Epistle to the Philippians is a book of the Bible in the New Testament . Letter written by Paul to the Christians in Philippi .
Summary
[ hide ]
- 1 Philippi
- 2 Dating
- 3 Scheme
- 4 Sources
Philippi
The first mention that the NT makes of Philippi is found in Acts 16.12. In that text we read that it was an important city in the province of Macedonia, it was located in what is now the northern part of Greece , it was a colony, obviously Roman. Its original name had been Krénides, which means “place of the sources”, but when in 360 BC the father of Alexander the Great , King Philip II of Macedonia , conquered the city , changed that ancient name to his own.
Philippi was located on the famous “Via Egnatia”, which connected Rome with Asia Minor . It was about 12 km. off the northern coast of the Aegean Sea, along the border of the Macedonian region with that of Thrace. Subjected to Rome from 167 BC, from 31 BC, with the status of colony and by disposition of Caesar Octavius Augustus , it enjoyed the privileges and rights that the laws of the empire granted to Roman cities.
Dating
There is no unity of opinion regarding where and when Paul wrote the letter. There are those who believe that he sent it from a prison in Ephesus , which would allow the probable date of the years 54 to 55. In this case, the letter would, as in fact, have a marked character of thanks to the Christians of Philippi, who Upon learning of the apostle’s captivity, they had decided to send him some aid as an expression of love and brotherly solidarity (4.18). On the other hand, if the mention of the “praetorium” (1.13) is interpreted as a reference to the imperial palace, the hypothesis that locates the prison in Rome (Acts 28.16–31) could have more support . In such case, the letter would have been written in this city, the year 63.
Scheme
Introduction (1.1–11)
- The progress of the gospel (1.12–26)
- Duties of Christians (1.27–2.18)
- Paul’s collaborators (2.19–30)
- Warnings to the community (3.1–4.1)
- Exhortations (4.2–9)
- Acknowledgments (4.10–20)
Conclusion (4.21–23)
