Paul's Letter to the Philippians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary

by Ben Witherington III

Interprets Paul’s letter in light of its rhetorical content and cultural context

Skeptical of the trend among many biblical scholars to analyze Paul’s short, affectionate letter to the Philippians in light of Greco-Roman letter-writing conventions, Ben Witherington instead looks at Philippians as a masterful piece of long-distance oratory ― an extension of Paul’s oral speech, dictated to a scribe and meant to be read aloud to its recipients. Witherington examines Philippians in light of Greco-Roman rhetorical conventions, identifying Paul’s purpose, highlighting his main points and his persuasive strategies, and considering how his original audience would have heard and received Paul’s message.

Genres: Christianity, Biblical Studies, Reference, New Testament, Religion

342 pages, Paperback

First published October 6, 2011

About the author

Ben Witherington III (PhD, University of Durham) is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. He is the author or coauthor of more than thirty books, including The Jesus Quest, The Paul Quest, and The New York Times bestseller The Brother of Jesus. He has appeared on the History Channel, NBC, ABC, CBS, and CNN.

Reviews

[Anthony Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great commentary, explaining much of the background and applicatability with the text. Ben is very thorough with his study, as can be seen by the footnotes and references. He implements culture thought and actions into how it would have affected the writer, Paul, at the time in his writing.

One thing that irritated me was when Ben used transliteration of the greek text, he didn't always point out directly what word was been transliterated. So for someone without any formal training, it made it harder to follow along with what he may have been saying.

Great commentary. Will definitely use this as a reference in the future.

[Jeff Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit too scholarly for me at times but helpful. Probably my second favorite next the the NIV Application commentary of Philippians.

[David Smiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have given this a 2.5 if Goodreads had that option. Witherington did a great job on the socio-rhetorical drive of the commentary. I felt deeply immersed in the rhetorical structure (maybe a little too much information), as well as the reciprocity language that dominates Philippians. However, I did disagree theologically at many times with Witherington at some key moments in the book of Philippians. Additionally, the formatting of the book was difficult to follow. I'm not a fan of transliteration. It doesn't help anyone. If you don't know Greek, then no amount of transliteration will benefit you. I felt like I spent a lot of time searching for words because of the transliteration, and because Witherington does not do a good job going phrase by phrase in the commentary section.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

In general, very good. Witherington views the letter as one of family (rather than friendship, as do most others), and categorizes it as deliberative rhetoric. Lots of good info on the social context and cues in the letter, and some helpful points of application.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent resource. A great encouragement and blessing for study.