PHILIPPIANS
PHILIPPIANS
Paulâs brief but powerful letter to the Philippians reveals heartfelt warmth and acceptance between writer and implied readers. The theme of joy is pervasive throughout the letterâand this in the face of Paulâs writing from prison. The apostleâs prayer of thanksgiving, in this letter far more than perfunctory, includes a strong word of affection for the Philippiansâ participation in the gospel. At one point he addresses his readers as his âbeloved and longed-for brothers and sisters,â his âjoy and crownâ (Phil 4:1).
The reason for this outpouring of love is clear. The Philippians have repeatedly sent gifts to undergird Paulâs ministry, most recently a gift borne by one of their members, Epaphroditus. Whereas in Corinth Paul had to defend himself against âfalse apostlesâ who sought to undermine his ministry and in Galatia he had to contend with agitators who preached a distorted and perverted message and who apparently attracted converts, in Philippi life and ministry have gone well. Though he calls attention to âthe dogsâ and âthe enemies of the crossâ and addresses a dispute among church members, there is no indication of either a personal attack on Paul or a wholesale departure of the Philippian Christians to a false ideology. Instead, the tone is embracing.
Indeed, of the undisputed letters of Paul, only 1 Thessalonians matches the fondness and pastoral sensitivity of Philippians. The apostleâs deep feeling for his intended audience comes out in a comment to the Corinthians:
We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been given to the churches in Macedonia. In the midst of a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability, begging us earnestly for the privilege of sharing in this ministry to the saints. And they went beyond our expectations; having given first of all to the Lord, they gave themselves by the will of God also to us. (2 Cor 8:1â5)
Introduction to Philippians
Philippi: City and Church
Philippi was a town in the northeastern area of Greece, in the territory called Macedonia. Its ancient name was Krenides, until it was rebuilt and fortified by Philip II of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. Philip had foreseen the potential economic and strategic significance of the city, and when the Thracians endangered it, he took the city in 356 B.C.E. and renamed it for himself. Though small in size, Philippi was important for two reasons: its proximity to Mount Pangaion, known for its gold and silver deposits; and its location both on the Via Egnatia, which ran from Byzantium to the west coast of Greece, and near Neapolis, a port city with avenues to the sea.
An interesting textual problem surrounds the mention of Philippi in Acts 16:12. Should the text read âPhilippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedoniaâ (NRSV)? or should it read âPhilippi, a city of the first district of Macedoniaâ (NRSV margin)? Since Philippi was not the prominent city of Macedonia (not nearly so prominent as Thessalonica), the marginal reading seems the more likely choice.1 In either case, it is designated âa Roman colony.â
Two significant battles occurred near Philippi, which sealed its character as a Roman city. In 42 B.C.E. it was the site of the famous battle in which Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) and Mark Antony defeated Cassius and Brutus. Following the battle and with the settling of many Roman soldiers there, Philippi was declared a Roman colony. In 31 B.C.E. Octavianâs defeat of Antony in the battle of Actium led to a further influx of military personnel. Its status as a Roman city enabled its citizens to be free from taxation, to buy and sell property, and to be protected by Roman law. The Latin inscriptions on monuments abound.2
It was likely by the sea route from Troas via Neapolis that Paul, together with his companions Timothy, Silas, and possibly Luke, first arrived at Philippi (Acts 16:11â12). The letter tells us nothing about the initial visit or the beginnings of the church there. All that we know comes from Acts 16:11â39.
Acts reports that on the Sabbath they gathered with a group of women âoutside the gate by the riverâ to pray. The only person named is Lydia, âa worshiper of God,â who hears what Paul has to say, and she and her household are baptized.3 Two features about Lydia lead one to think she was financially secure. One is that she is described as âa dealer in purple cloth,â a fact that in itself may not prove her prosperity. However, she owned her own home, which became the hub for the church at Philippi (16:40). A good guess is that she was unmarried or widowed, and as such, she was able to be both a merchant and the mistress of a household, and to achieve a fairly high social status in the community. Though her name begins and ends the story in Acts of Paulâs stay in Philippi (16:14, 40), she is not mentioned in the letter. Two other women, Euodia and Syntyche, are identified as courageous leaders who have struggled alongside Paul âin the work of the gospelâ (Phil 4:3). The three women, together with Clement and Epaphroditus, are the only people we can attach by name to this budding church.
Acts records another significant event during this stay in Philippi, and this event is also missing from the letter. On his way one day to worship, Paul encounters a slave girl with âa spirit of the python,â apparently a reference to the serpent connected with the oracle at Delphi. The slave girl makes money for her owners by predicting the future and telling the fortunes for those who pay. Interestingly, she recognizes Paul and his friends for who they are. She hounds them, crying again and again, âThese men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvationâ (Acts 16:17). In exasperation, Paul casts the spirit of divination out of her. The owners of the slave girl, recognizing that their source of income has dried up, drag Paul and Silas before the civic authorities and accuse them of anti-Roman behavior. The result is that the two men are severely beaten and thrown into jail.
The narrative goes on to relate how Paul and Silas begin singing and praying in jail, and suddenly about midnight an earthquake shakes the foundations of the jail, with the result that all the prisoners are freed from their shackles. The jailer awakes from his sleep in a panic, fearing that he will have to bear the burden of this jailbreak, only to hear the reassuring word of Paul that no one has escaped. Amazed, he puts to Paul the critical question: âWhat must I do to be saved?â On learning that belief in Jesus is sufficient, he eagerly hears Paulâs message. Ultimately he, together with his whole household, is baptized.
The concluding scene is intriguing. On the next morning when the magistrates declare that Paul and Silas can go free, Paul declares his Roman citizenship. The result is an apology by the magistrates for their public mistreatment of uncondemned citizens. Ironically Paul and Silas, themselves accused of anti-Roman behavior, are actually victims of anti-Roman activity on the part of the civic leaders. Paul and Silas encourage Lydia and her companions in the faith before leaving via the Via Egnatia for Thessalonica.
Without debating the historicity of all the happenings at Philippi related in Acts, several features of the story help to illumine our understanding of Philippians. First of all, the character of the Christian community there is clearly Gentile. No mention is made in the Acts account of a synagogue or of Jews. Instead of going to the synagogue, as was Paulâs custom in Acts (13:5, 14â15; 17:1â2, 10; 18:4; 19:8), he locates a group of Gentile women, who have a place of prayer by the river. Since none of the names mentioned are Jewish, we are safe in judging that the church is composed primarily, if not exclusively, of Gentiles.4
Second, women play a prominent role in the leadership of the Christian community at Philippi. Lydia, whose entire household is baptized, hosts Paul and his colleagues, and her home becomes the center for the church. Furthermore, Euodia and Syntyche obviously have key roles to play in the life of the community. Whatever becomes of the healed slave-girl is unknown.
Third, in Acts it is clearly Paul who establishes the church in Macedonia. He is moved to do so by a vision in which a man of Macedonia pleads with Paul to âcome over and help usâ (16:6â10). This role as church planter is not specifically mentioned in Philippians. And yet Paul alludes frequently to his âmission in Macedoniaâ in his correspondence. It was repeatedly marked by opposition and suffering (Phil 1:29â30; cf. 1 Thess 2:2), which could be a reference to the occasion in which the civil magistrates flogged Paul and Silas severely and put them in the stocks (Acts 16:22â24). Yet this harsh reception hindered neither Paulâs preaching of the gospel nor his development of a church in Philippi.
After Paulâs initial visit to Philippi, the Philippian church members maintained ties with the apostle by sending him gifts. When he was in Thessalonica, they repeatedly supported him in his work (Phil 4:16). And again while he was in Corinth, âbrothers from Macedoniaâ supplied his needs (2 Cor 11:9). More recently, Epaphroditus risked his life in bearing the service that the Philippians could not in person supply (Phil 2:25â30; 4:18). It was a way for them to âshare in the gospelâ (1:5) and, in particular, in Paulâs mission among the Gentiles. This practice of giving certainly contributed to the special affection and deep longing that Paul has for the Philippians.
The Letter: Authorship and Integrity
Only rarely in the history of New Testament scholarship has the Pauline authorship of Philippians been questioned. It bears Paulâs name as writer, and echoes of the letter as Pauline can be heard in the early-second-century patristic documents (e.g., in Clement, Ignatius, Hermas, Justin Martyr, and Tertullian). It appears in the canonical lists of Marcion and the Muratorian fragment. Only Ferdinand Christian Baur in the mid-nineteenth century contended that the letter was not written by Paul because it âis characterized very definitely by monotonous repetition of what has already been said, by a want of any profound and masterly connexion of ideas, and a certain poverty of thought.â One finds âno motive nor occasion for it, nor distinct indication of any purpose, or of any leading idea.â5 While today Pauline scholarship would, almost without exception, reject Baurâs conclusion about who wrote the letter,6 there remains considerable debate whether the letter has integrity or whether it may be a composite of three letters.
The case for multiple letters is primarily based on two uneven seams that expose the patchwork. The initial uneven seam is found at 3:2, where an abrupt change occurs from the theme of rejoicing to a warning about âthe dogs, the evil workers, those who mutilate the flesh.â Since the reader is unprepared for such a scathing attack on opponents and since 3:1 begins with the word âfinally,â the arg...