Category:Philippians (text)

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The Letter of Paul to the Philippians (see Online Text) is a New Testament document.

Overview

Philippi was an important city in Greece. Paul himself had established the Christian community in that city.

The imprisonment was an opportunity to spread the Gospel.

Paul repeats his usual binitarian address to the Father (THEOS) and the Son (KYRIOS) [Phil 1:2], but then he says:

“Jesus Christ... though he was in the form of God,

did not regard [this] equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave.

Being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death,

even death on a cross,

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord

to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:5-11).

The Christological Hymn: Jesus, the faithful “son of God,” opposed to the unfaithful son: Adam. Jesus shares with Adam the “form,” the divine “image” of God (Gen 1:26-28), but unlike Adam, Jesus did not tried to seize God-like status (Gen 3:5), but took the form of slave in obedience to the Father (cf. 1 Cor 15:21-23.45-49; Rom 5:12-19).

After his experience in Jerusalem the reference to “circumcision” is far more polemical. He refers to his (Christian) adversaries of “dogs,” “evil workers,” “those who mutilate the flesh.” (Phil 3:2). He boasts his Jewish credentials but he also claims that he “now regards them as rubbish.” (3:8). [Compare Rom 9-11, where the attitude of Paul toward non-Christian Jews is less polemical.)