moral philosophy, athletic imagery, and the aim of philippians

270 Pages·2013·1.92 MB·English

by  Bradley Arnold

C T L :
HRIST AS THE ELOS OF IFE
M P , A I ,
ORAL HILOSOPHY THLETIC MAGERY AND
A P
THE IM OF HILIPPIANS

Submitted by Bradley Arnold to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Theology in March 2013.

This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material
and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper
acknowledgement.

I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and
that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree
by this or any other University.

Signature: ……………………………………………………………………………………
ABSTRACT

The aim of Paul’s letter to the Philippians has been understood in various ways: e.g.
reassurance, consolation, advance of the gospel. This thesis presents a new analysis of
Philippians that challenges these proposals and offers a new way of thinking about Paul’s
overarching argumentative aim in this letter.
After demonstrating the need to examine three areas (viz. moral philosophy,
athletics, and vivid speech) in an historical analysis of Philippians and addressing
methodological issues pertinent to this investigation (Part I), I turn to map out the
historical context relevant for this project (Part II): viz. the broad structure of thought in
ancient moral philosophy, ancient athletics and its association with virtue, and the use of
vivid description to persuade an audience. The final part of this thesis (Part III) is an
exegetical analysis of Philippians that interprets the letter in light of the contextual
material discussed in Part II, exploring how this contextual material contributes to and is
interrelated in Paul’s persuasive appeal to morally form the Philippian Christians in a
particular way.
In this analysis I argue that Paul’s pattern of thought in Philippians is structured
similarly to the broad structure of thought in ancient moral philosophy, which is
oriented toward an ultimate τέλος and views the virtues as necessary in attaining this
goal. Paul’s use of athletic language, framing his argument in the letter (1:27–30; 4:3),
fills out this perspective on life by presenting the nature of Christian existence in terms
of a contest of virtue, which is similar to how moral philosophers used this language.
This perspective on life is vividly depicted and summed up in the image of the runner in
Phil 3:13–14. As a vivid description this imagery would have had a powerfully persuasive
effect and rhetorically plays a significant role in Paul’s argument. With this imagery, Paul
is presenting himself as striving toward Christ, the τέλος of life, which entails thinking
and living in a particular way to make progress toward this goal—the final attainment of
which is complete transformation to become like Christ. It is this vivid description of the
runner that encapsulates Paul’s overarching argumentative aim in the letter, persuading
the Philippians to pursue Christ as the τέλος of life.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I am grateful to so many for the support and encouragement that has seen me through
writing this thesis. I want to especially thank David Horrell, my supervisor, who critically
read and offered insightful feedback on my work. His example and wisdom have helped
me in ways too numerous to mention. I am also grateful to Louise Lawrence and my
examiners, Peter Oakes and Morwenna Ludlow. I would also like to thank those who
have helped me financially. I am grateful to the University of Exeter for awarding me
with a scholarship to fund my studies here. I am also particularly grateful for those at
First Baptist Church Chilton, Texas, and especially Larry and Kathy Maxey who were
very generous in their assistance. I also would like to thank two dear friends, Gorazd
Andrejč, who was a great dialogue partner throughout the duration of my doctoral work,
and Clinton Sharp, who has been a constant source of spiritual wisdom and friendship.
Lastly, I would like to thank my family, and particularly my Mom and Dad (Bud and
Evelyn Arnold), who have seen me through many things in life, and have always offered
words of encouragement and support in various ways. It is to them that I dedicate this
work.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abbreviations 6

INTRODUCTION 7

PART I
APPROACHES TO PHILIPPIANS AND METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS

Chapter 1
OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH: INTEGRITY, GENRE, AND THE AIM(S) OF PHILIPPIANS 10
1.1. Partition Theories 10
1.2. Epistolary Approaches 14
1.3. The Pattern of Thought in Philippians 23
1.4. Thematic and Rhetorical Approaches 33
1.5. Athletic Imagery and Its Function in Philippians 54
1.6. Conclusion: Aims of the Thesis 63

Chapter 2
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR AN HISTORICAL INVESTIGATION 66
2.1. A Critical Approach to History 66
2.2. The Processes of Constructing Knowledge 70
2.3. Shared Knowledge across Socio-Economic Levels 76
2.4. Conclusion 82

PART II
HISTORICAL CONTEXT: MORAL PHILOSOPHY, ATHLETICS, AND VIVID SPEECH

Chapter 3
THE STRUCTURE OF THOUGHT IN ANCIENT MORAL PHILOSOPHY 84
3.1. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics 85
3.2. Hellenistic Moral Philosophies 96
3.3. Conclusion 111

Chapter 4
ANCIENT ATHLETICS AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF A GOOD LIFE 113
4.1. Prominence of Athletics: The Games 113
4.2. The Athletic Ideal: Virtue and the Making of Perfect Citizens 122
4.3. Construction of the Good Life: Moral Philosophy and Athletics 131
4.4. Race Imagery and the Entirety of Life 141
4.5. Conclusion 142

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Chapter 5
VIVID DESCRIPTION: THE VERBAL AND THE VISUAL 144
5.1. Vivid Speech: ἔκφρασις, Ancient Human Psychology, and Persuasion 145
5.2. The Image of the Runner as a Vivid Description (Phil 3:13–14) 162
5.3. Conclusion 163

PART III
EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS: MORAL PHILOSOPHY, ATHLETIC IMAGERY, AND VIVID
SPEECH IN PHILIPPIANS

Chapter 6
DISCERNING AND MODELING THE VIRTUOUS LIFE (PHIL 1:1–26) 166
6.1. Concern with Life as a Whole: Discerning the Superior Things (Phil 1:1–11) 166
6.2. Positive and Negative Examples of Virtue (Phil 1:12–26) 174
6.3. Conclusion 182

Chapter 7
LIVING VIRTUOUSLY: CITIZEN-ATHLETES WITH THE ΦΡΟΝΗΣΙΣ OF CHRIST
(PHIL 1:27–2:30) 184
7.1. The Contest of Virtue: Citizenship and Athletics (Phil 1:27–30) 184
7.2. The Intellectual Aspects of Virtue: The φρόνησις of Christ (Phil 2:1–11) 196
7.3. Exhortation to Moral Integrity: Radiating Light in the World (Phil 2:12–18) 205
7.4. Examples of Virtue: Timothy and Epaphroditus (Phil 2:19–30) 210
7.5. Conclusion 213

Chapter 8
PURSUING CHRIST AS THE ΤΕΛΟΣ OF LIFE: THE VIRTUOUS AND FULLY SUFFICIENT LIFE
(PHIL 3:1–4:23) 214
8.1. Christ as the τέλος of Life (Phil 3:1–11) 214
8.2. Pursuing Christ as the τέλος of Life: The Image of the Runner (Phil 3:12–14) 225
8.3. Exhortation to Live Virtuously: Learning from Examples and Rules
(Phil 3:15–4:7) 231
8.4. The Virtuous and Content Life (4:8–23) 241
8.5. Conclusion 248

CONCLUSION 249

BIBLIOGRAPHY 252

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Abbreviations

Conventions for citations and abbreviations follow Patrick H. Alexander, et al., eds., The
SBL Handbook of Style for Ancient Near Eastern, Biblical, and Early Christian Studies
(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999). Abbreviations not listed in the SBL Handbook are
given below.

FD Fouilles de Delphes III: Épigraphie. Fasc. 1–6. Edited by George
Daux et al. Paris, 1929–
IvO Inschriften von Olympia. Edited by Wilhelm Dittenberger and Karl
Purgold. Berlin, 1896
JRSM Journal of Roman Studies Monographs
LD A Latin Dictionary: Founded on Andrew’s Edition of Freund’s Latin
Dictionary. Revised, enlarged, and rewritten by Charlton T. Lewis
and Charles Short. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1879
OLD Oxford Latin Dictionary. Edited by P.G.W. Glare. Oxford:
Clarendon Press, 1982
OSAP Supp Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy: Supplementary Volumes
PAST Pauline Studies
PCPS Supp Proceedings of the Cambridge Philological Society: Supplementary
Volumes
P.Lond. Greek Papyri in the British Museum. 7 vols. Edited by Frederic G.
Kenyon. London, 1893–1974

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INTRODUCTION

There are many fruitful ways to interpret Paul’s letters: e.g. treating Paul as a Jewish
apocalyptic theologian or as a Hellenistic moral philosopher. This thesis, more in line
with the latter perspective, examines Paul’s letter to the Philippians in light of a Greco-
Roman context, exploring how Paul makes use of terms, concepts, imagery, and
rhetorical strategies from this world. The project is therefore an historical investigation,
one where I map out a particular context and use this contextual material to elucidate
Paul’s argument in Philippians. There are good reasons, which will be established below,
for viewing the Greco-Roman context as the one that is most helpful in understanding
the shape of Paul’s argument in Philippians, not least of which is the confluence of
terms, concepts, and imagery that are more firmly connected to specifically Hellenistic
traditions. As just intimated, I view Paul’s letter to the Philippians as an argument, an
attempt to persuade them in a particular way. While arguments can have many aims, it is
the contention of this thesis that Paul has one overarching aim in this letter, which, as
indicated in the title, is to persuade the Philippians to pursue Christ as the τέλος of life.
There is little that is needed by way of introduction, except to alert the reader to how
this thesis proceeds. What follows is divided into three parts: approaches to Philippians
and methodological considerations, historical context, and exegetical analysis. The first
part sets up the investigation by reviewing previous approaches to Philippians (ch. 1).
This will establish the need to address three areas in an investigation of Philippians: the
structure of thought in moral philosophy in its own terms and concepts, ancient
athletics, and how the verbal and the visual were interrelated in the ancient world. After
establishing the need for my investigation I turn to critically reflect on my approach to an
historical investigation (ch. 2). This will signal the perspective that is shaping my
approach to the historical material and will address other pertinent methodological
issues.
The second part of this thesis maps out the historical material necessary for
addressing the areas identified in the overview of research, which, as will be
demonstrated, are interrelated in Paul’s argument in Philippians. I begin with the broad
structure of thought in ancient moral philosophy (ch. 3), which provides the framework
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for understanding the moral philosophical terms and concepts that are found in
Philippians. Then I examine ancient athletics (ch. 4), exploring common associations
with athletics and how moral philosophers used these associations for their own projects
of moral formation. Next I examine the interplay between the verbal and the visual in the
ancient world (ch. 5). This will provide important material for understanding the
rhetorical force of Paul’s most vivid imagery in Philippians, the image of the runner in
Phil 3:13–14.
The third part of this thesis is an exegetical analysis of Philippians. The last three
chapters (chs. 6–8) examine this letter in light of the historical context just established.
In this exegetical section—which examines the entire letter, beginning with the
thanksgiving section and concluding with the letter closing—I demonstrate how Paul’s
pattern of thought is structured similarly to the thought pattern in ancient moral
philosophy. The material examined in ch. 3 does most of the exegetical work in the
overall analysis of Philippians, providing the logic by which Paul’s argument unfolds.
The material examined in ch. 4 comes into play in understanding the force of Paul’s
athletic metaphors, which occur at crucial places in his argument (1:27–30; 3:12–14; 4:3)
and are important in how he is conceptualizing the nature of Christian existence. The
material discussed in ch. 5 is most crucial in understanding the rhetorical force of Paul’s
image of the runner in Phil 3:13–14, which, as it will be demonstrated, encapsulates
Paul’s overarching argumentative aim in the letter.

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P I
ART
APPROACHES TO PHILIPPIANS AND METHODOLOGICAL
CONSIDERATIONS

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Chapter 1
OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH: INTEGRITY, GENRE, AND THE AIM(S) OF PHILIPPIANS

1.1. Partition Theories
In seeking to ascertain the aim(s) of Philippians it is necessary first to establish if the
letter is a compilation of several letters stitched together or if it is a single letter in the
canonical form that we have it. If the letter is a compilation then the separate letters
would address different issues and thus have different aims. If, however, the letter is
viewed as a single unit, then the letter could plausibly have more coherence and possibly
have an overarching aim. Arguments for partitioning Philippians fall into two categories:
arguments from external evidence and arguments from internal evidence. The stronger
case for partitioning the letter rests upon the internal evidence,1 and will therefore be the
focus of our attention here.
Partition theories typically argue that Philippians is a composite of three letters.2 The
first letter is designated Letter A (Phil 4:10–20) and is viewed as Paul’s initial response to
the arrival of Epaphroditus with their gift. Letter B (Phil 1:1–3:1; parts of 4:1–9, and all
of 4:21–23) then followed and was written while Paul was in prison (usually at Ephesus)
and Epaphroditus was returning to Philippi. It expressed Paul’s dire situation and his
encouragement to the Philippians to unite in the face of opposition. Letter C (Phil 3:2–

1 The strongest external evidence is the statement by Polycarp (Phil. 3.2) that Paul wrote letters
(ἐπιστολάς) to the Philippians. This was countered early on by J.B. Lightfoot (The Apostolic Fathers II Vol.
3 [2nd edn.; London: Macmillan, 1889], 327) who argued the plural was epistolary and did not indicate
there were multiple letters. Others have continued to maintain, however, that it refers to letters, e.g. lost
correspondence (Marvin R. Vincent, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles to the
Philippians and to Philemon [ICC; Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1902], 91). It has also been suggested that
Polycarp made the inference that there were letters due to Phil 3:1 and Paul’s close relationship with the
Philippians (Walter Bauer, Die apostolischen Väter, vol II: Die Briefe des Ignatius von Antiochien und der
Polykarpbrief [HNT 18; Tübingen: Mohr, 1920], 287). The other external evidence given to support the
claim of multiple letters are the reference to two Philippian letters in the Catalogus Sinaiticus, the mention
of the first letter to the Philippians by Georgius Syncellus in his Chronographia, and the way in which the
Epistle to the Laodiceans draws on Philippians omitting material from Letter A (Phil 4:10–20) and Letter C
(Phil 3:2–4:3, 4:7–9). For a response to these pieces of evidence see Paul A. Holloway, Consolation in
Philippians: Philosophical Sources and Rhetorical Strategy (SNTSMS 112; Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 2001), 8–11.
2 Exceptions are Gerhard Friedrich (Der Brief an die Philipper [15th edn; NTD 8; Göttingen:
Vandenhoek & Ruprecht, 1965], 126–28) and Joachim Gnilka (Der Philipperbrief [HTKNT 10.3; Freiburg:
Herder, 1968], 7–10) who both argue for a two-letter hypothesis.
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