Letter to the Philippians

LET’S KNOW THE BIBLE

In Paul’s series of letters, called Captivity Letters, there is also the letter to the Philippians. However, modern scholars believe that this letter is not linked to Paul’s captivity in Rome, between 61 and 63 but is an older letter. Paul would have written to the Christian community in Philippi during a period of imprisonment in Ephesus, probably in the year 57, i.e., at the same time that he was writing to the Corinthians and Galatians.

Paul himself had founded the Philippian community at the beginning of his second journey, around the year 50. Acts of the Apostles narrates some interesting episodes of the evangelization of Philippi with the conversion of Lydia and the jailer who had Paul in custody; from that we can reconstruct that the community of Philippi did not give great problems to the Apostle; on the contrary, it offered him numerous satisfactions. Paul had some dear friends in that city, and that Christian group responded particularly well to his preaching, continuing faithfully in their adherence to the Gospel. Immediately after the founding of the Christian group, Luke, who was to be the evangelist, remained there, and perhaps during his stay, he helped to a correct maturing of the community and an amicable and constant relationship with the apostle Paul.

During the agitated period of the year 57, when Paul was arrested and even received a capital sentence, he was condemned to death, but the sentence was not carried out, the Christians of Philippi intervened to help the apostle; they sent one of their representatives, probably with money and comfort goods, bearing witness to their participation in his story. And to thank them for their interest, Paul wrote this letter full of cheerful references. It should be noted, however, that this letter was written from prison, by a political prisoner, that is, by a person who had been unjustly persecuted and who was living a deep crisis, due in part to the rebellion and protests of several Christian communities.

Let us see in this letter some significant passages to grasp his state of mind and the apostle’s teaching. Even if it is a spontaneous letter and linked to a precise situation, it does not have a precise and detailed structure. It is not a theological treatise. It is a familiar letter, full of content because the apostle is full of the Gospel.

In the beginning, in the first chapter, he gives information, as we do when we write a letter to distant people interested in our situation. He says: “I want you to know, brothers, that my situation has turned out rather to advance the Gospel, so that my imprisonment has become well known in Christ throughout the whole praetorium.”

The fact that he was arrested is a negative event, but the apostle realizes that he is a prisoner for Christ, that these events have turned in his favor. The praetorium is the house of the city council, is the place of the official administration of Rome, which also includes the state prisons; and, therefore, in that Roman environment they know that this man is imprisoned because of Christ. Therefore, his imprisonment has become an opportunity for witnessing and evangelization. they do not know who Christ is, but they know that this man is in prison for Christ. Paul takes advantage of this opportunity to announce Christ and not only that but because he is imprisoned and, therefore, not being able to continue the work, it is precisely the brethren that were free those who have been more responsible and enthusiastic in the work of evangelization.

That is why Paul expresses his confidence; he says that he is “with all boldness, now as always, Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” Here the reference to that death sentence is glimpsed. Paul is taking into serious consideration the possibility of being killed; he could die soon, but he is not afraid of it; he is even saying that to die for him is a gain since for him to live coincides with Christ, and therefore he unveils his own secret thought. “If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. And I do not know which I shall choose. I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.” Dying is a gain; Paul sees being released from the body as the possibility of being fully with Christ.

“Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit.” He realizes that staying alive may be the opportunity for a job in the service of the Gospel. And for the Christians of that time, it may be an advantage to continue to enjoy the presence and teaching of Paul; he realizes that both are good, and he doesn’t know which to choose. But he is not the one who must choose at that time. Paul will be released; the capital punishment will not be executed, and he will continue to live another ten years; then there will be another sentence to be executed in Rome under Emperor Nero, on the Via Ostiense, Paul will lose his life for Christ.

Despite everything, his faith is very enthusiastic; it shows that he is a person co9mpletely dedicated to an ideal, or rather, deeply attached to a person who is the person of Jesus Christ. A little further on, in chapter 2, Paul inserts the oldest text in his letter to the Philippians, one that he did not write himself. We consider it the earliest Christological hymn used by the early Christian community. It is a hymn that celebrates Christ in his divine nature, in his earthly humiliation and heavenly exaltation. It is a significant text for theology because it shows how, from the beginning, from the first years, the Christian community has been convinced of the divinity of Jesus and his preexistence.

Paul inserts in the text a hymn that the Philippian community knew and used in the liturgy. and introduces it with this remark: “Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus.” To have “the same attitude” is close to the original Greek Paul uses, while other translations have: ‘the same feelings’ which is not correct. The Greek text says: φρονεῖτε = phronéite) literally would be: ‘think as Christ has thought.’ We could also translate: ‘have the same mentality as Christ.’ By mentality we mean the way of looking at life, the way we plan our existence, our way of living. They have in Christ the model; do not try to imitate him only in gestures but on the fundamental mentality.’

This hymn presents the mentality that guided the work of Christ. “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.” Literally, the text says that he did not consider a ἁρπαγμὸν = arpagmon, i.e., an object of theft. Remember that in comedies, the character who is usually the miser is generally called ‘harpagone’ (in Italian) because it’s a Greek verb that means taking what I want to take, dominating, controlling, and possessing. “Christ Jesus who, in spite of his divine condition, did not regard equality with God….” He did not want to jealously keep Equality with God, but on the contrary, emptied himself. In Greek, the verb is annihilation = ἐκένωσεν – ekénosen.

From this verb theologians have deduced the word ‘kenosis’ to indicate the dejection, the emptying, the annihilation of Christ. God emptied himself by assuming the condition of a servant, becoming like humans. He appeared in human form, he who was in divine form; he humbled himself and became small = ἐταπείνωσεν = etapéinosen, became a slave, small, insignificant; “became obedient to death, even death on a cross.” To the worst death. In the middle, we have the change of situation: “Because of this, God exalted him.” The hymn is divided into two parts: the first is descending, and the second is ascending. The passing point is marked by ‘Because of this.’ Christ Jesus, of divine nature, did not keep divinity for himself, but emptied himself, became a servant, a man, obedient, unto death and death on the cross.

By this attitude, God exalted him. Christ lowered himself, “Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven (the knees of the angels), and on earth (humans) and under the earth (the lower realities of the world of the dead).” All must bow their knees before Jesus Christ. “And every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (ΚΥΡΙΟΣ = Kyrios), to the glory of God the Father.” This is the most solemn formula of faith. The acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is God; he has been resurrected and glorified; He is the sole sovereign of the cosmos precisely by his attitude of abasement. “Have the same attitude.” Paul can say this forcefully because he experienced this attitude, this emptying experience firsthand; he truly has the Christ mentality and lives it in his imprisonment.

Chapter three of this letter includes an appeal to the Christians in Philippi to react to the hardships and theological misinterpretations and, like Paul, to adhere deeply to Christ. There are some Judaizing preachers, and Paul harshly calls them ‘dogs’: “Beware of the dogs! Beware of the evil-workers! Beware of the mutilation! I.e., of those who believe that the law, the observance of ritual practices, are instruments of salvation. “Although I myself have grounds for confidence even in the flesh.”

And here Paul gives us a kind of identity card, a self-portrait of himself as an observant Jew: “Circumcised on the eighth day, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrew parentage, in observance of the law a Pharisee, in zeal I persecuted the church, in righteousness based on the law I was blameless.” ‘I am a righteous person, an observer, a pious worshiper by my flesh.’ But this was the old way of thinking. This is not Paul’s choice. “Whatever gains I had, these I have come to consider a loss because of Christ. More than that, I even consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have accepted the loss of all things and I consider them so much rubbish, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having any righteousness of my own based on the law but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God, depending on faith.”

We recognize the same language of the letter to the Romans; it is the same language of the letter to the Galatians, which we will study in the next meeting because it comes from the same period. Paul says that he considers religious presumption, the self-sufficiency of the ‘good’ person, to be garbage. He does not say that he considers garbage riches, power, pleasure, honors of the world…. He says that he considers garbage the religious presumption; the fact of being from a good family, of having had a religious upbringing, of having been faithfully observant of the practices; all this he considers garbage to value the power of Christ who has profoundly transformed him. Paul says, “To know him and the power of his resurrection and sharing his sufferings by being conformed to his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.” What I want is to know Christ and to feel him in myself.”

Here is the apostle who has the same feelings as Christ, willing to participate in his death in the perspective of his resurrection. “It is not that I have already taken hold of it or have already attained perfect maturity, but I continue my pursuit in the hope that I may possess it, since I have indeed been taken possession of by Christ Jesus.” This is one of the most beautiful definitions Paul gave of himself: conquered by Jesus Christ. A person so in love with Christ that he ran after him all his life; he was indeed conformed to Christ. He is a true apostle. He is the model that is offered to us as well.