Philippians

Philippi is 10 miles inland from the harbor city of Neapolis. You can see from the map above the region where Paul was planting churches. It was one of the principle cities of Macedonia and was historically famous in the annals of both Greece and Rome. It was founded by and named after Philip of Macedon, the father of Alexander the Great. In Roman history, Philippi was best known for the battle that took place there in 42 B.C. between the Second Triumvirate (Octavius, Antonius, and Lepidus) and the republicans of Rome under Brutus and Cassius, which resulted in the defeat and death of the latter. After the victory, Octavius made Philippi a colony (cf. Acts 16:12). After the battle of Actium in 31 B.C., Augustus transported a large number of Roman veterans to the colony and granted it the status of jus Italicum, which placed it on a par with the Roman colonies of Italy. Consequently, Philippi considered itself as being an entirely Roman city. Its citizens were Roman citizens who enjoyed all the rights and privileges of such: exemption from scourging, from arrest except in extreme cases, and the right to appeal to the emperor. That was the situation Paul had to address as he brought the Gospel as a missionary.

From our point of interest, Philippi is the first place in Europe where the gospel was preached. The story of the founding of the church at Philippi is told by Luke in Acts 16:11-40. Apparently, the Jewish population of Philippi was so small that they did not even have a synagogue in which to worship, only a “place where prayer was customarily made” by the riverside. The first convert, Lydia, as exhibited by her conduct in offering her house and hospitality to Paul and his entourage, was a generous and kind woman, and her actions set the tone of generosity for this church.

In Philippians 4:15,16, this church sent gifts to Paul who was then in Thessalonica. And, of course, this present epistle returns thanks for a gift sent by the hand of Epaphroditus while Paul was in Rome during his first imprisonment. This church, along with the other churches of Macedonia, had made a name for themselves when it came to liberality (II Corinthians 8:1-5). What a joyful occasion their concern for Paul must have been to him. Consequently, it should not surprise us to hear him refer to them as “my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown” (Philippians 4:1).

Even though things began and continued well at Philippi, soon after the conversion of Lydia and her household, persecution lifted up its ugly head. Perhaps to demonstrate that the Lord's work is advanced by difficulties and discouragements, rather than by ease and prosperity, Paul and Silas are brought into conflict with heathen superstition in one of its worst forms, and with the rough violence of colonial authorities. In expelling a demon from a slave girl, who had been a source of much gain for her masters, Paul incurs the wrath of these men, who then falsely accuse Paul and Silas of teaching “customs which are not lawful for us, being Romans, to receive or observe” (Acts 16:21). This appeal to political prejudice resulted in the imprisonment and beating of Paul and Silas, who were subsequently released from prison by an earthquake. As a result of all this, more people are converted to Christ, including the Philippian jailor.

When Paul left Philippi in the year 52, Timothy and Luke remained behind to build up the new church. Timothy soon followed Paul, and when he was sent back to Macedonia from Athens, he probably again visited Philippi. Luke, it would seem, continued to work in Philippi. His first “we” section (Acts 16:11-40) ends with Paul's departure from Philippi and the second does not begin until Paul again returns to the city (Acts 20:5,6). This occurred in 58, when Paul and the servants of the churches took the great collection to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4). Paul had actually been in Philippi the previous summer when on his way from Ephesus to Corinth he spent some time in Macedonia (II Corinthians 2:13). Therefore, Paul was in Philippi on three different occasions. His second visit was probably his longest. It seems very likely that his second letter to the Corinthians, which was written while he was in Macedonia, was written in Philippi.

The letter was clearly written from Rome by Paul while he was in “chains” in the Praetorium. He sends greetings from “Caesar's household” (4:22), indicates that he expects something to happen very soon concerning his appeal (1:20-26), and expresses confident hope that he will visit the Philippians again (1:26; 2:24). This all points to Paul's first imprisonment in Rome, which we know lasted for “two whole years” (Acts 28:30). In must have been written during the end of these two years, which would make the date somewhere around A.D. 63. Considerable preaching had already been done in Rome since Paul's arrival (1:12-18). Furthermore, his case is on verge of a final decision (1:12,13,23-26). This could not have been the case during his early months in the city.

In addition, considerable time was needed for the events to transpire that lie between Paul's arrival at Rome and the writing of this letter. (1) News of Paul's arrival had to travel to Philippi; (2) Epaphroditus had to come from Philippi; (3) the news of his illness while at Rome had to get back to Philippi; and (4) the news of the Philippians' concern for Epaphroditus had to get back to Rome. Many scholars believe that Philippians is the last of the so-called four “Prison Epistles.”