Introduction to Philippians
1) Philippi
a) A city of Macedonia originally founded as Krenides by Greek colonists in ~360 BC.[1]
b) Philippi was 9 miles from the coastal port of Neapolis, modern day Kavalla.
c) The city was later taken over and renamed by Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great (356 BC).[2]
d) It possessed a strategic location:
i) Adjacent to well-watered, fertile land, the plain of Datos.
ii) It was on the natural land route from Europe to Asia.
iii) Nearby to rich mineral deposits including gold.
e) All Macedonia including Philippi came under Roman control in 168 BC.
f) Eventually Macedonia became a Roman province that was divided into four parts.
g) According to Luke, Philippi was a leading city in the district of Macedonia (Acts 16:12).
h) In 42 BC two major battles were fought on the adjacent plain.
i) The armies of Cassius and Brutus, the assassins of Julius Caesar were opposed by the armies of Octavian, later the emperor Augustus, and Mark Antony.
ii) Octavian and Mark Antony prevailed.
iii) Following the victories, Octavian honored Philippi by classifying the city as a Roman military colony (Colonia Augusta Julia Philippensis).
iv) This special act endowed the populace of Philippi with full Roman citizenship.
v) Philippi was also granted the honor of ius italicum (Italic right).
(1) Although physically situated in Macedonia, legally the city was considered Roman soil.
(2) The citizens were governed under Roman law rather than local or Hellenistic law.
(3) Colonists could purchase, own, or transfer property and had the right of pursue civil lawsuits.
(4) Citizens were also exempt from certain taxes.
i) Octavian also settled the city and surrounding geographical area with discharged veterans from the war.
j) These former allies turned against one another and in 30 BC Octavian defeated Mark Antony at nearby Actium.
k) In a shrewd political move, Octavian settled Philippi with the defeated veterans of Antony’s army.
l) These settlements created loyalty from those who had fought with him and from those who had just fought against him.
2) The authorship of Philippians.
a) The letter was written by the apostle Paul.
b) Personal background
i) Paul was a Jew born in Tarsus, capital of Cilicia, in Asia Minor (Acts 21:39).
ii) Tarsus was considered a cosmopolitan city with varied cultural influences (oriental, Hellenic etc…)
iii) The city was known as an important center for learning, especially philosophy.
c) Paul was “brought up” in Jerusalem and was educated in the Law by the renowned Pharisee, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3, 26:4 cf. Acts 7:20-21).
d) Paul possessed impeccable credentials. He was “a Hebrew of Hebrews” (Philip. 3:5-6)
e) In addition, he was a Roman citizen (Acts 22:29)
f) The approximate age of Paul at the time of the epistle to the Philippians:
i) Paul (Saul) is “a young man” at the stoning of Stephen which occurred in 35 AD (Acts 7:58).
ii) The word “young man” is the Greek noun “neanias.” This word occurs 3x in the NT: Acts 7:58, 20:9, 23:17.
iii) The primary definition is a youth or young man between the ages of 24-40 yrs. old.
iv) According to Jewish custom, young men entered life as a “rabbi” in the sect of the Pharisees at approx. 30 years old. This would reduce Paul’s age range to 30-40 years old.
v) By the time of the stoning of Stephen in 35 AD, Paul would have been between 30-40 years old. Also, this would remain within the age range of 24-40 years old which is required by the noun “neanias.”
g) Paul authored this epistle in ~61-62 AD along with Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians. This was during his first Roman imprisonment which occurred after his third missionary journey. In Philemon 1:9, Paul refers to himself as “aged” (Greek: “presbutes” – : Lk 1:18, Titus 2:2, Phlm. 1:9). The noun is defined as an old man or aged person. Grammatically, trying to establish his exact age for “presbutes” is unviable. However consider the following:
i) There is a span of 26 years from the stoning of Stephen to the writing of Philippians.
ii) Now we know that if Paul was between 30-40 years old in 35 AD, and 26 years are added, then in 61 AD, he would be 56-66 years old. Also, certain extra-biblical Greek sources indicate “aged” refers to a man between 50-56 yrs old.
h) Although Timothy is mentioned in v. 1, Paul is solely responsible for the content of the letter.
i) The authenticity of Pauline authorship is corroborated by the early church writers Polycarp and Irenaeus.[3]
3) Addressees.
a) Paul addressed the letter to the community of believers living in Philippi (i.e. “to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi…”).
b) It was in Philippi that Paul first proclaimed the Gospel in Europe.
i) Strategically situated on the Egnatian Way, the city was primarily a military and agricultural center rather than a commercial hub.
ii) The primary responsibility of the colony was to ward off barbarian attacks and preserve the peace.
c) The church in Philippi had been founded on Paul’s 2nd missionary journey in ~50 AD (Acts 16:11-40).
d) The population was primarily a mixture of Roman colonists and native Macedonians.
e) Evidently the composition of the membership was predominantly Gentile.
f) As a privileged Roman colony with numerous re-settled veterans, the standards and practices of Rome dominated (Acts 16:20-21, 35, 37).
g) The official language was Latin, but knowledge of koine Greek was essential for the citizens. Inscriptions in both languages have been discovered in the ruins.
h) Strong bonds were formed between Paul and the Philippians church.
i) Paul’s affection for these believers is evident throughout the text (cf. 2 Cor. 8:1-5).
ii) Furthermore, they were generous in their monetary support of the apostle during his journeys (Phil. 4:15ff also 2 Cor. 11:9).
iii) After its establishment, Paul visited the church on several occasions (Acts 20:1-6, 2 Cor. 2:13, 7:5).
iv) He also maintained frequent communications with them (Acts 18:5, 19:22, Phil. 2:25).
4) The time of writing.
a) At the time of writing, Paul is clearly incarcerated (Phil. 1:7, 13-14, 17).
b) There are some rival theories regarding the place of origin which include Ephesus, Caesarea or Rome.
i) Ephesus:
(1) Although Paul was there for 3 yrs., there is no proof that Paul was imprisoned for a prolonged period.
(2) Luke are not known to be with Paul in Ephesus (Acts 20:31, Phil. 1:1).
(3) There is no solid evidence that a praetorium existed in Ephesus. Ergo there would be no praetorian guard.
ii) Caesarea:
(1) When compared with the other “prison epistles,” Paul expected his release from imprisonment. If Paul had been expecting release in Caesarea, he also would probably expect to be lynched (Phil. 1:25, 2:24, Philemon 1:22).
(2) In any case, Paul “left” Caesarea as a prisoner in route to Rome. This was due to his appeal to Caesar with Porcius Festus who had succeeded Felix as procurator in Caesarea in late 59 AD (Acts 23:12-23, 26:32).
c) Rome:
i) The internal evidence in the letter favors a Roman imprisonment.
ii) References to the “whole praetorian guard” and “Caesar’s household” imply that Rome is the place of writing (Phil. 1:13, 4:22).
iii) Although the word “praetorium” may refer to a governor’s palace, the term more naturally refers to Caesar’s imperial guard stationed in Rome, especially preceded by the adjective “whole.”
iv) Furthermore, the epistle is linked to Philemon, another prison epistle. Examine the parallels:
(1) Timothy is mentioned in the greeting (Phil. 1:1, Philemon 1:1)
(2) Paul is imprisoned in both epistles (Phil 1:7, 13-14, 17, Philemon 1:1, 23)
(3) Paul expects his release from prison (Phil 1:25, Philemon 1:22)
d) Paul was sent to Rome by Porcius Festus in late 59 AD. Allowing for reasonable travel time to include violent storms, ship wrecks, snake bites etc., Paul would have arrived in Rome ~60 AD (Acts 27-28:4).
e) Conclusion: Philippians, as one of the prison epistles along with Colossians, Philemon, and Ephesians was authored by Paul during his first Roman imprisonment; an imprisonment which spanned the years 60-62 AD.
f) Nero was in power at the time of writing (r: 54-69 AD).
5) The purpose of the letter.
a) The immediate purpose for the writing of the letter was the return of Epaphroditus following his near fatal illness in Rome (Phil. 2:25).
b) The Philippian believers were facing opposition, and Paul sought to provide encouragement (Phil. 1:27-28).
c) He also provided exhortation in order to quell an internal spat between two believers (Phil. 4:2).
d) Paul acknowledged the monetary support of the believers in Philippi (Phil. 4:10ff).
6) General characteristics of the letter.
a) The letter was highly personal in nature. Paul frequently addresses the recipients as “brethren” and “beloved” (1:12, 2:12, 3:1, 13, 17, 4:1, 8).
b) Joyfulness is a major theme within the letter (1:4, 18, 25, 2:17-18, 28-29, 3:1, 4:1, 4, 10).
c) The letter contains profound Christological details concerning the pre-existence, incarnation, and exaltation of Jesus Christ (2:5-11).
7) Content- General Outline
a) Introductory section.
i) Salutation, 1:1-2
ii) Thanksgiving and prayer, 1:3-11.
b) News and directives
i) Paul’s affairs, 1:12-26.
ii) Directives for the church, 1:27-2:18.
iii) News about Timothy and Epaphroditus, 2:19-30.
c) Warning against error.
i) The inadequacy of the flesh, 3:1-4a.
ii) The example of Paul, 3:4b-14.
iii) Application and appeal for harmony, 3:15-4:3.
d) Concluding matters.
i) Final exhortations, 4:4-9.
ii) Gratitude for support, 4:10-20.
iii) Final greetings, 4:21-23.
[1] Gordon D. Fee, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1995), 25.
[2] Ibid
[3] Peter Kirby, “Polycarp to the Philippians,” Early Christian Writings, 2006; available on http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/polycarp-lightfoot.html; Internet; accessed 29 January 2010; Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Irenaeus, Against Heresies, III, xii. 9, IV, xxiv, 2; http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.iv.xiii.html; http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01.ix.vi.xxv.html; Internet; accessed 29 January 2010.