Philippians

Philippians is the fiftieth book of the Bible. It is traditionally attributed to Paul and is generally dated to around AD 60 to 62, written from house arrest in Rome. The letter is addressed to the church in Philippi, a Roman colony in northern Greece that Paul had founded on his second missionary journey. It is among the warmest of Paul's letters; the Philippians had supported him financially for years, and he is writing partly to thank them for a recent gift.

Paul opens with one of his most affectionate greetings. He describes his current situation, chained to a Roman guard, but reports that his imprisonment has actually advanced the gospel, since the guards now know why he is there.

The middle chapters contain some of Paul's most quoted lines. He urges the Philippians to imitate the humility of Christ, and quotes what is probably an early Christian hymn about Christ emptying himself, taking the form of a servant, and being exalted by God after his death on a cross. He warns against false teachers, describes his own willingness to count his former achievements as loss for the sake of Christ, and tells the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always.

The closing chapter contains the famous line about being content in any circumstance, about having learned the secret of being abased or abounding, and about being able to do all things through Christ who strengthens him.