Chapter 1
MSB Book Notes on Philippians
2/3rds to 3/4's of each page of this book is "MSB notes". Indicates to me that the book is just full of wisdom and information needful to Christians. Have to remember that each of these letters from Paul is written primarily to the saved. They are doctrinal and instructional to those already saved, rather than evangelistic in nature.
Written to the church in Philippi, the first Macedonian city where Paul established a church.
Early church testimony is that Paul wrote the letter. Nothing there to profit a forger at all.
MSB says "The question of when the letter was written cannot be separated from the question of where it was written." There is internal evidence in the similarities of descriptions (with many many references in the MSB) of this book to the other prison epistles (Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon) to make it seem that it too was written between 60-62 AD during Paul's "first" (?) imprisonment in Rome. Acts plays a part here too. However, some say all the prison epistles were written from Caesarea during Paul's two year imprisonment there. But would there have been those of the household of Caesar there, and did he really have ample opportunity to preach the gospel? Additionally, the epistles indicate that Paul was waiting on some "final verdict". This was not the case in Caesarea where the outcomes were either that he would bribe Felix and be released, or he would go to Jerusalem for trial there. Some also suggest the prison epistles were written from Ephesus. But Luke was not with Paul in Ephesus. We know he was with Paul in Colosse, so this eliminates Ephesus as the place of writing at least in part. The traditional view that Philippians was written from Rome, seems to be the best conclusion.
Philippi was named after Phillip of Macedon, father of Alexander the great, who conquered the city in the fourth century BC. There were nearby goldmines that attracted him. The city came under Roman rule in the second century BC. This city wasn't really a big deal until 42 BC, when it became forever famous. Here, the armies of Antony and Octavian defeated the armies of Brutus and Cassius at the Battle of Philippi, thus ending the Roman Republic and ushering in the Empire. Philippi became a Roman colony and many veterans of that battle settled in the city.
The church there was founded by Paul on his second missionary journey. The city had a very small Jewish population. Because there were not enough men to form a synagogue (the requirement was 10 Jewish men who were heads of a household), some devout women met outside the city at a place of prayer (Acts 16:13) alongside the Gangites River. Paul preached to them and Lydia became a believer. This was the start of that church.
It was here that Paul cast the fortune telling demon out of the slave girl, enraging her masters, who incited the whole town, resulting in the imprisonment there of Paul and Silas. An earthquake freed them, and the Philippian jailer and his household were saved. The city fathers panicked at their illegal detention and beating of "Roman citizens" - the Philippians were very proud of their "adoption" as Romans, and were very motivated to ingratiate themselves to Rome and follow all of its laws. So they begged Paul and Silas to leave in peace.
2022 - I have a penciled in note around the title of this book, that says "A lesson in freedom from a man in chains", and a second note that says "No rebukes, no church problems".
2021-2, First verse:
[Phl 1:1 ESV] Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons:
So where ever Paul was, Timothy was with him. This would seem to indicate that more than just a day or two had passed since Paul started the church here. Paul meets Timothy in Acts 16:1. He preaches to the women in Philippi, starting the church there, in Acts 16:13. So this is no clue at all. Timothy was already with Paul before the Philippian church was founded. Was Timothy "in prison" with Paul, or was he staying in the same place in order to look after Paul? Note that Paul refers to bishops and deacons, both. This was far enough along in the development of the church that these offices were widely accepted as part of church organization. All this in vs. 1.
2021-2, Vs 2:
I note that God our Father in transliterated Greek is "theos pater", and Lord Jesus Christ is "kyrios iesous christos".
2023 - In Ephesians, which is also a prison epistle, I made a huge deal of the fact that it is from Paul, and ONLY Paul. Here, we see that this book is from Paul and Timothy. Now maybe that is in there because Timothy was FROM Philippi, and he was with Paul when Ephesians was written, even though he isn't named there. It would be interesting to compare the salutations of ALL the Pauline church epistles to see whether Paul naming only himself is rare or common.
Romans - Paul only.
1Co - Paul and Sosthenes.
2Co - Paul and Timothy
Galatians - Paul and all the brothers.
Ephesians - Paul only.
Philippians - Paul and Timothy
Colossians - Paul and Timothy
1Thess - Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy
2Thess - Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy
So only two of these are from Paul alone. I think that is significant, and warrants a "re-look" at the first chapter or Romans.
Starts in typical Pauline epistle fashion. Tells who it is from, and then of Paul's prayers for the recipients. This very encouraging verse:
6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. [Phil 1:6 ESV]
We are all works in progress, and God knows what the final look will be. Wherever we may find ourselves in our walk, we should remember that we are progressing to the end that God has in mind.
2021-2, The word for "the day" is the transliterated "hemera", or phonetically "hay-may'-ra", with a trilled r. The definite article is not uniquely present. I think it could be read "a" day of Jesus Christ. Hmm...he uses this phrase again in vs 10:
[Phl 1:10 ESV] so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ,
"hay-may'-ra" is used again here, as above, but in this case the word before it is eis, rather than achri. Both cases use "the". It has to be implied, I can see that it would be the right choice - the instead of a.
2022 - So if it is "the" day of Christ, when is that? Is it the same as "the day of the Lord", meaning the beginning of wrath in Revelations? Is it the day of the rapture, when we go to heaven? Is it the day of the bema seat judgment...though I see that as the judgment seat of God, not Christ, because Christ will be standing and God on the throne. Is it the judgment at the beginning of the Millennial reign, when Christ is definitely seated and the one judging. When, exactly, does Paul say there can be no further improvement, because on this day he is talking about the good work of Jesus Christ will be completed. Hmm...Looked at that way, it just about has to be that "the day of Jesus Christ" is the rapture. That day will be the "last day" for the saved to whom Paul is writing. Does that work in vs 10 also? Sort of...because right after the rapture is the bema, where one does want to have his works accepted. Where we don't want to hear that we could have done oh so much better. Blameless is the goal. So this does hold up, kind of. I need to incorporate this opinion into the notes on Pre-Wrath Chapter 9...One more thing....this is one of those passages where you can make a big issue of what day is in view, but you have to remember that this is not Paul explaining the sequence of end time events. He says this in the greeting. So...bad idea to try nailing it into place with a hammer.
Now, instead of turning to doctrinal issues or personal instructions as he did in the other prison epistles, Paul turns to a report of his own circumstances.
2021 - This verse:
13 so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. [Phl 1:13 ESV] Would there have been an imperial guard in Ceasarea? While maybe not definitive, this would seem to be about Rome. But...there is this: 35 he said, "I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive." And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod's praetorium. [Act 23:35 ESV] Footnote in the ESV for Phl 1:13 says the literal Greek translation there is "in the whole Praetorium". So...vs 13 could be used as an argument for both sides...
2021-2, Does praetorium mean a group of soldiers, or is it a place name? This from the BLB interlinear. There are in fact three explanations of this word in the BLB. There is the "Outline of Biblical Usage", the Strong's definition, and then Thayer's Lexicon. I would note that none of the three mention the word as referring to a group of guys. All three define the word as follows:
πραιτώριονpraitṓrion, prahee-to'-ree-on; of Latin origin; the prætorium or governor's courtroom (sometimes including the whole edifice and camp):—(common, judgment) hall (of judgment), palace, prætorium. So one might question the translation as "imperial guard" as hard to explain. KJV translates it "in all the palace". NASB goes with praetorian guard as do ASV and RSV. NKJV changes to "palace guard". So my guess is that something in the dead sea scrolls - which were not available when the KJV was translated - makes them think it is about people and not place. Does it matter? Well yes, kind of, if you are going to use it as an argument for where Paul was when he wrote Philippians, as in "Would there be a praetorian guard in Ceasarea?". There certainly would have been a praetorium there! So I would not rely on this argument for where Paul was when he wrote this letter.
Vss 15-18 tell of some who preach the gospel out of envy and rivalry. But Paul concludes that whatever their reasons, he rejoices because Christ is proclaimed. So hearing the gospel, even from those who preach it with the wrong motives entirely, can still lead to salvation. It is not the skill or intention of the sower that matters, but of the one who saves, which is God.
2021-2, This verse:
[Phl 1:18 ESV] What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed, and in that I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice,
Paul is saying the same thing Jesus did when he said "He who is not against us is for us". How much does this apply to us today with our multiple denominations, the televangelists that we love to criticize, and so on. We need to get much more specific as to the things with which we find fault. Are they doctrinally wrong, or are we just jealous of the size of their church, the make of their car, or the price of the suits they wear? It takes more than a passing glance to determine if someone is preaching the wrong gospel, or mischaracterizing Christ. And if we haven't done the homework, we ought not to criticize at all, because it is not about the sower, it is about the soil.
Possible FB post here.
2022 - Vs 15 - If Paul was in prison in Rome when he wrote this, who was it that was envious of him? Who would have been preaching to be "like Paul"? This seems to be a "vote" for imprisonment in Caesarea. I don't think wrongly motivated preachers seek imprisonment for their trouble. But in Caesarea, they'd have had a more receptive audience, and they'd have a good idea that Paul was not considered any kind of threat at all that would put him in danger of execution. Again in vs 16, "...knowing I am put here for defense of the gospel..". He was imprisoned in Caesarea for that very reason. His defense in Acts while here is that those in Jerusalem raised a ruckus because of what Paul was preaching about Jesus. He made it about Pharisees and Sadducees, but all have figured out that it is really about Jesus. Hmm...I am leaning more and more toward Caesarea as the place from which Paul is writing. Then 17..."thinking to afflict me in my imprisonment" sounds exactly like those in Jerusalem that got Paul arrested in the first place! They were mean and spiteful in addition to being murderous. Yep. I'm going with Caesarea.
This verse, that is easy to quote, but difficult to live:
21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [Phl 1:21 ESV].
2021-2, This verse, so shortly after 21:
[Phl 1:23 ESV] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.
I wonder if this is what happens as we get older? I wonder if this is the reason we age, and the reason for all that goes with it. Every day, as I see things happening that disappoint and discourage me despite my best efforts to remain hopeful, I can't help but think about heaven, where all will be well, justice will reign and my Savior and my God will be always present. I mean, won't that be better than this? But I didn't much think that way when I was 25. When I was 45. And so on. But today? Yeah, heaven is definitely an attractive place. I look forward to it rather than hope it stays away. That old line from the country song "I want to go to heaven, but I don't want to go today" rings more and more hollow every day.
Paul seems to be fairly convinced at this point that he will ultimately be released. He will live to proclaim the gospel further. The wording of vs 25 indicates that to me:
25 Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [Phil 1:25 ESV]
Remember that this is his first imprisonment at Rome. I need to get the chronology of that straight. I'm guessing that he wrote to Timothy during his second imprisonment, when he knew he would not be released. But I don't know what happens in between. Who was the emperor that released him? And who condemned him the second time?
2022 - I can see him being pretty hopeful that he would be released from Ceasarea. He had appealed to Caesar, and I imagine he was confident that the governor in charge would find it too risky politically to condemn him there. So you could use this verse to say that Paul wrote this from Caesarea. But even so...would there be an imperial guard...wait...I am convinced that it does not even say "imperial guard". It says "praitorio". A place. So it might be Caesarea after all...This is why MSB says "best conclusion" instead of "firm conclusion" is that he was in Rome. You just can't show it definitively either way. But I do think it is pretty important to decide which you think it is. Pick one, and base the applications on where Paul was writing from.
2022 - But...vs 30? "engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have". That could be a reference to the Philippian city fathers begging him to leave town peacefully. He definitely had a "conflict" in Philippi. He was imprisoned there. And now he is imprisoned again...Guess that really doesn't give us much of a clue. He got the city leaders pretty upset with him both in Philippi and in Jerusalem.