The Epistle to the Philippians

Description

A number of important recent studies of the social and religious context of first century Philippi are considered here, offering critical engagement with several of the newer approaches to Pauline interpretation, including questions of rhetoric and social convention. Highlights include Christian joy in all circumstances, the Philippians active stake-holding partnership in the Gospel, and above all the passion for union with Christ in following his example of service. Giving due attention to both St Paul's Jewish background and to the Graeco-Roman social and religious setting of his readership, this commentary relates a well-grounded understanding of the letter's first century impact to the wider concerns of Christian theology.

Markus Bockmuehl teaches biblical and early Christian studies in the University of Oxford, UK, where he is Dean Ireland's Professor and a Fellow of Keble College. His approach stresses the symbioses of history with theology, of Christianity alongside Judaism, and of exegesis in and as reception especially of the first three Christian centuries. Among his authored books are Seeing the Word: Refocusing New Testament Study (2006), Simon Peter in Scripture and Memory (2012), and Ancient Apocryphal Gospels (2017). Recent publications also include Creation ex Nihilo (2018, ed. with Gary A. Anderson), Austin Farrer (2020, ed. with Stephen Platten), and the English translation of Wolfram Kinzig's Christian Persecution in Antiquity (2021).