ACHIEVING HOLINESS, THROUGH TOGETHERNESS, FOR GOSPEL WITNESS:

PHILIPPIANS 2:12-18 FROM GREEK TEXT TO TEACHING OUTLINE

Matthew D. Mitchell

GRK6500A Greek Syntax and Exegesis

Dr. David Alan Black

August 17, 2012

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ACHIEVING HOLINESS, THROUGH TOGETHERNESS, FOR GOSPEL WITNESS:

PHILIPPIANS 2:12-18 FROM GREEK TEXT TO TEACHING OUTLINE

As frail, finite creatures that live and move and have their being in Almighty God, it is

essential that the people of God listen when he speaks to them. Furthermore, this listening

cannot be merely passive. God’s people must actively attend to his address, inclining their ears

and engaging their hearts and minds to ensure that they properly understand what they are

hearing. If this is true for the church in a general sense, how much more so for the one who is a

teacher of God’s Word! For those who teach in the church, the responsible handling of Scripture

should be of utmost importance, because “we who teach will be judged with greater strictness”

(Jas. 3:12 [ESV]). What follows is a demonstration, using Philippians 2:12-18 as an example, of

a ten-step process that will allow the teacher or preacher to move from the Greek text to a

homiletical outline with efficiency and integrity.

Step 1: Survey the Historical Context

Nearly all New Testament scholars agree that the Apostle Paul wrote the book of

Philippians.1 The letter’s recipients, addressed as “all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at

Philippi” (Phil. 1:2), enjoyed a particularly warm and affectionate relationship with Paul.2 He

regarded them as his partners and co-workers in the spread of the gospel (1:5; 2:25; 4:3, 10-18),

even though he himself had established the church during his second missionary journey (Acts

16:11-40) and was to them both an authoritative teacher (e.g., 2:1-18; 4:2-3) and a model of

1 Gerald F. Hawthorne, “Philippians, Letter to the,” in Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, ed. Gerald F. Hawthorne

and Ralph P. Martin, (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press, 1993), 709. 2 See the language of Phil. 1:7-8. Note also Paul’s frequent use of “ajgaphtoiv” (2:12; 4:1 [2x]) and “ajdelfoiv” (1:12;

3:1, 13, 17; 4:1, 8).

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godly living (3:17; 4:9). It was in this pastoral role that Paul wrote to address a problem of great

importance in the Philippian church: their unity was being threatened by personal conflict and

discord within the body (1:27; 2:1-5, 14-16; 4:2-3).3 The main purpose of the letter, though not

explicitly stated by Paul, is “to persuade his readers to undertake a united course of action in the

future on the grounds that it is the most advantageous course.”4 Recognizing this overall purpose

is the first step toward understanding the overarching structure of the book, which provides the

literary context in which 2:12-18 is found.

Step 2: Observe the Larger Literary Context

In order to unify the Philippians around the gospel, Paul composes a carefully ordered

and deliberately structured argument. Black writes, “Philippians has a comprehensive

macrostructure that determines and controls the choice of its words and the construction of its

sentences. This structure has, in turn, a specific communicative goal: to persuade the Philippians

to put aside their differences and, with single-minded purpose, to live for the gospel.”5 It is

within this context that the paragraph of 2:12-18 must be understood.

Paul begins Philippians with a greeting (1:1-2) and a body opening (1:3-11) before

launching into the body proper in 1:12. In the first body subsection (1:12-26), Paul details the

circumstances of his imprisonment, and provides his hearers with a model of gospel faithfulness

in the midst of suffering: himself. The subsection that follows (1:27-2:18) is a hortatory section

whose theme is announced in 1:27: “only live as good citizens in a manner worthy of the gospel

3 “[D]ifferences between key leaders in the Philippian church have provoked animosities and contempt. Thus Paul

writes the letter because he suspects the existence of contending groups within the church and because this is an

important concern for him.” David Alan Black, “The Discourse Structure of Philippians: A Study in

Textlinguistics,” Novum Testamentum 37 (January 1995): 45-46. 4 Black, “Discourse Structure,” 44. 5 Ibid., 45.

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of Christ” (movnon ajxivwV tou: eujaggelivou tou: Cpistou: politeuesqev). Black identifies the

common theme of this section as “the need for common thought and conduct on behalf of the

gospel.”6 This hortatory section of 1:27-2:18 can be further divided into three subsections: 1)

1:27-30, 2) 2:1-11, and 3) 2:12-18. In the first section (1:27-30) Paul calls the church to unity

for the sake of the gospel and, by drawing a contrast between the wickedness of the world and

the holiness of God’s people, makes it clear that a community which hopes to be effective in

spreading the gospel must be characterized by unity and holiness. After calling the church to

cultivate humility after the example of Christ in the next subsection (2:1-11), Paul revisits the

connection between unified, holy living and gospel effectiveness in 2:12-18. In all of this, Paul’s

desire is for the Philippian church to maintain a faithful witness to the gospel of Jesus Christ and

so fulfill the Great Commission as faithful ambassadors for Christ.

Step 3: Resolve Any Significant Textual Issues

The only textual variant noted in UBS4 for Phil. 2:12-18 occurs in verse 12, where the

relative article wJV (from the phrase mh; wJV ejn th:/ parousiva/ mou movvnon ajlla; nu:n pollw:/

ma:llon ejn th:/ ajpousiva/ mou) is omitted in some manuscripts. However, the evidence weighs

heavily in favor of wJV being the original reading, and the decision by the editors to include it was

made with the greatest possible level of certainty.7 Commenting on Phil. 2:12, Bruce Metzger

writes, “The omission of wJV from B 33 42 234 618 1241 al is probably accidental, although

copyists may have deliberately deleted it as superfluous; in any case, the presence of the word is

strongly supported by P46

and representatives of both the Alexandrian and the Western types of

6 Ibid., 33. 7 As evidenced by the capital letter “A” in the apparatus.

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text”.8 This passage therefore poses no significant text-critical issues, and the interpreter can

move to lexical studies, confident that he has the original text before him.

Step 4: Determine the Meaning of Any Crucial Words

Several important words call for deeper study. The first of these words, swthrivan, is

found in verse 12 as part of Paul’s command to “together work out your own salvation” (eJautw:n

swthrivan katergavzesqe). To understand Paul’s command, it is necessary to determine how he

is using swthriva. BDAG lists two essential meanings for this word: (1) “deliverance,

preservation, w. focus on physical aspect,” and (2) “salvation, w. focus on transcendent

aspects”.9 In the context of the entire letter, where Paul presents suffering for the sake of the

gospel (even, perhaps, to the point of death) as a fundamental element of the Christian life, it

seems unlikely here that Paul is exhorting the Philippians to work for their own physical

preservation. Rather, he is exhorting them to work for their transcendent (i.e., spiritual)

salvation. Since Paul’s theology precludes the possibility that he is advocating a works-based

righteousness in this passage, something other than the justification of the believer must be in

view. Rather than viewing swthriva as a single event occurring at conversion, Paul instead sees

it as a process spanning from conversion to new creation, a broad category containing

justification, sanctification, and glorification. Since glorification is still in the future for

believers, and justification is fixed in the past, Paul probably has the Philippians’ sanctification

in mind. Hawthorne, however, argues for a similar (if somewhat less ‘religious’) interpretation:

In the papyri, swthriva (“salvation”) is commonly used to convey the ideas of health or

well-being. . . . The wider context of Phil. 2:12 strongly suggests that swthriva here is

8 Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, 2nd ed. (New York: United Bible

Societies, 1994), 546. 9 Frederick W. Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd

ed. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 985-986.

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being used in this non-eschatological sense. Thus the church at Philippi is urged to work

at its spiritual well-being until its well-being is complete, until its health is fully

established, until every trace of spiritual disease – selfishness, dissension, and so on – is

gone.10

Either conclusion is satisfactory in this context.

Another word that calls for further study is the participle ejpevconteV, found in verse 16 (in

the phrase lovgon zwh:V ejpevconteV). Commentators are divided as to whether the verb ejpevcw in

this context carries the meaning of “to hold fast” or “to hold forth, hold out”.11

BDAG provides

support for both meanings, although support for the latter is much weaker (BDAG’s option of

“hold toward, aim at” does not quite equal “hold forth, hold out”).12

Louw and Nida do not

define ejpevcw in any way that comes close to “hold forth, hold out”,13

despite having 54 entries

under the semantic heading of “give” (none of which are ejpevcw).14

Therefore, the meaning of

“hold fast” is to be preferred here, especially in the context of 1:27ff. where Paul says that his

desire is to hear that the Philippians are “standing firm in one spirit” (sthvkete ejn eJni; pneuvmati).

However, as Gordon Fee explains, to prefer “hold fast” over “hold forth” is not to deprive Paul’s

words of their evangelistic thrust. He writes, “Thus, it is not some kind of defensive posture that

is in view (as in, ‘hold the gospel fast so that the enemy does not take it away from you’), but

evangelism, that they clean up their internal act so that they may thereby ‘hold firm’ the gospel,

the message that brings life to those who believe.”15

This interpretation does justice to both the

lexical evidence and the immediate and surrounding contexts.

10 Gerald F. Hawthorne, Philippians (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1983), 98-99. 11 See, e.g., John Reumann, Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, (New Haven: Yale

University Press, 2008), 393-394; Peter T. O’Brien, The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek

Text (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1991), 297; Gordon D. Fee, Paul’s Letter to the

Philippians (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995), 247-248. 12 Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon, 362. 13 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene A. Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic

Domains, Vol. 2 (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 96. 14 Louw and Nida, Greek-English Lexicon, Vol. 1, 565-571. 15 Fee, Philippians, 248.

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Step 5: Analyze the Syntax

Moving from lexical studies to issues of syntax, the first syntactical question that requires

resolution occurs in verse 13. Translators often render qeo;V gavr ejstin oJ ejnergw:n as something

along the lines of “for it is God who works in you,” taking qeo;V to be the subject and oJ ejnergw:n

to be the predicate nominative.16

However, the fact that qeo;V is anarthrous and oJ ejnergw:n is

articular suggests the opposite.17

The absence of the article before qeo;V not only indicates its

function in the sentence (predicate nominative rather than subject), but also indicates that Paul is

emphasizing the qualitative aspects of God rather than his individual identity.18

Commenting on

Philippians 2:13, Wallace writes, “The anarthrous qeo;V seems to be viewed somewhat

qualitatively. Paul is stressing God’s power more than his person, for the issue raised by v 12

has to do with the how of sanctification, not the who.”19

He says elsewhere that “the force in this

context seems to be a bit more on what God does in the believer rather than who it is that does

it.”20

Another syntactical feature that must be mentioned is Paul’s use of plural pronouns and

verbs. To a large extent, this is to be expected in a letter written to an entire community, but in

certain instances Paul’s use of the plural becomes exegetically significant. For example, in his

command to “work out your own salvation” (th;n eJautw:n swthrivan katergavzesqe) in verse 12,

both eJautw:n and katergavzesqe are in the plural. That Paul should use the plural imperative

katergavzesqe is predictable, but his use of the plural reflexive pronoun eJautw:n in the phrase th;n

16 See, e.g., NIV, ESV, KJV, NASB, NLT. 17 Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament (Grand

Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996), 42-46. One could argue that qeo;V is a proper name and should be given equal

consideration as the subject of this subject-predicate nominative clause, and furthermore that in this instance qeo;V should be given greater priority because it occurs first in the sentence. However, Wallace demonstrates that qeo;V should not be considered a proper noun and that therefore this rule does not apply here. 18 Ibid., 244. 19 Ibid., 46. 20 Ibid., 264.

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eJautw:n swthrivan is not. It indicates that the swthriva Paul has in mind is not individualized

but communal; it belongs not to individual persons but to the group as a whole. Therefore, the

meaning is not “each of you must individually work out his or her own personal salvation” but

rather “you must come together as a body to collectively work out your common salvation.”

This subtle but highly significant distinction greatly influences the interpretation of this passage.

Step 6: Determine the Structure21

The compositional structure of a passage also figures prominently in discerning its

intended meaning, and Phil. 2:12-18 is no exception. After making the transition from the

preceding paragraph with $Wste, ajgaphtoi mouv, Paul follows with five independent clauses,

three of which are in the imperative. In the first of these, after a considerable amount of

subordinate material, Paul commands the Philippians in verse 12 to “together work out your (pl.)

own salvation (i.e., sanctification)” (th;n eJautw:n swthrivan katergavzesqe). Paul then uses the

coordinating conjunction gavr to connect the first independent clause to the second: “for the one

working among you (pl.) is God” (qeo;V gavr ejstin oJ ejnergw:n ej uJmi:n). This indicative clause in

verse 13 may be thought of as the theological foundation which makes the command of verse 12

possible.22

This tight conceptual connection suggests that these two verses can be considered

together as a single subunit.

Next, the passage’s third and central independent clause features another imperative verb,

as Paul instructs the Philippians how to “do all things” (pavnta poiei:te).23 This pivotal section in

2:14-16, composed of this main clause (driven by the imperative verb poiei:te) together with an

21 For a structural diagram of Philippians 2:12-18, see Appendix B. The following two paragraphs highlight the

most salient features of the passage structure, which is given in greater detail in the diagram. 22 O’Brien, Philippians, 285. 23 Paul’s emphasis here is not on what is to be done, but how it is to be done (hence the unlimited scope of pavnta poiei:te).

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abundance of subordinate material, is by far the largest in the passage (containing 44 of the

passage’s 115 words) as well as the most complex. It is in this section that Paul most forcefully

urges the Philippians to protect their gospel witness by purging their community of all dissension

and unholiness. In contrast to the size of this central section, the two main clauses which

conclude the passage (in verses 17 and 18, respectively) are relatively short and may justifiably

be considered together as one subunit, with a single theme: despite his suffering for the gospel,

Paul continues to rejoice in communion with the saints in Philippi (caivrw kai; sugcaivrw pa:sin

uJmi:n [v. 17]), and even commands them to reciprocate and join him in this (caivrete kai;

sugcaivretev moi [v. 18]).

Step 7: Look for Any Significant Rhetorical Features

Paul communicates meaning not only through literary structure, but also through

rhetorical devices such as paronomasia, as in verse 12 when he exhorts his hearers to work out

their own salvation “not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence.” The words

used here for “presence” (parousiva/) and “absence” (ajpousiva/) are almost identical in sound,

and the fact that ajpousiva is an hapax legomenon not only in the Pauline corpus but in the entire

New Testament strongly suggests that this paronomastic wordplay is intentional on Paul’s part.

Paul is thereby emphasizing that his exhortations are to be followed regardless of the

circumstances, and that the Philippians are to do these things ‘no matter what.’

Paul employs another rhetorical device in verses 12 and 13 when he follows the verb

katergavzomai in verse 12 with a double usage of ejnergevw in verse 13. Paul repeats these related

verbs in order to reassure the Philippians that they possess the ability to work out

(katergavzesqe) their common salvation, because the one who is at work (oJ ejnergw:n) in them is

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God, who will not only give them the desire but also the ability to work (to; ejnergei:n) for his

good pleasure.

Step 8: Observe How Any Sources Were Used

Paul seems to be employing Old Testament imagery and language in 2:14-15. Most

striking are the words genea:V skolia:V kai; diestrammevnhV, which reproduce the language found

in Deut. 32:5 LXX. While this is almost certainly not due to coincidence, attaching any major

significance to this intertextuality is not necessarily warranted. As Bockmuehl cautions,

“Philippians contains not a single explicit reference to the Old Testament; nor is there any

indication or indeed likelihood of intimate familiarity with it on the part of Paul’s readers. It

seems improbable, in the absence of contrary evidence, that Paul could in any case assume a

specific awareness of a link with Deuteronomy 32 on the part of his readers.”24

Paul, expertly

trained in the Hebrew Scriptures and intimately familiar with their contents, surely had a mind

that was saturated with the God-breathed language of those sacred writings. Therefore it is not

surprising that, when searching for words to describe a culture in utter rebellion against the Lord,

Paul expresses himself using Old Testament language (even if he does not intend to

communicate any special meaning as he does so).

Step 9: Determine the Key Thought of Your Passage

Having completed the previous eight steps, it is now possible to arrive at the main idea of

the passage, which is this: By the power of God and for the sake of the gospel, do whatever it

takes to live fearlessly, blamelessly, and selflessly as a holy community in the midst of an unholy

24 Markus Bockmuehl, The Epistle to the Philippians (London: Hendrickson, 1998), 157.

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world. At this point, the teacher or preacher can communicate this truth to God’s church using a

homiletical outline based on a structural analysis of the Greek text.

Step 10: Derive a Homiletical Outline from the Text

The following is an example of a homiletical outline that is true to both the message and

structure of the Greek text of Philippians 2:12-18.

Title: Achieving Holiness, Through Togetherness, for Gospel Witness

Theme: By the power of God and for the sake of the gospel, we must do whatever

it takes to live fearlessly, blamelessly, and selflessly as a holy community

in the midst of an unholy world.

Outline: I. Introduction: What does it take to be a church that commends the

gospel to its culture?

II. Body

A. Pursue communal holiness through God’s enabling power

B. Be unified and blameless before the unbelieving world

C. Sacrifice yourselves for others and for the cause of Christ

III. Conclusion: Striving together as a local body for unity and

holiness.

Sermon The Philippian church was not unified and as a result was in danger of

summary: failing to fulfill the Great Commission. Paul writes in order to unite them

around their common identity in Christ and their common purpose of

spreading the gospel. Paul calls them to pursue holiness as a community,

and reminds them that the ability to do this has already been graciously

given to them by God. They are to pursue unity and holiness for the sake

of the world around them, so that as they more closely reflect the holiness

and character of God, the fruit of their gospel ministry would increase and

people would be saved. They were to pursue this goal at all costs, even if

it meant sacrificing everything for each other and for the gospel. How

much do we as a local body resemble the church at Philippi? Certainly,

Paul’s words are just as relevant and urgent today as they were for the

Philippians.

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Conclusion

The same God who has “caused the dawn to know its place” (Job 38:12 [ESV]), who is

“not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Cor. 14:33), and who has commanded that “all things

should be done decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40), has revealed himself through the

Scriptures in a logically ordered and structured fashion. As God’s people seek him diligently

and worshipfully through his Word by surveying every contextual landscape, deciphering every

text-critical puzzle, uncovering every lexical stone, examining every syntactical crevice,

dissecting every compositional structure, and digesting every morsel of rhetoric, Christ will be

revealed to them with a clarity that is proportional to the passion with which he is pursued.

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Appendix A

Outline of Philippians25

I. Greeting / 1:1-2

II. Body / 1:3-4:20

A. Body Opening / 1:3-11

1. Paul’s Thanksgiving and Affection for the Philippians / 1:3-8

2. Paul’s Prayer for the Spiritual Health and Growth of the Philippians / 1:9-11

B. Body Main / 1:12-4:9

1. Paul: A Model for Gospel Faithfulness in Suffering / 1:12-26

a. Rejoice When the Gospel Advances through What You Suffer / 1:12-18a

b. Rejoice When Your Faith is Made Visible Despite Your Suffering / 1:18b-26

2. Exhortations and Instructions for the People of God / 1:27-2:18

a. Be Unified for the Sake of the Church’s Gospel Witness / 1:27-30

b. Exhortation to Unity and Humility / 2:1-11

1) Promote Unity by Fostering Humility / 2:1-4

2) Emulate Christ, the Preeminent One Who Became Subservient / 2:5-11

c. Strive to be a Holy Community in an Unholy World / 2:12-18

3. Timothy and Epaphroditus: Exemplars of Gospel Living / 2:19-30

a. Timothy’s Proven Worth / 2:19-24

b. Epaphroditus’ Selfless Service / 2:25-30

4. Paul: An Example of Gospel-Centered Thinking / 3:1-21

a. The Worthlessness of Human Achievements Compared With Christ / 3:1-11

b. The Folly of Self-Congratulation and the Need to Stay Focused / 3:12-16

c. The Influence of Godliness Versus the Influence of Ungodliness / 3:17-21

5. Final Exhortations to God’s Gospel Community / 4:1-9

a. Stand Firmly Together / 4:1

b. Strive Together for Unity / 4:2-3

c. Endure Hardship Together / 4:4-7

d. Rally Together Around the Truths and Thoughts of God / 4:8-9

C. Body Closing / 4:10-20

1. The Philippians’ Recent Provision / 4:10-14

a. Paul’s Gratitude for the Gift / 4:10

b. A Model for Maintaining a Godly Attitude When in Need / 4:11-14

2. The Philippians’ Past Provisions / 4:15-20

a. Paul’s Gratitude for the Gift / 4:15-16

b. A Model for Receiving Gifts in a Godly Way / 4:17-20

III. Closing / 4:21-23

A. Greetings From Paul’s Co-Workers and Brothers and Sisters in Christ / 4:21-22

B. Benediction / 4:23

25 Adapted from Black, “Discourse Structure,” 43-44.

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Appendix B

Structural Analysis of Philippians 2:12-18

$Wste, ajgaphtoi mou,

meta; fovbou kai; trovmou th;n eJautw:n swthrivan katergavzesqe` kaqw;V pavntote uJphkouvsate, mh; wJV ejn th:/ parousiva/ mou movnon a;lla; nu:n pollw:/ ma:llon ejn th:/ ajpousiva/ mou

qeo;V gavr ejstin oJ ejnergw:n ej uJmi:n kai; to; qevleiv kai; to; ejnergei:n uJpe;r th:V eujdokivaV.

pavnta poiei:te cwri:V goggusmw:n kai; dialogismw:n,

i{na gevnhsqe a[memptoi kai; ajkevraioi, tevkna qeou: a[mwma mevson genea:V skolia:V kai; diestrammevnhV, ejn oἷV faivnesqe wJV fwsth:reV ejn kovsmw/, lovgon zwh:V ejpeconteV,

eijV kauvchma ejmoi; eijV h:mevran Cpistou:, ὅti oujk eijV keno;n ἔdramon oujde eijV keno;n ejkopi;asa. caivrw kai; sugcaivrw pa:sin uJmi:n` ajlla; eij kai; spevndomai ejpi th:/ qusiva kai; leitourgiva/ th:V pivstewV uJmw:n, to; dev aujto; kai; uJmei:V caivrete kai; sugcaivretev moi.

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Sources Consulted

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________. New Testament Textual Criticism: A Concise Guide. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker

Books, 1994.

________. Using New Testament in Greek: A Practical Guide for Students and Pastors. Grand

Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1993.

Bockmuehl, Markus. The Epistle to the Philippians. Black’s New Testament Commentary

Series. London: Hendrickson, 1998.

Danker, Frederick W. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early

Christian Literature. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Fee, Gordon D. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians. The New International Commentary on the

New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995.

Hawthorne, Gerald F. Philippians. Word Biblical Commentary. Waco, TX: Word Books,

1983.

________. “Philippians, Letter to the.” In Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, edited by Gerald

F. Hawthorne and Ralph P. Martin, 707-713. Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press,

1993.

Köstenberger, Andreas J., L. Scott Kellum, and Charles L. Quarles. The Cradle, the Cross, and

the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament. Nashville, TN: B&H Publishing,

2009.

Louw, Johannes P., and Eugene A. Nida. Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based

on Semantic Domains. 2 vols. New York: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. 2nd ed. New York:

United Bible Societies, 1994.

O’Brien, Peter T. The Epistle to the Philippians: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New

International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans

Publishing, 1991.

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Reumann, John. Philippians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. The

Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2008.

Russell, Ronald. “Pauline Letter Structure in Philippians.” Journal of the Evangelical

Theological Society 25 (September 1982): 295-306.

Silva, Moisés. Philippians. 2nd ed. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.

Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005.

Swift, Robert C. “The Theme and Structure of Philippians.” Bibliotheca Sacra 141 (July-

September 1984): 234-254.

Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New

Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1996.