TITLE. AUTHOR AND DATE

The title “Philippians” is due to the church of Philippi, the first in Europe. The author without a doubt is the apostle Paul –one of his “prison” letters- as we find from the introduction 1:1, and in many details of the style of Paul. Externally Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Irenaeus, the Canon of Muratori or Marcion, as well as Clement of Alexandria and Tertullian give testimony. The date is around 61-62 A.D. from the prison of Rome. It does not mention the destruction of the Temple, which is prophecy of Jesus Christ - Yahshua.

 

RECIPIENTS AND PURPOSE

Paul writes to the church of Philippi, to the saints in Christ who were there, together with their bishops and deacons. Paul gives thanks to the Philippians for their love in Christ, the offerings that they gave for the support of the saints since the beginning. Being imprisoned in Rome, it is virtuous to read so many mentions of joy of God in Christ that Paul expresses in this letter in which he tells of his happiness with the way they proceed, but also he wants them to be conscious of the dangers that persecute the Christian faith and warns them, as pastor that he is of the Church, of the risk of the legalism, the perfectionism and the egocentrism. He also informs them of the conquest of the Gospel 1:12-26. He wanted them to know the importance of having sent Epaphroditus and that they would know his plan to send Timothy.

 

HISTORIC CONTEXT

Paul is in prison in Rome, despite of he still rejoices in the midst of suffering because he finds the Philippians in the Way of Christ, and he exhorts them also in learning to rejoice in such situations. From there, for about two years he writes to the Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. The city was named after Philip II, father of Alexander the Great. The first church established in Europe by Paul, in Macedonia, where Lidia and the prison guard received Christ, after being imprisoned due to the conflict with the fortune teller. They were set free by an earthquake, but not for escaping but because they stood which touched the heart of the prison guard who throw himself to his feet, taking them home and healing them. (Acts. 16:25-34). Epaphroditus almost died due to an illness, when he carried the offering to the Philippians.

 

THEOLOGICAL TEACHINGS

Philippians bases its theology in the doctrine of the humiliation of Christ and from it, takes the example so that the Church feels the joy in every circumstance through which it must go through for the cause of the Cross of Christ. Chap. 1 focuses in the joy in the persecuted evangelism. In 2 the joy of the ministry under that circumstance. In 3 in the joy of the discipleship leaving behind the legalism and the libertinage that separate the Christian from God. In 4 the joy of living in Christ in thanks giving and worship. The letter is dedicated to the personal counsel from this theology. It warns them to not accept the doctrine of the judaizer “dogs” and to continue to be light of God in the world.

 

POSSIBLE INTERPRETATIVE PROBLEMS

Philippians 2:7 tells that Christ took off from Himself, but this must not be interpreted that He left the attributes of His divinity, which the Nicene Creed calls “True God and true man”, but that Christ, in a voluntarily way faced death, and death on the Cross as a man, to pay for our sins without using the shield of His divine gifts.