Bible Commentaries
Philippians

The Philippian letter is part of the group of Paul's epistles written while he was prisoner in Rome around AD 60-62. Thus they are called the Prison Epistles. These letters are made up of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon. It is thought that Philippians was written in the latter part of this prison period.^(F1) Unlike many other letters of Paul, this one is more of a personal and informal letter. Over the centuries, it has endeared itself to the hearts of many Christians and still stands as one of Paul's most popular letters.

Paul's ministry at the Macedonian city of Philippi was not by his own direction. We learn in Acts 16:6-10, that Paul was intent on going to Bithynia but was re-directed by the Holy Spirit with a vision, to cross over and introduce the gospel into Europe. In Acts 16:9, Paul tells of his vision of a man saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Immediately, Paul and his party set out to sea toward the port city of Neapolis and then on to Philippi. Because Paul obeyed and went to Europe, the gospel has come to us in the West.

Philippi was an important city and we can understand why the Spirit of God directed Paul and his party there. The city was established byPhilip II of Macedonin 356 BC. This Philip was the father of the famous world conqueror, Alexander the Great. We can understand why Philip was interested in this city. It controlled a main entrance into Europe from Asia and was situated on what would later become the ancient Roman turnpike called the Egnatian Way. This great roadway covered a total distance of about 1,120km. (696 miles / 746 Roman miles).^(F2) Of course, Philip was probably interested in the rich farmland in the area as well as the presence of gold in the nearby hills. In 168 BC the city and the remainder of Macedonia came under the control of Rome.

Much later, it was at Philippi that Octavian (Augustus) and Mark Anthony defeated the assassins of Julius Caesar (42 BC). After the battle, Philippi became a Roman colony (cf. Acts 16:12) and its residents became Roman citizens.^(F3)

It was thus to this Roman colony that Paul and his party were directed by the Holy Spirit on the Second Missionary Journey (AD 49-52). Paul's usual practice was to take the gospel first to the Jews (Romans 1:16). This seemed impossible at Philippi since there was obviously no Jewish synagogue there.^(F4) Instead, Paul found a band of God-fearing women who met for Sabbath prayer at a nearby river. From this small but faithful group the church at Philippi was formed and began to meet in the house of Lydia, a seller of expensive purple cloth (Acts 16:14,40).

The missionary band met the usual resistance in the city and soon Paul and Silas were imprisoned. Miraculously, they were freed from chains and as a result of this miracle the Roman jailor was converted, along with his whole family. So, from its outset, the church at Philippi was born in suffering.

The church at Philippi became one of Paul's most beloved churches, often sending gifts and relief for his missionary work. When Paul was at last confined to prison in Rome the church sent Epaphroditus to him with a gift and encouragement. Unfortunately, Epaphroditus got dreadfully sick and almost died while with Paul. The letter of Philippians was sent back to Philippi, probably with the recovered Epaphroditus. The letter is an informal one, sent from a friend to his friends. Paul's great longing and hope was that he would soon be released from Roman prison and be reunited with his dear friends at Philippi (1:26; 2:24).