Der Philipperbrief

In her philological-historical interpretation, Angela Standhartinger puts Philippians into its religious and cultural setting and provides a theological interpretation of individual parts and Philippians as a whole. Recent research on Philippi shows that the letter was addressed to a congregation located at the edge of Philippi, a minor Roman colony. Paul wrote to them as a prisoner subjected to the usual severe conditions of a Roman prison. These three letters to his favorite congregation were written at the beginning of the second century as a farewell to thank them for their support and to exhort them to continue to survive in spite of what he presumed was his impending execution. As many prisoners did, Paul only hints at some messages in order to keep them from being read by others or by his jailers. This work will provide readers with source material and theological reflection in order to enable them to do their own interpretation of the material.