Philippians

The Epistle to the Philippians

So far I have learned that the Philippians letter was written while Paul was in jail, probably Rome, as there is much evidence to support this claim.

“The question of when Philippians was written cannot be separated from that of where it was written. The traditional view is that Philippians, along with the other Prison Epistles (Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon), was written during Paul’s first imprisonment at Rome (ca. A.D. 60–62). The most natural understanding of the references to the “palace guard” (1:13) and the “saints … of Caesar’s household” (4:22) is that Paul wrote from Rome, where the emperor lived. The similarities between the details of Paul’s imprisonment given in Acts and in the Prison Epistles also argue that those epistles were written from Rome (e.g., Paul was guarded by soldiers, ; cf. 1:13, 14; was permitted to receive visitors, ; cf. 4:18; and had the opportunity to preach the gospel, ; cf. 1:12–14; ; ).

MacArthur, J. (2003). The MacArthur Bible handbook (p. 407). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.”

There are arguments that the epistle was written in Caesarea or Ephesus. The argument is as followed:

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Philippians, Letter to The

An Ephesian origin for Philippians also has much in its favor. Ephesus was the capitol of Asia. A provincial governor’s guard occupied a “praetorium,” and the governor’s residence was termed “Caesar’s household.” An Ephesian imprisonment and origin for Philippians makes sense of Paul’s stated intent to visit Philippi upon his release (Phil. 2:24; from Rome Paul intended to go to Spain, Rom. 15:23–24). In addition, Phil. 2:25–30 implies that several trips, bearing news, had been made between Paul’s locale and Philippi.>> A trip from Rome to Philippi took several weeks<<; from >>Ephesus to Philippi required only several days<<. The large number of trips implied in Philippians is difficult to fit into a two-year Roman imprisonment but is less problematic even in a much shorter Ephesian imprisonment.

A Caesarean origin for Philippians has had fewer supporters over the years. Its detractors point out Paul’s intent to go to Rome (not visit Philippi) upon his release and doubt that Paul ever feared execution in Caesarea, as Philippians implies, since he always had the option of appealing to Caesar.

In light of the serious difficulties faced by both the Caesarean and Ephesian views, there is no reason to reject the traditional view that Paul wrote the Prison Epistles—including Philippians—from Rome.

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Philippians, Letter to The

The letter itself reveals only that he was in prison. Acts records Pauline imprisonments in Caesarea and in Rome. Some evidence indicates that Paul was also in prison in Ephesus (Acts 19; 2 Cor. 11:23; 1 Cor. 15:30–32).

The underlying theme of the letter is a call for unity in the Church.

MacArthur, J. (2003). The MacArthur Bible handbook (p. 407). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.