A Rhetorical Study of Philippians and its Theological Implications: A Preliminary Study

A Rhetorical Study of Philippians and Its Theological Implications: A Preliminary Study

Alexander MAK

Recent works on New Testament theology by Thielman (Theology of the New Testament, 2005) and Matura (New Testament Theology, 2007) pay much attention to the theology of imitation in Philippians. This awareness can be traced back to a number of rhetorical studies devoted to the epistle which, more or less, identify Paul, Christ, Timothy and Epaphroditus as models for imitation for the Philippian church. The contribution of rhetorical studies to our understanding of Philippians cannot be denied. Yet, these rhetorical studies have arrived at divergent and contradictory results on the structure of Philippians. This paper attempts to resolve this difficulty by offering a fresh rhetorical analysis of Philippians , and then seeks further insight into the theology of the epistle, especially in relation to the theme of imitation and unity.

The rhetorical analysis of Philippians in this paper basically follows the procedures suggested by George Kennedy. The analysis of the rhetorical situation shows that Paul is addressing four issues that threaten the church: disunity; persecution; concern for its “missionaries” (viz. Paul and Epaphroditus); and legalism and libertinism. It agrees with other rhetorical analyzes in classifying Philippians essentially as deliberative rhetoric, but it also recognizes its epideictic character, especially in the Christ Hymn (2:6-11). In contrast to other rhetorical studies on Philippians, it argues that not only does Paul persuade his audience with his ethos or character, which fits in well with his appeal to the Philippians to imitate him, but that he uses logos throughout the probatio to persuade his audience. Paul's use of inductive reasoning (logos) is seen in his four examples of unity (Paul himself, Christ, Timothy and Epaphroditus) in Philippians 1-2, and he call for the Philippians to follow his example in Philippians 3. The proposed rhetorical structure of Philippians is as follows: exordium (1:3-11); probatio (1:12-4:1); and peroratio (4:2-9). It is argued that the narrative is omitted and understood, and that the final thanksgiving in 4:10-23 is not part of the rhetorical unit. The probatio has two parts. The first part (1:12-2:30) has four examples of unity. In terms of structure and content, Paul's example closely parallels that of Christ's example, and Timothy's example also closely parallels that of Epaphroditus. The second part (3:1-4:1) exhibits a chiastic structure of ABB'A' that focuses on avoiding the errors of legalism (A) and libertinism (A') and imitating Paul (BB'). The peroratio then closes with reiterating the main points in the probatio: (a) unity (4:2-3); (b) joy in the midst of worries and troubles (4-7); (c) imitating Paul (8-9).

This rhetorical analysis brings out unity and imitation as the two dominant themes in Philippians. The paper concludes by suggesting how the results of this analysis further our understanding of the significance of the theology of imitation in Philippians.