Exegetical Analysis of Christ Hymn - Term Paper Example

? Exegetical paper on the christ hymn (college) Introduction Philippians 2:5-11 has been viewed as being of extreme doctrinal significance for the Philippians and early Christians as well for all Christians today. The Christ Hymn contains within it a clear lyrical message to all Christians which calls us to imitate Christ’s humility in order to live in harmony. It becomes evident from various studies that it was necessary for Paul to introduce the hymn to guide the early Philippi church that had been facing a number of challenges ranging from ruler-worship, class divisions, and greed for civil honors. So, the hymn is valuable in the modern day church too. The Christ Hymn and the Early Christian Community In the opinion of Robert J. Karris, there are many possible backgrounds of the hymn as the large number of studies into the New Testament put forth. Some of them are Christ as the Gnostic redeemer, the Suffering Righteous, and finally, the ruler-worship that existed during the Greco-Roman period1. According to Martin and Martin, the early Christian message about Jesus should be considered in the political context of that time. According to the scholars, the teaching had to confront two political ideologies at the same time; the Roman and the Jewish2. An example is the imperial cult of Rome. According to the cult, emperors enjoyed divine sanction of authority. According to Christian apologists and martyrologists, the imperial cult was nothing other than an instrument of pagan impiety. Thus, it is clear that at the time the hymn was composed, Christians were already aware about their association with a godly kingdom when all other groups were in search of a new kingdom that would replace the naked power of Roman kingdom. However, it is rather surprising to note that despite Jesus’ trial, the persecutors are not mentioned in the hymn. The reason for this hiding, according to Martin and Martin is that identifying the persecutors would have resulted in a lot of trouble for the church. If the Jews were blamed, it would diminish all chances of persuading more Jews to join the church, and blaming the Romans would only result in more atrocities3. As R. P. Martin rightly points out, the hymn may have had one meaning in its original form and a totally different meaning in the context of Paul’s letter. For example, there were the Jewish-Christians who possessed over-realised, triumphalistic eschatology. In order to oppose these ‘enemies of cross’, Paul intentionally stresses on the death on a cross. To counter them, Paul put forward the theory of Jesus who took the form of a servant and who emptied himself and humbled himself4. This Jesus, according to the hymn, did not take advantage of the equality with God. Instead, He took the appearance of a man and was obedient till death. The second point that attracts the readers is the claim that ‘every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord’. To explain why Paul wanted to give Jesus such a cosmic leadership that placed Him above all others, R. P Martin points out the fact that since the time of Second Isaiah, it was common for various sectors of Judaism to consider various figures as closely related to, and sometimes equal to, God. Such figures were often considered as divine attributes, patriarchs or angels. Thus, the Christ hymn went one step ahead of them by giving Christ such a cosmic leadership that is above and beyond all other figures. As already said ‘every knee should bow and every tongue should acknowledge tat Jess is the Lord’. According to R. P Martin, it is this need that made the composers of the hymn switch from the monotheistic God of Isaiah to Jesus. Another explanation is that the hymn was very vital for the early Christians to stay firm on their belief under the raw power of the Roman empires. In order to show how tolerant Jesus was, the hymn introduced a Jesus who decided to take the nature of a servant and humbled him by being obedient till death. Admittedly, this discipline was not without any remuneration. Jesus was exalted and given a name that is above every name. In fact, this courage was need for Christians to survive that calamitous time as without a promise of a reward that awaits the one who believes, it was difficult for the Church to survive. The fact that the hymn was a way of socialisation for men and women into the early Christian faith and lifestyle is supported by Karris too. Thus, it becomes evident that the hymn was aimed at three people at the same time; the rulers, the Christian leaders, and the believers. Christ hymn – a lesson for Christians of all times Bruce points out the fact that Paul, before he became a Christian, was a man who believed in the difference between Jew and Gentile. However, as he became a Christian, he understood the need to do away from the difference in the Church as the same was done by Jesus through his death on the cross5. In the opinion of Gray, the Christ Hymn is a complete portrayal of the Christian view of leadership. Thus, it functions as a paradox relative to the existing theories of leadership. To begin with, the traditional leadership theories often stress on behavioral styles associated with great leadership. Such characteristics often include confidence, iron-will and strong determination. As a general rule, a quiet person with less expressive body language is not a good leader. In contrast, in Philippians 2:5, Paul urges his followers to “have this mind among yourselves, which you have in Christ Jesus”. Similarly, 2:4 states that one should accommodate others’ interests as one would have accommodated ones own self-interest. In fact, most people are aware about the modern social cognitive theory which claims that status and power enhance the cueing function of modeled conduct. Here, it is pointed out by Paul that one should be as sensitive to others’ interests as ones own. That means there is more inner reflection that enables people to go far beyond formal rules in relations. This will lead to higher levels of group loyalty and cohesiveness. Admittedly, the early Philippi church was a mixture of members from different levels of society. In such a mixed society where there is little like-mindedness, the guideline put forward by Paul was of immeasurable importance. It promoted downward mobility among the rich members of the church and enhanced the feeling of shared accountability6. In verses 2:6-8, Paul presents some extreme steps taken by Christ to humble himself as a leader. Ignoring his similarity to God, He took the form of a servant. It is pointed out by Gray that at that time, the Corinth church leadership was using the leadership as a way to improve their prestige and living standards. Also, civic honors were a major attraction for the elites in the Greek-Roman societies. It is in stark contradiction with all these trends that Paul came up with the hymn that calls for downward mobility. Thus, Paul’s teachings always pose a challenge both within and out of the Church. This is so because the Pauline model is against hierarchical structures and bureaucracy. According to Gray, Paul’s teachings are of utmost importance in the modern days where ‘televangelists’ exhibit extreme levels of greed and avarice. In fact, the features of Christ like humbleness and servitude as presented by Paul are incomprehensible for the secular world. However, for Christians of both past and present, Christ hymn is the way of life that a Christian is supposed to lead. Bibliography Bruce, F. F. Paul, apostle of the heart set free. Cumbria: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2000. Gray, D. R. Christological Hymn: The Leadership Paradox of Philippians 2:5-11. Journal of Biblical Perspectives in Leadership 2. 2008. Karris, R. J. A symphony of New Testament Hymns: commentary on Philippians 2:5-11. Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1996. Martin, J. D. and Martin, R. P. Carmen Christi. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2005. Martin, R.P. A Hymn of Christ: Philippians 2:5-11 in Recent Interpretation and in the Setting of Early Christian Worship. 1983. Read More