Bible Study Exercise: Philippians A.

Using the text of the book of Philippians, without helps list (use numbers or bullets) BY CATEGORY one (1) page of observations of culture and historical background. 1. Writer and his life, past and present i. Paul 1. Past: persecuted Christians, was a Pharisee 2. Present: prisoner of Rome for professing Christ 2. Recipients and their lives, past and present i. Church in Philippi (saints, deacons and bishops) 1. Present: struggling with persecution, seem to be very young spiritually 3. Relationship between writer and recipients i. Fellow believers in Christ ii. Paul: mentor to the church in Philippi 4. Cultural background i. Persecution of Christians ii. Many false/ill-motivated teachers iii. Large amount of carnal people 5. Religious background i. They are all believers in Christ 6. Provenance (place of writing) i. Rome, while imprisoned 7. Situation that caused the writer to write i. Overwhelmed by the joy of Christ ii. Church needs continued strength and growth 8. Purpose the writer hopes to accomplish i. To encourage them to live in a way that glorifies Christ ii. To encourage them not to give up 9. Themes the writer uses to accomplish that purpose i. Joy ii. Humility iii. Perseverance iv. Unity v. Dependence on God 10. Tone with which the writer writes i. Loving ii. Warning (things to avoid)

B. Next list BY CATEGORY another (1) page of observations of culture and historical background for the book of Philippians with helps (commentaries, study Bibles, dictionaries, etc.). Always note your source (author, title, page #). 1. Writer and his life, past and present i. Paul 1. Past: raised in Tarsus, Greek education, viewed the preaching of the gospel as blasphemy (1623) C 2. Present: imprisoned, location debated about (Rome, Ephesus) (1820)B 2. Recipients and their lives, past and present i. Church in Philippi 1. Past: Roman colony, limited religious freedom (1677)C 2. Present: suffering persecution 3. Relationship between writer and recipients i. Philippi was the first church founded by Paul on European soil (178) A ii. Paul is their founder, apostle and teacher (184)A iii. prayer knits them together in mutual support (192)A 4. Cultural background i. a strategically located city with a rich heritage and distinctive culture (15)B ii. Roman colony, many Philippians descended from soldiers (16)B iii. the political and commercial center of eastern Macedonia (178)A 5. Religious background i. Not enough Jewish men for a synagogue; Jewish worship not welcome (17) B ii. the victory at Philippi provided a key theological pillar for the Augustan imperial ideology (177)A 6. Provenance (place of writing) i. Military custody, not directly stated where 1. Assumed to be in Rome under house arrest (178)A 7. Situation that caused the writer to write i. Acknowledgement of their gift (Epaphroditus), explanation of imprisonments significance, address the issue of disunity (182-183)A ii. to claim that false teachers were on the scene at Philippi (20)B 1. A warning not to repeat the mistakes of others 8. Purpose the writer hopes to accomplish i. Encouragement to live in Godly conduct ii. Encouragement to live in unity 9. Themes the writer uses to accomplish that purpose i. Encouragement in Christ ii. Humility 1. was a trait suitable for the insignificant, weak and poor (215) A 2. Christians reappraised humility in the light of its prominence as a virtue in the Scriptures (215)A

iii. Joy 1. Pauls mentioning that he prays with joy may be to encourage the Philippiansand to spur them to have joy in the midst of their own afflictions (193)A 10. Tone with which the writer writes i. Warning of what to avoid ii. Upbeat rejoice despite afflictions (182)A

Note: Be sure to respond to ALL categories (if possible) as noted in class for historical and cultural background. As noted above, list both by categories.