Philippians

Fi-lip´ee-uhnz

The Letter of Paul to the, one of the thirteen letters in the NT attributed to the apostle Paul. The short Letter to the Philippians is imbued with a distinctive tone of joy and rejoicing, despite the fact that it was written by Paul from prison, during a time when his future on earth was tenuous. The letter also contains an early Christian hymn celebrating the divine humility manifest in Christ’s becoming human (Phil 2:6-11), a humility that Christians are to model in their own lives.

Outline of Contents

Philippians

I. Epistolary salutation (Phil 1:1-2)

II. Introduction, or exordium: Paul gives thanks for the faith of the Philippians (Phil 1:3-11)

III. Paul’s narrative of the situation: Paul describes his imprisonment and seeks to reassure (Phil 1:12-26)

IV. Paul’s main point, or proposition: live faithfully to the gospel in communal unity and confidence (Phil 1:27-30)

V. Supporting argumentation or proofs to strengthen the Philippian acceptance of the proposition (Phil 2:1-4:3)

A. The example of Christ and its impact (Phil 2:1-18)

B. The example of Timothy and Epaphroditus (Phil 2:19-20)

C. The example of Paul (Phil 3:1-4:1)

D. The counterexample of Euodia and Syntyche; the need for unity and reconciliation (Phil 4:2-3)

VI. The summing up, or peroration (Phil 4:4-20)

A. The general summary (Phil 4:4-9)

B. Paul as an exemplar: an illustration of the general statement in Phil 4:9, Phil 4:10-20)

VII. Epistolary closing (Phil 4:21-23)