Passage of Pauls Epistle to Philippians - Essay Example

? Philippians 2 4 Exegetical Analysis Introduction This paper is aimed at performing an exegetical analysis of Philippians 2 4, in order to establish the text, the genre and the integrity of the text, the author’s intended meaning, as well as the historical context, including the general historical-socio-logical-cultural setting and the specific occasion1, of the epistle. Finally, the paper attempts to establish what theological truth is expressed in this passage of Paul’s epistle to Philippians. Overview of the Passage “If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, (2) make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. (3) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. (4) Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others”2. Being part of one letter, written by Apostle Paul to his compatriots in Philippi – an outpost of the Roman Empire in the interior plain of eastern Macedonia3, the passage is generally considered a twofold appeal to unity and humility; where verses one and two contain Apostle Paul’s appeal to unity, based upon four shared experiences, and verses three and four – his appeal to humility4. Historical Context As Silva points out, the Epistle to the Philippians has been written by “a historical person to a historical church in a particular historical period”5 – respectively, Paul of Tarsus to the Christian church in Philippi, province of Macedonia, during the late 50s or early 60s when Paul was imprisoned for his activity6. The church in Philippi was founded by Paul himself7 in the early 1st century AD and became the first Christian congregation in Europe8. Apostle Paul’s experiences in Philippi included conflict and imprisonment as well, and after the authorities had expelled from the city, Paul left Luke in charge of the congregation and headed toward Thessalonica; from there he fled to Berea, then to Athens, and finally to Corinth, where he stayed for eighteen months before returning to Antioch9. It’s noteworthy that during these thorny wanderings, Paul had repeatedly received material assistance and spiritual encouragement from the congregation in Philippi; although when Paul’s Jewish opponents managed to get him imprisoned after his third journey through Macedonia10, both the Philippians own difficult circumstances and the uncertainty about Paul’s status prevented the Christian community from sending any assistance11. Nevertheless, having become aware of Paul’s worsened situation – in 59 or 60 AD, he sailed for Rome under guard, where he continued spreading the gospel among Jews, praetorian guards, etc.12 – the Philippi’s Christian community succeeded in raising considerable monetary assistance and sent it to Paul through Epaphroditus1314. On the other hand, the members of the congregation themselves were in a desperate need of spiritual help and guidance by that time, insofar as physical necessities and the pressing Judaizing threat had begun to cause disagreement, distrust, and the poisonous spirit of selfishness15 within the community16. These difficulties, additionally aggravated by the dissention within the church leadership, brought about considerably deteriorated general health of the Christian church in Philippi17. By the time Epaphroditus, at the risk of losing his life, reached Rome with both the offering and request for Timothy’s return to Philippi, Paul had been in prison for about one year; while too many people had deserted him, Timothy alone was his closest compatriot who could minister to him in this hard time18. According to Fee, the internal evidence of the letter clearly speaks in favor of Paul’s imprisonment in Rome – “it has become known throughout the whole praetorian guard… that my imprisonment is for Christ”.1920 The problems in Philippian congregation faced Paul with a serious challenge; so in order to cushion the inevitable disappointment of the church members at the impossibility of Timothy’s return, as well as to deal with the problems that required immediate attention, most notably the spirit of discontent, Paul had drawn, under divine inspiration, a message of encouragement, “full of comfort and joy”, which also contained much doctrine and would speak to the hearts of the believers throughout the centuries to come21. Being established beyond any doubt, these historical features partly produce the necessary good sense about the whole document, namely sufficiently answering the contextual questions “who is the author”, “who are the recipients/where do they live”, “what is the relationship between them”, and “what historical situation occasioned this writing”22. Authenticity, Genre and Integrity While, in general, the issue of Philippians’ authorship has not been doubted – with the exception of F.C. Baur (the Tubingen School) in 1840, and Morton and McLeman more recently23 – there is a considerable disagreement among scholars and researchers in the field concerning its integrity, i.e. whether it is a single letter or a compilation of several2425. According to Garland for example, the four chapters of the epistle were neither written as part of the same letter, nor in the order they are known in the present26; however, the subject of this analysis, i.e. Philippians 2:1-4, apparently follows the same tone of a cordial expression of concern for the audience2728, as well as the same train of thought. In grammatical terms, according to Silva, verses 1 to 4 constitute one sentence with one main clause29, namely the imperative of verse 2a “make my joy complete”30 (plirosate mou tin charan); where the primary thought of the passage is focused on Philippians’ unanimity of mind31. Whereas verse 1 appears a fourfold appeal and the grounds of Paul exhortation, unity of mind and spiritual oneness are the central thoughts of this passage, and therefore Paul’s pervasive concern, which are conveyed to the audience via four brief clauses. According to Silva, the first and the last one are identical32 - 2b, “be of the same mind”33 (hina to avto phronite) and 2e, “of one mind”34(to en phronuntes), although the use of the preposition “en” is thought to have made 2b more emphatic. The two other clauses, 2c and 2d respectively, do not bring up additional factors; they are rather intended to reinforce the main concern35 (see above). Verses three and four consists of two units, each with a negative clause, followed by a positive one introduced with “but” (alla); the overarching concern of this verses is “humility”36 (tapinophrosyni). Thus, the two thematic lines that emerge prominent from Philippians 2: 1-4 are inextricably intertwined with each other in order to convey Paul’s message to Philippians – the unity in Christ, where humility is the key to unity. Conclusion Fee points out that Philippians reveals a lot of Pauline theology, both implicit and explicit theological concerns, which appear the driving force behind the letter37. Thus, while the letter itself is considered “the advance of the gospel”, the relationship between Paul and Philippians is described in terms of partnership in the gospel38. In other words the letter invites the audience into the advance of the gospel, where Christ is the gospel, the way of life, future and joy39; and his followers should have a reunion in Him, and the means to that unity is humility, i.e. regarding others as more valuable than one’s self40. Bibliography Garland, David E. “The Composition and Unity of Philippians: Some Neglected Literary Factors”, Novum Testamentum XXVII, 2 (1985) Fee, Gordon D., New Testament Exegesis: A Handbook for Students and Pastors. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002. Fee, Gordon D., Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995. O’Brien, Peter T. The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Philippians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1991. Pastor Weaver, Steve. Exegetical Study of Philippians 2:1-11, http://www.angelfire.com/tn/steveweaver/EXEGETICAL_STUDY_OF_PHILIPPIANS_2_1-11.pdf Pollard, T.E., “The Integrity of Philippians”, New Testament Studies Vol. 13, 1 (October 1966) Rahtjen, B.D. 'The Three Letters of Paul to the Philippians', NTS 6 (I960) Silva, Moises, Philippians, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2005. Watson, D.F., “A Rhetorical Analysis of Philippians and its Implications for the Unity Question”, NovT 30 (1988) Read More