Book of Philippians
Summary of the Book of Philippians
This summary of the
book of Philippians provides information about the title, author(s), date of
writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the
chapters of the Book of Philippians.
The early church was
unanimous in its testimony that Philippians was written by the apostle Paul
(see 1:1). Internally the letter reveals the stamp of genuineness. The
many personal references of the author fit what we know of Paul from other NT
books.
It is evident that
Paul wrote the letter from prison (see 1:13-14). Some have argued that this imprisonment
took place in Ephesus, perhaps c. a.d. 53-55; others put it in Caesarea c.
57-59. Best evidence, however, favors Rome as the place of origin and the date
as c. 61. This fits well with the account of Paul's house arrest in Ac 28:14-31. When he wrote Philippians, he was not in the
Mamertine dungeon as he was when he wrote 2 Timothy. He was in his own rented
house, where for two years he was free to impart the gospel to all who came to
him.
Paul's primary purpose
in writing this letter was to thank the Philippians for the gift they had sent
him upon learning of his detention at Rome (1:5; 4:10-19). However, he makes use of this occasion to
fulfill several other desires: (1) to report on his own circumstances (1:12-26; 4:10-19); (2) to encourage the Philippians to stand
firm in the face of persecution and rejoice regardless of circumstances (1:27-30; 4:4); (3) to exhort them to humility and unity (2:1-11; 4:2-5); (4) to commend Timothy and Epaphroditus to
the Philippian church (2:19-30); and (5) to warn the Philippians against the
Judaizers (legalists) and antinomians (libertines) among them (ch. 3).
The city of Philippi
(see map, p. 2445) was named after King Philip II of Macedon, father of
Alexander the Great. It was a prosperous Roman colony, which meant that the
citizens of Philippi were also citizens of the city of Rome itself. They prided
themselves on being Romans (see Ac 16:21), dressed like Romans and often spoke Latin.
No doubt this was the background for Paul's reference to the believer's
heavenly citizenship (3:20-21). Many of the Philippians were retired
military men who had been given land in the vicinity and who in turn served as
a military presence in this frontier city. That Philippi was a Roman colony may
explain why there were not enough Jews there to permit the establishment of a
synagogue and why Paul does not quote the OT in the Philippian letter.
2. It is a missionary thank-you letter in which
the missionary reports on the progress of his work.
3. It manifests a particularly vigorous type of
Christian living: (1) self-humbling (2:1-4); (2) pressing toward the goal (3:13-14); (3) lack of anxiety (4:6); (4) ability to do all things (4:13).
4. It is outstanding as the NT letter of joy; the
word "joy" in its various forms occurs some 16 times.
5. It contains one of the most profound
Christological passages in the NT (2:5-11). Yet, profound as it is, Paul includes it
mainly for illustrative purposes.
From the NIV Study Bible,
Introductions to the Books of the Bible, Philippians
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Copyright 2002 © Zondervan. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
