi (Philemon 1:29-30;
Philemon 2:1-2).
EXTERNAL EVIDENCE. Polycarp (ad Philipp. 3 and 11,
A.D. 107); so that Christians who heard Paul's epistle read
for the first time may have spoken with Polycarp. Marcion in
Tertullian (A D. 140) acknowledges its authenticity. So the
Muratorian Fragment; Irenaeuns (adv. Haer, 4:18, section 4);
Clemens Alex. (Paedagog. 1, 1:10); the epistle to the
churches of Lyons and Vienne (A. D. 177) in Eusebius (H. E.,
5:2); Tertullian (Resurr. Carnis, 23); Origen (Celsus, 1,
3:122); Cyprian (Testim. against the Jews, 3:39).
OBJECT. To thank them for contributions sent by
Epaphroditus, who in returning takes back the epistle. Also
to express Christian sympathy, and to exhort to imitation of
Christ in humility and lowly love, instead of existing
dissensions, as between Euodias and Syntyche (Philemon 4:2),
and to warn against Judaizers. In this epistle alone are no
positive censures; no doctrinal error or schism had as yet
sprung up.
DIVISIONS.
I. Address: his state as a prisoner, theirs, his
sending Epaphroditus to them (Philippians 1; 2).
Epaphroditus probably was a presbyter of the Philippian
church, who cheered Paul in iris imprisonment by bringing
the Philippian token of love and liberality. By the fatigues
of the journey that "brother, companion in labour, and
fellow soldier" brought on himself dangerous sickness
(Philemon 2:25-30). But now being well he "longed" to return
to his Philippian flock and relieve them of their anxiety
about him. So Paul takes the opportunity of sending an
epistle by him.
II. Caution against Judaizers, contrasting his own
former legalism with his present following Christ as his all
(Philippians 3)...
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