AUTHOR: The almost universally accepted opinion is that Paul wrote this epistle while in prison [ Phil 1:7-12 ].

THEME: This is one of Paul's most personal letters. The apostle was writing to a group of friends whom he loved deeply. It is the first Church that Paul founded in Europe, on his second missionary journey, around the year 51 AD. The faithful of the Church at Philippi had sent Paul an offering which was to be delivered by Epaphroditus [Phil 4:18], who had nearly lost his life on the journey. When Epaphroditus recovered, Paul sent him to Philippi with the epistle of thanksgiving and exhortation to the Church. The epistle to the Philippians has been called "the sweetest of Paul's writings" and the "most beautiful of all Paul's letters," in which "he lays bare his own heart, and where in every sentence shines a love more tender than that of Paul." a woman". Although Paul was writing from prison, joy is the predominant theme in this letter. In order to encourage the Philippians in the faith, Paul shows how to live a happy Christian life, indicating that true joy can only come from a personal knowledge of Christ and dependence on his strength.

COMPILATION: From ancient times it has become the custom to assume that all the "prison epistles" were written in Rome, where Paul spent his most famous and prolonged period of imprisonment. However, it is known that Paul suffered imprisonment in Jerusalem, in Caesarea, in Rome, and, in the opinion of some authors, also in Ephesus. The cities of Rome, Caesarea and Ephesus have all been suggested as places from which Paul could have written this epistle. If the Epistle was written in Ephesus, then we would have to date it between A.D. 53 and 54, which would mean that it was written before the first Epistle to the Corinthians. On the other hand, if Paul wrote in Caesarea, then his date would have been between A.D. 56 and 58. If, by any chance, he wrote it in Rome, then it must be dated after A.D. 59, when Paul first arrived in Rome. It consists of 4 chapters and 104 verses.

SPECIAL FEATURES: The city of Philippi was called Crenides, that is, “small fountains”, and was later named, in 350 BC, Philippi, in honor of Philip of Macedonia, father of Alexander, the Great. Around 168 BC, the city passed under Roman rule, when the province of Macedonia was subjugated. In 42 B.C. it became a Roman colony [Acts 16:12].