MAKE MY JOY COMPLETE”: THE PRICE OF PARTNERSHIP IN THE LETTER OF PAUL TO THE PHILIPPIANS Mark A. Jennings, B.A., M.Ed., M.A., M.A. Marquette University, May 2015 My study challenges the consensus that there is no discernable, single purpose that shapes the entire epistle to the Philippians. I argue that Paul writes Philippians with the sole intent of persuading the church to maintain its exclusive partnership with him and his gospel mission. I examine each section of Philippians using standard historicalcritical methods, rhetorical criticism, and social-scientific methods. Special attention is given to those passages where the majority of scholars have argued that Paul has changed subjects. The grammatical imperatives (especially those in 1:27; 2:2, 12, 14, 29; 3:17) factor significantly in this analysis. After surveying the scholarship on Philippians in Chapter One, I argue in Chapter Two that Phil 1:1–11, as the exordium, prefaces what is to follow regarding Paul’s view of the Philippians’ fellowship with him in his mission. In Chapter Three, I propose that Phil 1:12–26 (the narratio) provides the hermeneutical key for understanding the division Paul establishes between himself / his partners and his rivals. Contrary to most interpretations, I contend that Paul is not affirming the theological position of his rivals in 1:18a. In Chapters Four and Five, I consider the propositio (1:27–30) and the heart of the letter, the probatio (2:1–2:18). I maintain that Paul’s attention to unity in 1:27–2:4 does not address potential fractures within the Philippian church, but is directed towards their corporate unity with him. He continues by presenting three pieces of evidence in support of the propositio: the pattern of Christ (2:5–11); the dichotomy between faithful and apostate Israel (2:12–16a); and his own posture of sacrificial giving (2:16b–18). In Chapter Six, I propose that, following Greco-Roman rhetorical convention, Paul introduces Epaphroditus, Timothy, and himself as examples (2:19–4:1). Finally, in Chapter Seven I examine 4:2–20, and argue that Paul delays discussing squarely the Philippians’ gift until he has established the proper background for understanding it. Further, I suggest that Paul considers the Philippians’ support to be a sanctified, righteous fruit that authenticates their faith and demonstrates their faithfulness to him and his gospel mission. In the Conclusions, I briefly summarize the study.

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"Make My Joy Complete": The Price of Partnership in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians

Traditionally, the exclusionary command of Gal. 4.30 has been interpreted as proclaiming the exclusion of Jews from salvation, and more recently as commanding the Galatians to cast out the circumcising missionaries and their followers. Tracing the denotations of the respective mothers and sons in Paul’s ‘allegory’, and noting in particular the singular form of the imperative in v. 30, this article offers an alternative interpretation: in Gal. 4.30, as in Gal. 3.8, Paul’s converts overhear Scripture preaching the gospel to Abraham. The proclamation that the fulfillment of the promise comes only through divine faithfulness rather than through any human activity functions as a warning directed at those Galatians seeking circumcision.

‘Cast Out the Slave Woman and her Son’: The Dynamics of Exclusion and Inclusion in Galatians 4.30

/pdf/paul-s-call-to-imitation-the-rhetorical-function-of-the-ud69vs0gc8.pdf

Paul's Call to Imitation: The Rhetorical Function of the Theme of Imitation in its Epistolary Context.

The question of πίστις Xριστo in Paul (Gal. 2.16, 20; 3.22; Rom. 3.22, 26; Phil. 3.9; cf. Eph. 3.12) is impossible to avoid and has proved particularly resistant to resolution. The single most frequent exegetical argument made against the objective genitive reading (`faith in Christ') on behalf of the subjective genitive reading (`the faithfulness of Christ') is that the former creates an unacceptable redundancy in several instances, where one finds two or more πιστις/ πιστeύω phrases side by side (Gal. 2.16; 3.22; Rom. 3.22; Phil. 3.9). Using this question of redundancy as a point of departure, this article offers a fresh look at these four verses, accounting for five of the seven πίστις Xριστo phrases. This is not primarily a negative critique of this redundancy argument, however, but rather a positive inquiry into the inter-relation of and interaction between these πιστις/πιστeύ$slashω phrases and the other elements of their respective contexts— and the role such considerations might play in their own ...

The Rhetoric of πιστις in Paul: Galatians 2.16, 3.22, Romans 3.22, and Philippians 3.9*:

What are we to make of Paul’s use of nursing and birthing as metaphors to describe his dealings with some of the earliest churches? The appropriation of nursing and birthing imagery in 1 Thess 2:7b...

The Apostle Paul’s Maternal Masculinity

This volume brings together numerous publications that range across the New Testament canon and encompass a variety of forms, from thematic essay to commentary, from close exegesis to homily. All these studies highlight Paul Meyer's characteristic attention to detail, skilled argument, and engaging prose. The New Testament Library offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, as well as classic volumes of scholarship. The commentaries in this series provide fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, offer critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, pay careful attention to their literary design, and present a theologically perceptive exposition of the text.

The Word in This World: Essays in New Testament Exegesis and Theology

The covenants of Hagar and Sarah

Faith and history : essays in honor of Paul W. Meyer

Apostles as babes and nurses in 1 Thessalonians 2:7

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The Word in This World: Essays in New Testament Exegesis and Theology

The covenants of Hagar and Sarah

Faith and history : essays in honor of Paul W. Meyer

Apostles as babes and nurses in 1 Thessalonians 2:7