Author
This is an undisputed letter, meaning that it’s universally accepted that Paul wrote it. It’s also certain that he wrote it from prison but what’s not certain is which prison. Most scholars think it was written at Ephesus.
Date
Because of the uncertainty over where Paul was when he wrote it, it’s difficult to date it. It’s usually dated anywhere from 56AD to 63AD.
Setting
Philippi was a Roman colony where military veterans were given land once they completed their service. The story of this community’s founding is recounted in Acts 16. It was founded by Paul and Silas on their second missionary journey, around 50-52AD. The first convert was a woman named Lydia. While preaching there, Paul cast a demon out of a slave girl who could predict the future. Her owners had Paul and Silas arrested and imprisoned for the loss of their income. This is followed by the story of a miraculous jail break.
Purpose
The overall purpose of the letter was to thank the Philippian community for their continuing support of Paul and also to encourage them to unity. A key theme running throughout is that of joy. This is not a facile joy in the absence of suffering and difficulty, but rather a deep joy that can spring forth out of a prison cell (1:7,13), the suffering church (1:29-30), and the possibility of martyrdom.
The letter to the Philippians is concerned with unity. In this letter Paul was addressing a pastoral crisis: there was a danger of division and he exhorted them to unity. Jesus is the model of this. The central event in the drama of salvation is an act of humble self-emptying. Our Unity comes through renunciation of the natural, selfish state and the taking on of the divine state.
This letter gives us one of the most approachable pictures of Paul. In this letter, it’s the opponents (3:2) that draw his ire rather than the Christian community.
Outline
- Greeting 1:1-2
- Thanksgiving 1:3-11
- The Example of Paul 1:12-26
- Instructions 1:27-2:18
- The examples of Timoty and Epaphroditus 2:19-30
- More instructions 3:1-4:1
- The examples of Euodia and Syntyche 4:2-3
- More instructions 4:4-9
- Thanks and final greetings 4:10-23