1. Prayer as Thanksgiving — for Partnership in the Gospel (1:3-8)
B. THANKSGIVING AND PRAYER (1:3-11)
In all of Paul's letters to churches, except Galatians, either a thanksgiving report or a benediction1 immediately follows the salutation. But unlike what he does with his salutations, where he modifies and thereby Christianizes a standard formula, Paul's thanksgivings2 represent a uniquely Christianized transformation of, thus substitution for, the common "health wish" that appears as the next item in many ancient letters.3 These "health wishes," found in the NT only in 3 John 2, are the ancient equivalent of our "I trust this letter finds you well." They tended to take three different forms: a simple wish,4 a prayer,5 or a thanksgiving,6 the latter being the less common. Thanksgivings of the Pauline type — to God, and for people — simply do not occur.7 But right at the place where the ancients stereotypically wish the health of another, Paul does a radically Christian thing — thank God for his friends in Christ,both for what God has and is doing in their lives and (in this case) for their partnership with him in the gospel.
Ordinarily, and in Philippians in particular, the content of the thanksgiving anticipates the letter itself.8 Since thanksgiving is expressed in the context of prayer, Paul sometimes, as here, follows with a further prayer-report,9 specifying how he prays for them. This, too, anticipates many of the concerns of the letter.
The result is a twofold prayer-report: prayer as thanksgiving — for their partnership in the gospel, in every kind of way; and prayer as petition — for continued fruitfulness in living out the gospel in Philippi. Both reports, which focus on their past and present in Christ, also underscore their certain future: as affirmation of God's work in them (v. 6) and as petition for the same (vv. 10-11).
Since thanksgiving is also part of the reason for the letter, one is not surprised to find the whole replete with expressions of friendship, and especially of the three-way bond — between himself, the Philippians, and Christ and the gospel — that informs every part of the letter.10 Indeed, in this case several difficulties of interpretation are probably the result of the strong feelings of affection involved — in both directions: the Philippians' for Paul, often expressed in their devotion to the gospel; and his for them, especially as they are the result of, and now co-laborers in, the proclamation of that same gospel. Thus the whole passage abounds with joy and affection, focusing primarily on their role of "partnership in the gospel" — the very stuff of friendship.
Although the prayer report looks as though it might be more formal, a kind of "prayer in general" full of Christian generalities, it too is best understood as case-specific. Paul is concerned throughout the letter with their present behavior, as properly reflecting the effective work of the gospel. Here he reports on his prayer for them in this regard. Thus the thanksgiving and prayer together give expression to Paul's deep affection for them and anticipate his reasons for writing.
1. Prayer as Thanksgiving—for Partnership in the Gospel (1:3-8)
31 thank my God11 every time I remember you. 4ln all my prayers for all of you, I always pray12 with joy 5because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.13 lit 14 is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending15 and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God's grace with me.16 8God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.
In 1 Thess 5:16-18, in a series of staccato imperatives that belong together as a package, Paul urged the Thessalonians to "rejoice continually, pray unceas-ingly, and give thanks in all circumstances," for these constitute one dimension of God's will for his people. Paul is as good as his word. Not only does this combination appear elsewhere in 1 Thessalonians (3:9-10), but now in a Roman prison, with possible trouble brewing on the Philippian horizon, Paul again gives evidence that prayer, thanksgiving, and joy go together in a kind of indissoluble union.
In modern translations the thanksgiving is often broken into two parts, sometimes into two paragraphs (vv. 3-6, 7-8; cf. NIV). In fact, however, this is a single (especially difficult and convoluted) sentence in Paul's Greek.17 The difficulties are basically three: ( 1 ) how to make sense of the compounding of clauses and phrases in vv. 3-5; (2) to determine how vv. 6-8 fit in as part of the thanksgiving; and (3) to determine the direction of the "remembrance" in v. 3 (whether Paul's toward them or theirs toward him).18 A word about each of these will give perspective to the whole passage.
1. The difficulties of the first three verses can best be shown by a very literal, "interlinear" kind of presentation of the Greek-English equivalents, in which each word or phrase is marked off by a diagonal:
I thank my God / at (epi) every remembrance (of you/your) / always / inevery prayer of mine / for all of you / with joy / the prayer making / for (epi) your fellowship / in the gospel / from the first day / until now . . .
The problem, besides determining the direction of the remembrance, is to resolve the function of the modifiers in relationship to each other and to the main verb ("I give thanks"). Although one cannot have final certainty, both Pauline usage elsewhere and the particular concerns of this letter suggest that the best approach is to consider this material as consisting of two parts, each controlled by the two verbs ("give thanks" and "making my prayers"), each of which is immediately modified by an epi ("at/for/on the basis of") prepositional phrase.19 The result is two clauses that look something like this:
I thank my God in all my remembrance (of you) always in every prayer of mine for all of you
(I make) my prayer with joy for your participation in the gospel from the first day until now 20
The two clauses, it should be noted further, thus express two primary matter of friendship: his affection for them and their partnership in the gospel.21
2. This last matter (friendship) also helps to explain the mild digression in vv. 6 and 7. Remembrance of their past and present participation in the gospel through thick and thin encourages Paul to express confidence that God will continue his larger work in them to the very end.22 That in turn causes him to offer the reasons both for his confidence (v. 6) and for his gratitude and joy (vv. 3-5), with a clause that begins, "just as it is right for me to think this about you all." The reasons are two, corresponding precisely to those expressed in vv. 3-5. So deep is his affection that he concludes in v. 8 by calling on God himself to bear witness to it. At the same time, the content of v. 7 also especially anticipates some items that are to follow (his bonds and the defense of the gospel in 1:12-26, and his longing for them, especially in light of some mild differences among them, spoken to in 1:27-2:18 and 4:1-3). The petition report (vv. 9-11) flows readily out of these final matters in v. 7. The net result is a kind of (conceptual) chiastic arrangement:
A I thank God at all my remembrance of you personally)
Β I pray with joy because of your fellowship in the gospel
C I am convinced God will keep this going until the end
Β' I have every right to this confidence because I have you in my heart and because of your fellowship in the gospel
A' God is my witness as to my deep longing for you all
3. This analysis further suggests that since the phrase in question in v. 3 (whose remembrance of whom) lies within a context of his expressing affection for them, this matter is best settled, as with the NIV, as flowing from him toward them — although this will need the more careful investigation given below.
Thus thanksgiving and petition blend in Paul, resulting in a combined thanksgiving/prayer-report: offered to God with joy because of their long-term, and now recently expressed, partnership in the gospel, and based on his confidence in God's work among them and full of deep affection for them.
3 Paul begins with his standard formula of thanksgiving, "I thank my God."23 Thanksgiving and prayer in Paul are always directed toward God. The "my," which occurs in each of his thanksgivings where the verb is singular,24 denotes personal relationship. The expression has its roots in the OT, especially the Psalter, where "the God of our fathers" is addressed over and again as "the Lord, my God." On the one hand, of course, "my God" refers to the only God there is, who is therefore God over all; on the other hand, this God had arrested Paul and made him his own (cf. 3:12). Hence on the basis of divine election, God is "my God" in a very personal way, the One in whom Paul puts his trust and the One whom alone he serves.25
What follows this standard formula has most of the elements found in Paul's other thanksgivings; but they are now expressed just differently enough to produce some ambiguity for us. Ordinarily the next element is the adverb "always,"26 followed by "for you."27 Three things happen here that generate our difficulties: (1) these two elements are in reverse order; (2) the usual preposition peri ("concerning/for") is replaced by epi ("on/at"), which can mean either "on the basis of = because of" or "on the occasion of"; and (3) instead of simply thanking God "for you," he thanks God "epi every remembrance of you," which theoretically could mean either "at all my remembrance of you" or "because of your every remembrance."28
These differences are just enough to cause some scholars to think that Paul intends the latter, "because of your every remembrance [of me],"29 occasioned by their recent gift sent with Epaphroditus (2:25, 30; 4:10, 18). What favors this view primarily — singularly, some would say — is the appearance of epi, which in a similar situation in 1 Cor 1:4 most likely means "on the basis of."30 Since this same preposition recurs in v. 5 below, where it clearly means "because of," it is argued that in contrast to his other thanksgivings, Paul begins by immediately thanking God for their "renewed concern" for him (cf. 4:10). This view, it is argued further, also eliminates an otherwise awkward "accumulation of temporal phrases in direct succession,"31 as well as explains why there is no mention of the gift until 4:10.32
Despite the apparent cogency of these arguments, however, the traditional view has the better of it by far. The most significant consideration is linguistic: In Greek, verbs and nouns denoting "memory" take the genitive as their object; thus the normal reading of the combination "remembrance33 of you" would be as an "objective" genitive. Indeed, in the other occurrences of this noun (mneia) with a genitive in biblical Greek, the genitive is almost always the object of the remembering or mentioning,34 and invariably so in all known Greek when the genitive, as here, is a personal pronoun.35 Besides, to think otherwise in this case is simply against all analogy, since in his other thanksgivings Paul regularly36 thanks God in some way for the recipients of his letter, and the "remembrance" motif in his thanksgivings invariably refers to his memory of them.37
Finally, even if the phrase truly were ambiguous, in light of his deep feelings for them elaborated in vv. 7-8, it simply makes more sense of the flow of Paul's thought to see this unusually expressed phrase to be the equivalent of his usual "for you," in this case as a slight elaboration of it. Thus, on the occasion of "all38 of his remembrance of them," triggered most recently by their gift, to be sure, he thanks God for his beloved Philippian sisters and brothers in Christ. The basis of the thanksgiving will be given in the second epi phrase (in v. 5) — their past and present partnership in the gospel. Paul, after all, rarely thanks God for "things"; his thanksgivings are for people, for those special "gifts" whom God has brought into his life, who, despite whatever frustration or grief they may also cause him, are invariably a source of great joy and thanksgiving. Here, I would offer, is a beginning point for understanding the nature of Pauline spirituality.39
4 It is also Paul's habit not only to note that he thanks God for his friends, but also (a) that he does so regularly ("always") and (b) that such thanksgiving is a regular part of his praying for them. Having reminded the Philippians of his thanksgiving for them at all times, he now turns to these other matters.40 But in so doing he compounds phrases in a way that makes the rest of this opening clause (through v. 5) particularly awkward.
First, he reminds them that he "always" gives thanks for them when praying for them. This does not mean that he offers unceasing thanksgiving, but that he does so continually — over and again. On every occasion when he remembers them in prayer he always does so first with thanksgiving.
Second, his thanksgiving takes place in the context of "all my prayers41 for all of you." That is, on every occasion that he petitions God on their behalf, he does so with thanksgiving. It is difficult to get around the significance of this collocation for our understanding Paul as a person of the Spirit.42 Not only is he a man of prayer, but a man whose prayer is as filled with thanksgiving as with petition, and whose thanksgiving is for God's people, for whom Paul himself feels deep and passionate longing.
Third, his prayer and thanksgiving are for "all of you." We have already noted (in v. 1) the possible significance of this emphasis in Philippians, where some posturing is apparently under way that has all the possibility of leading to real division among them. Thus, in this letter, Paul's "all of you" includes both Euodia and Syntyche, not to mention everyone else.
Fourth, the combination of "every prayer of mine" and "for all of you" triggers yet another reminder, that when he does offer up prayer for them, now meaning "petition," he does so with joy. Whatever else the Philippians meant to Paul, they were for him a cause of great joy. This little phrase, however, also creates the awkward repetitions in this clause.43 The word order ("with joy the prayer making") gives this phrase special emphasis; indeed this is the first of 16 occurrences of this word group ("joy") in the letter. While this may not be as dominant a motif in the letter as some contend, it is a recurring motif, and can scarcely be missed. The very awkwardness of the phrase in this case forces it upon the Philippians' — and our — attention.
Joy, it should be noted, which occurs only here in the Pauline thanksgivings, lies at the heart of the Christian experience of the gospel; it is the fruit of the Spirit in any truly Christian life, serving as primary evidence of the Spirit's presence (Gal 5:22; Rom 14:17). Precisely because this is so, joy transcends present circumstances; it is based altogether on the Spirit, God's way of being present with his people under the new covenant. Hence joy prevails for Paul even in prison; he will urge that it prevail for the Philippians as well in their present suffering in the face of opposition.
Here, then, is the paradigm of Pauline spirituality: thanksgiving and prayer, filled with joy, on behalf of all of God's people in Philippi. See further on 4:4-7.
5 But Paul's thanksgiving is not finished. Verses 3-4 focused on the Philippian believers themselves. Having just mentioned that his petitions on their behalf — for all of them — are filled with joy, he now offers a brief word as to the basis of44 his joy, which also serves as further reason for his thanksgiving 45 The reason is expressed in terms of their koinönia in the spread of46 the gospel and focuses on the long, enduring nature of their participation/partnership.
It does not take much reading of Paul's letters to recognize that the gospel is the singular passion of his life; that passion is the glue that in particular holds this letter together.47 By "the gospel," especially in Philippians, Paul refers primarily neither to a body of teaching nor to proclamation. Above all, the gospel has to do with Christ, both his person and his work. To preach Christ (vv. 15-16) is to preach the gospel, which is all about Christ; to preach the gospel is to proclaim God's good news of salvation that he has effected in Christ. As elsewhere, "Christ" and "the gospel" are at times nearly interchangeable. Living "worthy of the gospel of Christ" in 1:27, therefore, means to live worthy of Christ as he has been made known and proclaimed in the gospel which has him as its focus and content. Thus Paul's joy in prayer is prompted by their "partnership for (the furtherance ofl the gospel."
The rest of the thanksgiving is an elaboration of Paul's and their mutual relationship with Christ in the gospel — Paul's as a prisoner in the defense and vindication of the gospel, theirs as partners with him in the spread of the gospel, expressed both in their gift and in their living out the truth of the gospel in Philippi. But the present focus is on the Philippians' long-time association with Paul in the gospel, thus "your participation/partnership48 toward the advance of the gospel from the first day until now."49 Determining the precise sense of koinönia in this clause, however, is not as easy as recognizing its role in the argument. Although this word is usually translated into English as "fellowship," its primary referent is to participating in something, rather than to sharing something in common with others.50 At the least, therefore, its basic sense is "participation in the spread of the gospel."51 But since that "participation" is expressly linked in v. 7 to Paul's own work in the gospel, very likely in this clause it carries the further connotation of their "participation" in "partnership with Paul" in the advance of the gospel.52
But what specifically does Paul have in mind by this reference to their "participation/partnership in the gospel"? In light of 4:15-16, especially the language "at the beginning of the gospel . . . you participated in the matter of giving and receiving," this phrase at least refers to their sharing with him of their material means as he is imprisoned for the sake of the gospel.53 This is corroborated further by the collocation of these two words (koinönia and gospel) in 2 Cor 9:15 with specific reference to the Corinthian — and Macedonian — participation in the offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem.54
On the other hand, the much broader concern for their relationship to the gospel that permeates this letter makes it difficult to believe that Paul was referring exclusively to their partnership with him by means of their gift.55 Although Paul is truly grateful for this very tangible participation in his defense of the gospel in Rome, his greater concern in this letter is with the gospel in Philippi. This is the "partnership" in the gospel that concerns him. Indeed, in what follows (1:12-26) he refers to his present situation in a semi-paradigmatic way,56 himself rejoicing over the further proclamation of the gospel in Rome (1:15-18), which joy he wants them to bring to completion by getting their act together in Philippi (2:2). He further urges their prayer for the Spirit in his behalf so that Christ alone will be magnified when he stands trial there (1:20); but all of this so that he might urge them both to proclaim and to live in keeping with the gospel in Philippi. Thus he urges them to "live out their [heavenly] citizenship [in Philippi] in a way that is worthy of the gospel" and thus to "contest as one person [in Philippi] for the 'faith of the gospel' " (1:27). Similarly in 2:15-16 he wants them to be blameless in their conduct as they "hold fast the word of life" in the "crooked and depraved generation" in which they are thus to "shine like stars in the world." So also the prayer report that follows this thanksgiving is expressed in terms of their being "filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ" (v. 11).
In light of all of this, the best understanding of "your koinōnia in the gospel" is that which takes the word first of all in its "neutral" sense to refer to their participation in spreading the gospel itself, in every possible way, which in particular includes their recent partnership in the gospel by sending him a gift while he is imprisoned for the defense of the gospel.
This understanding of koinōnia seems further substantiated by the phrase, "from the first day until now," which refers neither to the patronage he received while living and preaching Christ in Philippi (cf. Acts 16:15) nor to their early participation in material support when he first left Philippi (referred to below in 4:15-16)57 — although it very likely includes the latter. The gospel itself is Paul's first concern here, not his material support; hence he is most likely referring to their participation in the advance of the gospel that stems from the time of their conversion. In light of v. 6, this might even include their "participation" by themselves having responded to the gospel and thus becoming Christ's people in Philippi.58 But it would especially include their involvement in sharing the gospel with others.59 This, then, is the most probable sense of their "participation/partnership in the gospel from the first day." Every word spoken and every deed done in behalf of the gospel from the moment of their conversion(s) to the present, including their gift to Paul, are thus "your partnership in the furtherance of the gospel from the first day until now." That this is Paul's primary intent seems corroborated by the otherwise curious participial clause that follows (v. 6).
6 This next clause is so familiar that its place in the immediate, as well as the larger, context of Philippians is easily overlooked, especially since it is not at once clear as to how it functions in the present sentence. Some scholars, to be sure, have gone the other direction, placing it in context in a very narrow sense — the "good work" referring specifically to the Philippians' material support of Paul that God will continue to perform through them.60 The clause is best understood, however, in terms of their relationship to Christ and the gospel in the broader sense argued for in v. 5. Its language and grammar also support such a view. First, then, some words about what is said, followed by some observations about context.
The clause begins with another participle, "having been persuaded" (= being confident), whose link to what precedes is more conceptual than grammatical. The clue to its place in the sentence lies in the final words of v. 5, "from the first day until now."61 "Not only so," Paul now adds in a somewhat digressive way, "but I am likewise persuaded that the good work God began in you, in terms of your long-term partnership in the gospel in every possible way, he will bring to glorious consummation at the end, when Christ returns."
But despite this grammatical connection to what precedes, Paul's emphasis rests on what he is about to say: "being confident," he thus digresses momentarily, "of this very thing."62 His confidence is that their lifelong participation in the gospel, "from the beginning until now," will continue until the day of Christ. But this confidence has very little to do with them and everything to do with God, who both "began" a good work in them and will "bring it to completion63 at64 the day of Christ." Thus, having reminded them of his own joy over their good past and present, he turns now to assure them of their own certain future.
The "day of Christ Jesus" is the eschatological goal of present life in Christ. Paul, and perhaps the early church before him, took up the term "day of the Lord" from the OT to refer to the Parousia, the (now second) coming of Christ.65 Paul thus uses the term in his earliest letters,66 and frequently thereafter.67 While at times the term may emphasize the aspect of judgment inherent in its OT usage, much more often the emphasis in Paul is on the eschatological consummation that has Christ's coming — and therefore his final exaltation and glorification, including those who are his — as its central focus. This is the "not yet" of salvation that Christ has "already" secured and the Spirit appropriated in the life of the believer. Thus the focus, as everywhere in Paul, is on Christ; whatever else the final wrap-up entails, it is Christ's day above all.
Although it is not certain to what precisely Paul is pointing with the language "good work," it is unlikely that he is referring exclusively to their grace of giving,68 since one would then have expected him to say "good work through you."69 The accent instead is on what God is doing in (or "among") them, not what he is doing through them. Most likely, therefore, the term points to their "salvation in Christ,"70 and in this case is yet another way of speaking about their "participating in the gospel" — not so much about their sharing it, but about their experiencing it and living it out in Philippi.71 Thus with this theological affirmation in the thanksgiving, that God has begun and will complete his "good work" of salvation among them, Paul anticipates the appeal in 2:12-13: that they "work out their salvation," meaning to live out in Christian community the salvation that Christ has effected, precisely because "God is at work in you, both to will and do what pleases him."72
That Paul in this instance should call their salvation a "good work" is hardly accidental, since this is language he uses elsewhere to refer to the ethical dimension of salvation in Christ.73 For him there is no salvation that does not include a transformed life; hence this present emphasis. By this language Paul is pointing ahead to the content of the prayer report that follows (vv. 9-11), and thus to the larger concern of the letter that they "live out their heavenly citizenship in Philippi in a manner that is worthy of the gospel" (1:27).
But why this particular way of rounding off the thanksgiving, with its note of joyful prayer based on their long-time partnership with Paul in the gospel? Since such eschatological moments occur elsewhere in Pauline thanksgivings,74 this may well be either another reflection of the same, or perhaps another typical theological "spin-off": having mentioned "from the first day till now," he simply cannot help himself but also to point out their certain eschatological future. One can hardly disallow such an option in Paul! Nonetheless, while the final phrase in v. 5 undoubtedly triggered this clause, its form — especially the language of "persuasion" and the emphasis on God's "bringing to conclusion" what he has begun in/among them — suggests that its primary raison d'être has to do with a larger issue brewing in the Philippian community. We may not have full certainty as to the reasons for it, but several moments in this letter suggest that some of them had begun to lose the basic eschatological orientation that marks all truly Christian life.75 This is especially in evidence in: (1) the way Paul concludes his personal testimony in 3:4-14 (12-14), as forgetting the past and pressing toward the eschatological prize, (2) the appeal that follows for them to do the same (3:15-17), (3) the sad note about those who have not persevered (3:18-19), and (4) the final eschatological notes in the exalted passages in 2:9-11 and 3:20-21 and Paul's own "desire to depart and be with Christ" (1:23). All told, these later affirmations and appeals serve as the most likely clues to our understanding the present affirmation, which also explains its slightly digressive nature in the present sentence.
Believers in Christ are people of the future, a sure future that has already begun in the present. They are "citizens of heaven" (3:20), who live the life of heaven, the life of the future, in the present in whatever circumstances they find themselves. To lose this future orientation, and especially to lose the sense of "straining toward what is ahead, toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called us heavenward" (3:13-14), is to lose too much. Thus, triggered by their present gift, which also reminds Paul of their long association in the gospel, Paul digresses momentarily to remind them that even in the midst of present difficulties, God has in Christ both guaranteed their future and blessed their present situation in Philippi.
7 But Paul is still not finished with his thanksgiving, at least not with the (now convoluted) sentence that began as a thanksgiving. The NIV and most English translations notwithstanding, Paul's sentence begins with the comparative conjunction kathôs ("just as"),76 suggesting that what he is about to say is to be compared to what has been said. The subsequent phrase, "this way,"77 therefore, probably refers to the whole of the sentence to this point, especially the content of vv. 3-5, but now by way of his confidence about their future expressed in v. 6. What he is about to do, then, is to justify his joyful thanksgiving, both the feelings expressed in vv. 3-4 and the basis for them given in v. 5. "It is, after all," Paul goes on, after the momentary eschatological digression in v. 6, "quite right78 for me to feel this way about all of you," which he then elaborates in the rest of the sentence, and attests by oath in v. 8. There are certain realities — three are singled out — about their mutual relationship that call for such an attitude: his own deep affection for them (cf. vv. 3-4); their past partnership with him in the gospel (cf. v. 5); and the extension of that partnership to his imprisonment — and the defense of the gospel (v. 7, anticipating vv. 12-26).
The verb which the NIV translates "feel" is particularly noteworthy in the present letter.79 It refers neither to "thinking" in general, nor "reasoning" as such, nor is it used for a specific act of thought; rather, it has to do with having or developing a certain "mindset," including attitudes and dispositions.80 This, then, is the proper verb to introduce the clause that follows and its companion in v. 8, a passage full of friendship motifs toward which this verb points; it also anticipates the kind of "mind" he will urge on them later in the letter. Thus, the NIV's "feel this way about all of you,"81 in the sense of having you in mind — or being well disposed toward you — is good colloquial English for this idea.
In giving the reason for his having them in mind in this way, Paul once more emphasizes their mutual relationship, one side of the three-way bond around which this letter finds focus. Thus he returns to the point of v. 5 (their "participation/partnership in the gospel"), but now presses it in terms both of their ministry toward him (v. 7b) and his deep affection for them (v. 8). In place of the NIV's "since I have you in my heart," some have suggested that he intends rather, "because you hold me in your heart" (NRSV),82 referring to their partnership with him in the gospel to which he will speak in the immediately following clause. But besides the fact that the language of feeling and affection throughout has been about his toward them, two matters of usage indicate that the NIV has it right. (1) Two recent studies on word order with Greek infinitives in the NT make it certain that in this kind of clause (the infinitive before two accusatives) the author normally intends the first to be the subject and the second the object.83 2) The explanatory "for" with which the next sentence begins makes almost no sense as referring to the final matters in v. 7, but offers a perfectly understandable explanation of v. 7a.84 Thus Paul says: "It is quite right for me to have you in mind in this way [referring to ν v. 3-6], because I have you in my heart, since you are so well-disposed toward me; . . . for God is my witness how deeply I long for all of you with the compassion of Christ."
For the second time in the thanksgiving85 he emphasizes that his feelings toward them are "for all of you." His own affection, as with that of Christ (v. 8) — and of a parent with squabbling children — refuses to take sides. "All of you," Paul again emphasizes, are "in my heart." In biblical understanding the "heart" refers to the deepest center of human consciousness, the seat of both the will and decision-making, as well as of the emotions. Although rare with this connotation in secular Greek, it has come into the NT from the Hebrew OT by way of the Septuagint. This is what will be further explained in the final oath in v. 8, that Paul has this deep longing for them in the "entrails" (= heart, therefore "compassion/affection") of Christ.
The basic reason86 for such affection is that "you all [that's three (see n. 85)] are participants together87 with me in the grace88 [of Christ, cf. v. 2]." Here is one of those remarkable moments in Paul, too easily passed over. The definite article with "grace" indicates that he is referring either to a prior mentioned "grace" or to a well-known "grace." Many89 take the "well-known" grace to refer to God's saving grace; others90 to Paul's apostolic ministry. But in light of v. 29, where the verb of this noun occurs in conjunction with their mutual suffering for Christ,91 Paul very likely is referring to the "grace" of being "partners together in the defense and vindication of the gospel" even in the midst of present "chains."92
But how they are, or have been, "partners in this grace" is now uppermost in Paul's mind; hence the clause begins on the twin notes93 of "both in my chains and in the defending and confirming of the gospel." Again, the three-way bond. The gospel, as always, is the primary matter; both he and they have had a part in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. But the Philippians are also "partners together with him" in his present circumstances of imprisonment. But to what specifically do the two phrases ("in my chains," "in defending and confirming of the gospel") refer? One thing noted twice, or two different things?
There can be little question that the first phrase, "in my chains," refers to Paul's present imprisonment. Here is the first mention of the "suffering" motif, which surfaces throughout this letter, and probably carries more significance than many interpreters are ready to allow.94 Although "chains" could possibly be a metonymy for imprisonment as such, most likely Paul was literally chained to his guards.95 The way this similar idea is expressed in 2 Tim 2:9 makes it difficult to imagine anything other than literal chains in that case. Probably the same is true here, since in Roman prisons "imprisonment without chains was a concession to high status."96 In any case, the repetition of the phrase, "my chains," in vv. 13, 14, and 17 indicates that he is smarting under the imprisonment, in part perhaps because he is not free to roam about.
But how do the Philippians "share in God's grace with me" in this matter? Does this refer merely to their gift97 to him while he is presently in chains? Or does it possibly allude to what he will affirm in v. 30, that some of them are undergoing "the same struggle" in a nearly identical way in Philippi? One cannot be sure. Very likely the recent gift is more immediately in view; but one cannot rule out the latter, especially in light of his referring to his present imprisonment for the gospel in terms of "grace," which he will repeat as an aphorism in v. 29.98
So also with "the defense and confirmation of the gospel." Since the first part of this phrase occurs again in v. 16, referring specifically to the reason for Paul's imprisonment,99 the present phrase may simply be another way of referring to his own imprisonment in which they have had a share by sending him a gift. But in light of what is said in the rest of the letter, especially 1:27-28, very likely Paul's vision has again enlarged somewhat, to refer to their situation in Philippi as well as to his in Rome. Just as he is imprisoned for the defense of the gospel — and thus for its vindication as well — so, too, they will be urged both to live in a way that is worthy of the gospel and to contend for it side by side in the face of similar (Roman) opposition in Philippi. In this way they exhibit their real participation with him in the cause of the gospel.
In sum: the language and the context suggest that Paul minimally has in mind their most recent "sharing with him in the gospel," by means of a material gift while he is in prison. That, after all, is the immediate cause of his thanksgiving. Nonetheless, in light of how the rest of the letter unfolds, he seems here also to be embracing them for their long-term association with him in the gospel — by their helping him to share the gospel in other settings, to be sure, but also by their own activity in Philippi, especially in the face of similar hostility to his. The hostility, after all, comes from the empire itself, of which they are both citizens, both of whom are now in trouble because they hold allegiance to a citizenship in which Lord Christ holds sway even — especially — over Lord Caesar.
8 The mild oath with which the thanksgiving report finally concludes provides the key to much about this letter. The "for" with which it begins is explanatory — of how "I have you in my heart" (v. 7). Both the oath itself and its content reveal the depth of feeling out of which the letter is written. The affection that one senses throughout the thanksgiving now spills out as open and unfeigned feelings toward them. Epaphroditus is about to return home, and Paul's thoughts turn toward Philippi — in remembrance of their long-term close relationship in Christ, expressed most recently by their gift. At the same time he is experiencing a measure of distress, because all is not right with them, and he can only sit in prison and pray. Pray he will do momentarily, but now, having just noted their own love for him in Christ, he returns to the affirmation in v. 7 that he has them in his heart.
This is one of several such oaths in Paul's letters,100 where he wishes to emphasize a point that usually has to do with his own thinking or feelings. God must serve as witness, of course, because this is a matter of the heart, and only God can know his heart in this way. In effect, he says to them, "God himself knows how101 I feel about you."
The content of the oath has to do with how much he "longs for" them. This is not the only community to which he expresses such "longings."102 Since in the other instances his "longing" refers to his intense desire to be reunited with them, one may minimally assume the same to be true here, especially in light of 1:24-25 and 2:24. He longs for them, he says, not to be present merely by this letter, but also to be there among them in person. But in this case the language goes beyond the mere yearning to be reunited.103 In 4:1, in a passage of equally deep feeling expressed by a piling up of vocatives of affection, he uses this same word and calls them his "beloved and 'longed-for' brothers and sisters," which in that case does not imply "longing to see." Thus, his "longing" for them in the present instance is probably not simply to be with them again, true as that may be, but suggests an especially deep yearning for (= concern about) his friends themselves, that they remain true to the gospel to which they have been so faithfully committed over these many years.
That this is the sense of Paul's present yearning is suggested first by the repeated (now for the fourth time) "for you all." Whatever in fact was going on among them, reported to him by Epaphroditus, he wants them to know how strongly he feels toward them — toward all of them. This understanding of his "longing for" them is also supported by the final phrase, "with the affection104 of Christ Jesus," in which the three-way bond between him and them and Christ is once more brought into focus. His own relationship to them, on such vivid display in this expression of deep affection for them, nonetheless serves as the second predicate on which the letter itself rests. The first predicate, the primary one, is their own relationship to Christ, which is the ultimate urgency of the letter. Thus, Paul concludes the thanksgiving by reminding them, first of all, of his own deep longings for them, but also, secondly, that those longings are "with the affection of Christ Jesus" himself, referring almost certainly to "the love Christ has for you, which is also at work in me for you."
That Paul is not an academic, but a passionate lover of Christ Jesus, is made plain by the deep and uninhibited expressions of affection that permeate this thanksgiving, since academics tend to be embarrassed by such displays! But there is much here to be learned by those in the church who have pastoral care of any kind, including that of parents for their children. The emotion, after all, in Paul's case is simply the outflow of his theology and the spirituality that issues from such theology. The theology has to do with the gospel, which has God as its source and sustainer. Whatever else, those whom we love in Christ first of all belong to God. God has begun the "good work" in them that he has committed himself to concluding with eschatological glory. That "good work" is the result of "the affection of Christ Jesus," through whom God has brought about this "good news" on behalf of his people.
The net result in terms of pastoral care is thanksgiving and joy for the people themselves, for "all of them," even those whose antics so often seem to bring more grief than pleasure. They belong to God; it is ours to be grateful for what God has done, is doing, and will continue to do in their lives. And all of this works much better if the care giver also shares in "the affection of Christ Jesus," by having a good measure of the same affection, predicated on being participants together in the gospel.
1. As in 2 Corinthians and Ephesians — although Ephesians contains both a benediction (1:3-14) and thanksgiving (1:15-23). In contrast to the thanksgiving report, in which Paul essentially creates something new in the place of a very stereotyped formula (see the discussion), the benedictions are adaptations of a Jewish liturgical formula (see, e.g., Furnish, II Corinthians, 116-17).
2. The Pauline thanksgivings have been subjected to careful investigation twice: Schubert, Form and Function; O'Brien, Thanksgivings.
3. It is common to refer to Paul's thanksgivings as a Christianized form of ancient thanksgivings as such, but scholarship needs to be more cautious in its use of "formulaic" language. A "thanksgiving" as such rarely occurs either in the literary or papyrus letters; and when they do occur they are simply a variation of the true "formula" — a wish for the recipient's health (see nn. 4 and 5 below). On this matter, see Arzt, "Epistolary Introductory Thanksgiving," who has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that such a formula in ancient letters is a myth of scholarship, not the reality of the letters themselves.
4. This is the most common form, which occurs over and again in a very stereotyped way, either, "If you are well, it would be wonderful (εϊ ερρωσαι, έχοι αν καλώς)" or as part of the greeting itself ("greetings and good health"). Cf. the letters collected and commented on in J. L. White, Light; a quick thumbing through the collection in Hunt and Edgar (Select Papyri, LCL 1.268-395) could also be a good introductory excercise in "form-criticism"!
5. See, e.g., letter 109 in White (Light, 173), "Before anything else I pray that you are well; I myself am also well. I make obeisance on your behalf daily before the lord Sarapis"); cf. letters 103A, 103B, 104B, 105,110, 111; and the variation in letter 64 ("May you always be well, just as I pray").
6. Cf. letter 26 in White (Light, 52), "I offer up thanks to all the gods (τοις θεοϊς πάσιν χάριν εχομεν) if you yourself are well."
7. The only thing that remotely represents a thanksgiving can be found, e.g., in letter 103 (White, 159), where Apion, in writing to his father, thanks the lord Sarapis for having been rescued at sea (but that is a different thing from thanking the gods for someone). The thanksgiving in letter 115 (p. 182) is in fact a letter of thanksgiving.
8. Cf. Jewett, "Epistolary Thanksgiving," who, however, considerably overstates this reality ("The entire letter as it now stands is the product of the author's intention set forth in the epistolary thanksgiving," 53). Bloomquist (Function, 121-23, 145-47) considers this section to be the exordium of a piece of "persuasive" rhetoric (see nn. 39 and 42 in the Introduction), but his presentation itself is not persuasive. Unfortunately he lets his prior commitment to "form" dictate his understanding of "meaning" (only by such a redeterminationwould one note that there are no imperatives in a Pauline thanksgiving [p. 121]!).
9. Cf. 1 Thess 1:2-3 ("We thank God for you . . . as we mention you in our prayers"); Rom 1:8, 9; Phlm 4; Col 1:3; Eph 1:16; 2 Tim 1:3. For prayer reports see 2 Thess 1:11-12; Col 1:9-14; Phlm 6; Eph 1:17-21 (cf.3:14-19, which I take to be a renewal of the prayer report begun in chap. 1 ).
10. See the Introduction, pp. 13-14.
11. The Western tradition (D* F G b Ambst CassPt) reads έγώ μεν ευχαριστώ τώ κυρίω ήμών ("I, for my part, thank our Lord"). Although favored by Kennedy (418), Michael (9, following Zahn), and Barth (13), this is a secondary reading on all counts. (1) It is the habit of this tradition to offer idiosyncratic readings; and such a reading, supported only by Western MSS, is highly suspect under any circumstances. (2) The addition of έγώ μεν can easily be accounted for on the twofold basis of the inclusion of Timothy (και Τιμόθεος) in the salutation and the first person singular verb (ευχαριστώ) with which the thanksgiving begins. (3) Although it is true that the "more difficult reading" is usually to be preferred, this is a case where the reading is simply too difficult; Paul never elsewhere offers thanks "to our Lord" (cf. Collange, 43).
12. In order to clarify the difficult compounding of phrases and participles in this sentence, some MSS (F G Ψ 2495 pc) have inserted a xαί between μετά χαράς and τήν δέησιν ποιούμενος. The resultant text is probably to be understood as supporting the punctuation of the NA26 (followed by the NIV), thus making an independent clause of the insertion, "also making my prayer with joy."
13. A considerable number of significant MSS have the reverse word order, "Jesus Christ" (X A F G Κ Ρ 33 81 104 365 614 1175 1739 1881 2464 pc). The text is read by Ρ46 Β D Ψ Maj lat. This is a tough call. The external evidence is rather evenly divided; and one can make a good case on internal grounds for either: the order "Christ Jesus" predominates in this letter, and in the thanksgiving in particular. Did Paul use this predominant form, which scribes then changed either accidentally or to conform to another usage with which they were familiar? Or, as seems more likely to me, did Paul him self here write the less usual "Jesus Christ," which scribes then conformed to the usage in v. 1 and v. 8?
14. The NIV, following NA26 (but not UBS3), has vv. 7-8 as a separate paragraph. Although this represents a common position, these verses are better understood as a continuation of the sentence that began in v. 3 (see the discussion below).
15. A few MSS omit the έν which here precedes τη απολογία, thus making a three-member prepositional phrase ("in my bonds and defense and confirmation of the gospel"). This is patently secondary. Paul's prepositions suggest a two-sided reality: "in my chains" and "in the defense and confirmation of the gospel."
16. See n. 86 below for comment on the NIV's handling of this complex set of clauses.
17 Despite breaking it into two paragraphs (n. 14), the NIV has otherwise done a good piece of work in bringing some degree of order to the sentence.
18. Some scholars would add the similar apparent ambiguity in v. 7 regarding who is whose heart. But as noted there (n. 83), that has been satisfactorily resolved on grounds of grammar (usage).
19. Similarly, Kennedy, Michael, Lohmeyer, Hawthorne, Silva, Melick, thus taking v. 5 to be primarily expressing the reason for his joy in prayer and thanksgiving. Others (e.g., Lightfoot, Gnilka, Martin, O'Brien, Omanson ["Note"]; cf. RSV) take v. 4 as parenthetical, understanding v. 5 therefore as further dependent of the main verb ("I thank my God for you [. . .] for you participation . . .").
20. Since the second clause is grammatically dependent on the former, however, the whole should be thought of as on a continuum: thanksgiving and joyful prayer happen together, which include his grateful remembrance of them and his joy in that remembrance occasioned by their long-time association in the cause of the gospel. Cf. Silva, who (rightly) notes that "the ambiguities, touching no matter of substance, probably did not even occur to Paul" (44), and "how easy it is for Paul to shift or readjust his thought in the middle of a sentence" (48). His further caution against interpreters making far too much out of very little is wisely taken.
21. See the Introduction, pp. 12-14.
22. See especially the strong future orientation of so much in the letter (cf. the Introduction, p. 30).
23. The formula appears in 1 Thess 1:2; 1 Cor 1:4; Rom 1:8; Col 1:3; Phlm 4. In 2 Thess 1:3 and 2:13 there is the slight alteration to "we are bound to give thanks to God."
24. That is, in 1 Cor 1:4; Rom 1:8; Phlm 4; and here — which also explains the variant reading in 1 Cor 14:18. Whenever the verb is plural, "we thank," the possessive is missing. The phrase "my God" also occurs in 4:19 and 2 Cor 12:21.
25. Cf. Acts 27:23 ("whose I am and whom I serve"). The contrast between this expression of personal relationship and the more general expressions of piety in the contemporary Greco-Roman letters is especially striking. See the illustrations in nn. 5 and 6 above.
26. Gk. πάντοτε, which is missing in Rom 1:8 (but is picked up in the resumption of the thanksgiving in v. 10).
27. Gk. περί [πάντων] υμών. The "all" occurs in 1 Thess 1:2 and Rom 1:8.
28. The alleged ambiguity lies with the genitive ύμών, which technically could be either "objective" or "subjective." But as noted below, there is no known instance of the combination of this noun with a personal pronoun in the genitive where it is not an objective genitive.
29. This view was adopted, inter alia, by T. Zahn, A. Harnack, Ewald, Kennedy, Schubert (Form and Function, 74), Martin, O'Brien, Jewett ("Epistolary Thanksgiving," 53), Garland ("Defense," 329-30). Reumann ("Contributions," 441); Peterman ("Giving," 108-14); Houlden is open to it. O'Brien (58-61; cf. Thanksgivings, 41-46) presents the most significant case for this view. The only English translation known to me which adopts it is Moffatt ("I thank my God for all your remembrance of me"), which, however, is argued against by Michael in the Moffatt NT Commentary. The traditional view is adopted, inter alia, by Meyer, Lightfoot, Plummer, Robertson, Müller, Barth, Beare, Hendriksen, Lohmeyer, Gnilka, Collange, Bruce, Hawthorne, Silva, Melick (in some cases [Plummer, Beare, Lohmeyer, Melick] without discussion). N. Turner (Insights, 91) suggests that Paul is intentionally ambiguous, which is unlikely. When authors are ambiguous (from our point of view, as here), they usually do not intend to be; their intent, after all, is perfectly clear to themselves (which is why authors have editors!).
30. See, e.g., Martin, 64, who makes this comparison the primary reason, not noting how many — and more significant — ifosimilarities with the other thanksgivings such an interpretation imposes on the present text. See further n. 37 below.
31. O'Brien, Thanksgivings, 45.
32. Cf. esp. Martin; but that is not quite so, since their gift seems to be a first point of reference in v. 5 (q.v.), not to mention its being alluded to in 2:25 and 30.
33. Gk. μνεία, which occurs only in Paul in the NT (1 Thess 1:2; 3:6; Rom 1:9; Phlm 4; Eph 1:16; 2 Tim 1:3), thus six times in his thanksgivings. In the other instances in Paul's thanksgivings, it means something very close to "mention," i.e., to "remember" by "mentioning." It can perhaps mean that here as well (BAGD, Hawthorne), although in the other cases it means "mention" in conjunction with the participle ποιούμενος (= "making mention"). But the word is used in 1 Thess 3:6, as here without the participle, in the sense of "to remember," where Paul unambigously says, "you always have good remembrance of us." One should also note this usage in hellenistic letters; e.g., Apion (Antoninus Maximus) to his sister Sabina (2nd c. ce): "making mention of you (μνείαν σου ποιούμενος) before the gods here" (White, Light, 160).
34. In the LXX, Job 14:13; Ps 110(111):4; Wis 5:14; Zech 13:2; Isa 23:16; Jer 38(31):20; Bar 4:27; 5:5; Ezek 21:32(37); 25:10. In the NT, Rom 1:9; Eph 1:16 (v.l.); 1 Thess 1:2 (v.l.); 3:6; Phlm 4. The passage in Bar 5:5, τη τοϋ θεοϋ μνεία, is the only subjective genitive, made so in this case by the "enclosed genitive" and the repeated definite article. That is scarcely analogous to the usage here.
35. In light of the linguistic data, one should also note the role of orality in a matter like this. Both in Paul's dictation and in their hearing, his remembering them is the only possible sense. There would be no "marker" in the text that would cause them to go back and "rehear" it in a reversed way.
36. Philemon is the lone exception.
37. There are further supporting reasons for the standard interpretation: (1) In two cases where Paul remembers his converts while in prayer, he also, as here, uses the preposition έπί in conjunction with "making remembrance," where it can only mean "on the occasion of my prayers." It does not help to argue, as some do, that when this preposition accompanies the verb "to give thanks," it tends to mean "on the basis of," because it may just as easily mean, as it almost certainly does here, "I give thanks on the occasion of my every remembrance of you." (2) This view in fact creates a most unusual Pauline thanksgiving, namely that "always, in my every prayer for you all, " what I thank God for is your gift to me! While remotely possible conceptually, such a view is contrary to all analogy. (3) Most significant is a point of grammar seldom noted. If "you" were the "subject" of the verbal idea in "remembrance," that leaves the phrase without an object at all. Whereas that might seem remotely possible, it founders in this case precisely because the otherwise unexpressed object must be carried over from the preceding phrase, where Paul is the subject. To put this another way, since by any reading of the text, a reference to Paul must be carried over from the opening clause, the natural implication is that the subject is unexpressed in the ensuing phrase precisely because it would be understood to be the same as the subject of the sentence. The alleged ambiguity, therefore, exists only because the normal reading of the sentence is circumvented.
38. Gk. πάση τη μνεία, which technically means "all the" (with the implication that he remembers them "all the time"), rather than "every time." But there is good reason to doubt whether this differentiation can be unswervingly sustained during the koine period. Paul is very likely intending his "all the" to be all embracing; but in reality the remembrance of them happened from time to time, especially in prayer. Cf. Silva, 49.
39. Cf. Fee, "Pauline Spirituality." The point is that gratitude expressed by way of thanksgiving is the beginning point, the proper stance of humility before God for his grace; in recognizing his congregations both as belonging to God, not to himself, and as God's "gifts" to him, he is thus set free to thank God for them — for all of them.
40. Because of the έπί in v. 5, many see this material (v. 4) as parenthetical, but that seems to miss what Paul is up to. See the introductory discussion of this paragraph (and n. 19).
41. Gk. έν πάση δεήσει (lit. "in every prayer," which the NIV makes plural, "all my prayers"). This is one of only two occurrences of δέησις in the Pauline thanksgivings (cf. 2 Tim 1:3). Ordinarily he uses the close synonym προσεύχη, which is the more general word for prayer (of all kinds). In biblical Greek δέησις is almost always directed toward God and carries the narrower sense of supplication or intercession. It occurs again in 4:6 in combination with προσεύχη and "thanksgiving."
42. On this matter, see Fee, "Pauline Spirituality." Granted the Spirit is not mentioned, but prayer for Paul is especially an activity of the Spirit in the believer's life (see Fee, Presence, 866-68).
43. That is, Paul has already mentioned his standard "thanksgiving for you always in every prayer of mine." By adding the phrase "with joy," he feels compelled to note that the joy comes in the context of "his every prayer." Thus he repeats, "the prayer making," all of which means, "thanking God for you always in every prayer of mine for all of you, making that prayer with joy."
44. Gk. έπί, which is not quite causal in the strictest sense, i.e., that their participation in the gospel causes his joy, but in the sense that it serves as a basis for such joy and thanksgiving.
45. Cf. Collange, 44, and Silva, 44-45, who also see v. 5 as offering the reason for his joy and thanksgiving together.
46. Gk. είς, here with the sense of "unto," i.e., "with the furtherance of the gospel in view." Cf. ASV ("in furtherance of the gospel"), GNB ("in the work of the gospel");NAB ("helped promote the gospel"). On the significance of this preposition with the noun κοινωνία, see n. 50 below.
47. The noun εύαγγέλιον, which occurs 9 times in this letter, is thus mentioned far more frequently (in terms of occurrences per hundred words) in Philippians than in any of the other letters in the corpus (there are also 9 occurrences in Romans, plus two occurrences of the verb; but Romans is four times longer than Philippians).
48. Gk. κοινωνία; the word group appears six times in this letter (1:7; 2:1; 3:10; 4:14, 15).
49. This clear shift in focus, not to mention the word order itself, is what makes altogether unlikely the possibility suggested by Silva (45, but correctly not adopted) that this phrase refers to v. 3.
50. At least this seems to be true for the most part, and especially when it is accompanied by a genitive as in v. 7, 2:1, and 3:10. Cf. J. Hainz (EDNT, 2.304): "The neutral rendering, 'participant,' 'participate,' 'participation,' is overwhelmingly preferred [to its religious character in Pauline usage]." But in the two other cases in Paul where this word is followed by the preposition εις (2 Cor 9:13; Rom 15:26), it refers to the collection for the poor in Jerusalem, and means something close to "participation" in the sense of"contributing unto them." For bibliography, see Fee, First Corinthians, 466 n. 18. Hawthorne, 19, argues that the use of είς here supports the view that their gift to Paul is primarily in mind. While I do not doubt, esp. in light of the verb in 4:15, that thisincludes their gift, Paul's language does not suggest that their gift to him is the first, or even primary, referent. The είς functions quite differently here than it does in 2 Cor 9:13 and Rom 15:26, where it points to the people who benefit from the "participation" in the fund for the the poor. Here it is telic pure and simple; the advance of the gospel — not a gift to Paul — is the goal of their "participation."
51. One should note at this point, what will become clear as the letter unfolds, that inherent to Paul's understanding of "the gospel" is the notion of evangelism (see the Introduction, p. 47; cf. vv. 12, 27). Hence it is difficult not to see evangelism as inherent in this phrase as well.
52. Indeed, the compound συγκοινωνούς in v. 7, repeated in its verb form in 4:14, is the clue to its present focus (cf. η. 87). The σύν implies their joint participation in the same reality; Paul and the Philippians have not only together experienced the benefits of the gospel, but have mutually shared in its proclamation and in (present) suffering for its sake.
53. On the much larger issue of how Paul supported himself, see the discussion below on 4:15-16.
54. Cf. in this regard the use of κοινωνία to refer to the collection itself in Rom 15:26.
55. But see Plummer. 9; Robertson, 61; Martin, 65; Silva, 46-47, who tend to limit it to this concern (see Meyer, 17, for earlier scholars who took this position). Likewise difficult to sustain are those interpretations that see the usage as general here, without specific reference to their gift (e.g., Seesemann, Lohmeyer, Gnilka, Panikulam). On Sampley's view that κοινωνία is here a Greek equivalent for a "consensual societas" (legal partnership for a common purpose), see n. 4 on 4:14-17. Besides lacking hard linguistic evidence for this equation (cf. the critique in Peterman, "Giving," 230-31), Sampley seems to have it quite backward in suggesting that Paul's preaching of the gospel beyond Macedonia is "as the representative of the Macedonians." To the contrary, Paul says in 1:7 and 4:14 that the Philippians are participants with him in the gospel. They are involved in his ministry, not he in theirs.
56. On this matter see the Introduction, pp. 11-12; cf. the introduction to 1:12-26 and comments throughout that passage.
57. So Lightfoot, 83; Hawthorne. 20.
58. Cf. Peterman ("Giving," 118): "This active participation (working to propagate the gospel message) presupposes static participation (receiving the gospel message)."
59. Indeed, in 4:2-3 he refers back to his time in Philippi, when Euodia, Syntyche, Clement, and the rest "contended by my side in the gospel."
60. E.g., Hawthorne, 29 (Plummer, 11, and Martin, 65, who take the narrower view of v. 5, abandon it here)
61. Grammatically, it could be dependent either on the main verb, "I give thanks," or on the preceding participle, "making my prayer." Although a case can be made for either of these, most likely it is dependent on the preceding participle in a rather loose way. Thus Paul is neither offering yet another reason for thanksgiving (as, e.g., O'Brien) or offering an additional reflection on what happens to him when he prays and thanks God for them (as, e.g., Vincent), but while keeping his sentence going by means of a participle, he is actually offering further — theological — reflection on the immediately preceding phrase "from the first day till now." Cf. Meyer, 18, who sees the confidence as "accompanying"the thanksgiving.
62. Gk. αυτό τοūτο (lit., "this same thing"), an emphatic combination stressing"this very thing" that has been or is about to be mentioned. In this case, the ότι that follows makes it clear that it points forward. Cf. 2 Cor 2:3; 7:11; Col 4:8; Eph 6:22, all of which point forward with similar constructions. Contra Meyer, 18-19, who, on the analogy of Gal 3:10, argues that it means "for this very reason" and refers to their participation in the gospel in v. 5.
63. Gk. έναρξάμενος . . . έπιτελέσει. For this way of talking about the present and future of salvation in Christ, as evidenced by the life of the Spirit, see Gal 3:3. The same confidence about the future, predicated on the work of Christ in the present, can also be found in the thanksgiving in 1 Cor 1:4-9, but with different vocabulary.
64. Gk. αχρι, which normally does not mean "at" (Paul always uses temporal έν for this nuance; e.g., 1 Cor 1:8), but "until." The usage here is dictated first of all by its appearance in the preceding clause; hence: "from the first day until now, " which in turn is related to the "good work that God is also doing in your lives (lit., among you) and will continue to do "until the day of Christ's coming." The obvious implication of the two verbs ("began" and "will bring to completion") is that the latter will be fully realized "at the day of Christ," although it is obviously understood that there is an ongoing process until the day of his coming." Cf. the unique use of εις ήμέραν Χρίστου in 1:10 and 2:16, which probably = "for the day of Christ," thus reflecting the same "already but not yet" sense that this phrase does.
65. The "Lord" in the OT phrase now understood as referring to Christ — another subtle but significant expression of a very high Christology (cf. the final comment on v. 2). See the Introduction, pp. 49-50.
66. See esp. 1 Thess 5:2 (4); 2 Thess 2:2 (cf. 1:10).
67. See 1 Cor 1:8; 5:5; 2 Cor 1:14; and 1:10 and 2:16 in our letter. So also the shortened form "the day" in 1 Cor 3:13; Rom 2:16; 13:12; and "that day" in 2 Thess 1:10; 2 Tim 1:12, 18; 4:8 (cf. "day of wrath," Rom 2:5; "day of redemption," Eph 4:30).
68. See n. 55 above.
69. Not only so, but one would expect him also to say "this good work," not the indefinite "good work" or "a good work." Moreover, the theological and eschatological emphases seem to have more than mere material support in purview. Hawthorne, 21, suggests that the έν here could be instrumental, and (wrongly) offers Gal 3:3 as support (the latter is instrumental, but does not have the έν); the context calls for a locative sense to the έν here.
70. So most commentaries, though not always with this language. For "salvation in Christ" as the central theme of Pauline theology, see Fee, Presence, 11-13. Paul's language here assumes a connection between this passage and 2:12-13.
71. Similarly, Kennedy, 419; Michael, 13; Hendriksen, 54-55; Caird, 107; O'Brien, 64.
72. As with that text, therefore, contra Silva and Melick, the focus is first of all on the church as the people of God in Philippi, rather than on all of them as individuals — although of course God's work "in them" is carried out first of all at the individual level. Cf. on 2:4 and 13.
73. See 2 Thess 2:17; 2 Cor 9:8 (where it also includes the grace of giving!); Rom 2:7; 13:3; Col 1:10; Tit 1:16; 3:1; 2 Tim 2:21; 3:17. Cf. also those places where he speaks of "working [or doing/pursuing] what is good": 1 Thess 5:15; Gal 6:10; Rom 2:10; 12:9; 16:19. Many (Gnilka, Martin, Collange, O'Brien) have suggested an allusion here to Gen 2:2, but that seems irrelevant at best and far-fetched at worst (see the response in Silva, 51-52).
74. See, e.g., 1 Thess 1:3; 1 Cor 1:7-8; Col 1:12 (in the prayer report).
75. Jewett ("Conflicting Movements," 375, following Liitgert) seems to turn this dimension of the passage on its head by associating it with the language "fear and trembling" in 2:12, and thus to suggest that the Philippians were rejecting such "fear and trembling" having to do with the coming day of judgment. Thus Paul's concern is once again to put the proper "fear" of future judgment before them. That seems quite foreign to this motif in Philippians.
76. Contra BAGD, who suggest that καθώς has a "causal" sense when used as a conjunction at the beginning of a sentence and include this reference. But καθώς does not in fact begin a sentence here; it concludes the one that began in v. 3. The whole of vv. 3-6 are to be understood as the οΰτως, for which v. 7 will now serve as the proper comparison. Thus, "so I give thanks in this way, just as it is fitting for me to feel this way about you." Analogy for the present usage is to be found in 1 Thess 1:5 and 1 Cor 1:6, in the thanksgivings of those letters (on this question, see Fee, First Corinthians, 40). The other passages cited by BAGD are likewise suspect on this matter.
77. Gk. τούτο, the first of several (somewhat ambiguous) appearances of this demonstrative in this letter. See the discussion on 2:5.
78. Gk. δίκαιον, the ordinary adjective for "righteous, just, upright" (cf. 4:8), which in this usage has the sense of something "obligatory" in view of what is "right" in a given situation; cf. BAGD.
79. Gk. φρονεΐν; BAGD offer "think of, be intent on, be careful about, set one's mind on, be disposed," as its basic range of meaning. Although not especially frequent in Paul's earlier letters, it occurs no less than 10 times in Philippians, and usually at critical moments. It is the key verb in the appeals to harmony in 2:2 (twice) and 4:2, in the appeal to Christ's example in 2:5, in the appeal to keep alive their keen sense of future orientation in 3:15 (twice), as well as in the sad description of those who are doing otherwise in 3:19. It also occurs twice in 4:10 with reference to their renewed concern for Paul.
80. It is of interest that the verb occurs 7 times in the paraenetic section of Romans (chs. 12-15), which begins with emphasis on the "renewing of the mind," and otherwise only 6 times in the rest of the corpus. The clue to its special nuance in Philippians is to be found in its cognate noun (φρόνημα), which occurs three times in Rom 8:6-7 with the sense of "mindset."
81. On this kind of language as common to the "letter of friendship" in Greco- Roman antiquity, see Stowers, Letter Writing, 58-60.
82. Cf. NEB, Hawthorne. The problem lies with the Greek infinitive, which as in English takes both its subject and object in the accusative (English, objective) case (e.g., "I thought her to be him").
83. J. T. Reed, "Infinitive" (disc, of our text on p. 10); S. E. Porter, "Word Order" (see p. 197). So most interpreters (Meyer, Lightfoot, Vincent, Michael, Hendriksen, Lohmeyer, Collange, Martin, Bruce, Silva, O'Brien, Melick); for others (e.g. Plummer, Beare) it is so clearcut that they do not even discuss the alternative.
84. So also Meyer, Lightfoot ("[the 'for'] requires it"), Vincent, Hendriksen.
85. See v. 3; cf. v. 1. See the next paragraph and v. 8 as well.
86. At this point the NIV (probably correctly) renders as an explanatory clause ("for whether I am . . .") what in Paul's Greek is a much more complex set of clauses. Woodenly transferred into English, his sentence reads: "... me in the heart you both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel fellow participants of me of the grace all of you being." Two matters are at issue grammatically: (a) whether "both in my chains etc." belongs to the preceding clause ("I have you in my heart both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel" [so Meyer, but surely incorrectly; the word order in this case is emphatic — in both of these ways they are participants together with him]); (b) the relationship, and thus nuance, of this participial clause to its preceding clause. The explanatory clause of the NIV is probably right; the problem is that in so rendering it, they eliminate the explanatory γάρ by which v. 8 is explicitly tied to v. 7, by means of which, in turn, Paul goes on to explain how it is that he has them in his heart.
87. Gk. συγκοινωνοΰς; cf. 4:14, where the cognate participle occurs (cf. η. 52 above). The compounding of κοινωνός with σύν is probably the sure giveaway that the word κοινωνία on its own does not mean to fellowship in the sense of "share something together" or "be partners in something" (as Sampley, Partnership, 60-61), but to "participate in" something. The compound means precisely what many have considered the basic word to mean, "to share together in," hence to be "participants together" in the grace of God.
88. Gk. συγκοινωνούς μου της χάριτος. The μου is ambiguous. Grammar disallows that it means "with me," since that would require a dative. Thus it is possessive, most likely going with the "fellow-partners," hence "my fellow-partners." This is the ordinary word order in Greek. Cf. the discussion in O'Brien, 70. On the so-called vernacular possessive, where the possessive pronoun precedes its noun — in Paul almost always emphatic — see on 2:2 ("my joy").
89. E.g., Vincent, Müller (partly), Martin, Motyer, O'Brien.
90. E.g., Bonnard, Collange, Bruce. Hawthorne, Silva, Melick; this in light of Paul's frequent reference to his ministry as "the grace given to me" (e.g., 1 Cor 3:10; Gal 2:9).
91. Lit. "You have been 'graced' (ΰμϊν έχαρίσθη) on account of Christ not only to believe in him but also to suffer for his sake."
92. So also Müller, 43; Loh-Nida, 14; Martin, 66; Hawthorne, 23.
93. The Greek is quite clear that Paul here intends to speak of their "partnership with him in the gospel" in two aspects: έν τοις δεσμοις μου and έν τη άπολογία xαί βεβαιώσει τοũ εύαγγελίου (cf. n. 15). This is made certain by the τε . . . xαί and the repeated "in" following the xαί. Meyer, 21, suggests (plausibly) the two phrases refer to Paul's position and his employment in this position.
94. See the discussion of the theme in the Introduction, pp. 29-32. The primary reason for downplaying it is in reaction to Lohmeyer's "martyrological" understanding of the whole letter (see, e.g., O'Brien, 70). For a historical overview of the handling of the motif in Philippians, see Bloomquist (Function, 18-70), although his own approach, based on a questionable use of ancient rhetoric, is less than satisfactory.
95. On the matter of chaining prisoners see Rapske, Acts, 25-28.
96. Rapske, Acts, 28.
97. It is not, of course, that any gift is "mere." The question throughout this thanksgiving, however, is whether, even though it has undoubtedly been triggered by their gift, his gratitude is limited only to their recent gift, or whether it has a much broader horizon.
98. So Plummer, 12.
99. Cf. Deissmanri (Bible Studies, 108-9), who has demonstrated that these two words together carry a technical sense of "defense" and "vindication" (cf. Moffatt, "as defend and vindicate the gospel"). This suggests, therefore, that although the gospel is"confirmed" in various ways, especially as it has reached into the Praetorian Guard — the emperor's elite troops — as well as the emperor's own household, Paul's present concern is with its vindication, even (or, especially) by his imprisonment and subsequent trial (cf. Hawthorne, 23-24). See further on vv. 19-20.
100. He calls on God as his witness also in 1 Thess 2:5, 10; 2 Cor 1:23, and Rom 1:9. In other cases he asserts, "I am telling the truth, I am not lying" (Rom 9:1; 1 Tim 2:7; cf. 2 Cor 11:31; Gal 1:20). Such an oath probably derives from the OT practice of calling on God as witness between two parties (so Str-B, Collange, O'Brien); see, e.g., Josh 22:27; 1 Sam 12:5; 20:23; Jer42:5.
101. Gk. ώς; Hawthorne, 24-25, and O'Brien, 71, make a bit too much of the conjunction as equivalent to ότι (= "that") here. But it must be pointed out that Paul does not use ότι. Most likely he means something like our cumbersome, "how that."
102. Gk. έπιποθέω; cf. 1 Thess 3:6; Rom 1:11; 2 Tim 1:4. In our letter the same verb is also used of Epaphroditus's "longing" for "the folks back home" (2:26). Here it refers especially to his deep feelings for them.
103. Contra Hawthorne, 25.
104. Gk. έν σπλάγχνοις (= the entrails), referring to the "inner parts" of one's being — probably because of the physical, deeply visceral, internal "feelings" that one sometimes experiences in the emotion of deep affection for another. Meyer, 24, takes the έν as locative (= "by virtue of the dwelling and working of Christ in me").