The Divine Heartset: Paul’s Philippians Christ Hymn, Metaphysical Affections, and Civic Virtues

by Crispin Fletcher-Louis

The fruit of a decade’s research, the Divine Heartset offers a new interpretation of the dense Christological narrative in Philippians 2:6–11, taking inspiration from recent advances in our understanding of the letter’s Greek and Roman setting and from insights made possible by recently created linguistic databases (such as TLG, PH, AGRW and BDEG). The passage’s praise of Christ engages the language and themes of Hellenistic ruler cults, Platonic metaphysics and moral philosophy, popular (Homeric) beliefs about the gods, and ancient ways of thinking about love (eros). In so doing, it articulates a scripturally-grounded theology in which God is revealed to be one in two persons or characters in a divine drama (God the Father and LORD Jesus Christ).

The volume also explores hitherto unseen ways in which the Christ Hymn (cited in both 2:6–11 and 3:20–21) is tightly connected to the rest of Paul’s argument. The hymn presents Christ as one who fulfills the ideals of Greek (and Roman) virtue (esp. sophrosyne — “soundness of mind, temperance”) and the Dephic maxim “Know Thyself”. As the epitome of the virtuous divine being—and exemplary ethical actor in the human sphere—the story of Christ’s life support’s Paul’s summoning of his readers (in Phil 1:27) to a life of praiseworthy civic conduct. New or recently proposed translations are advanced for numerous words and phrases (in, e.g., 1:8, 11, 27; 2:3, 4, 6, 11; 3:2, 4, 6). And a new, non-Stendahlian, approach to Paul’s boasting in 3:4–6, that is Christological rather than autobiographical, is put forward.

Genres: New Testament

1706 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 17, 2023