Status Updates From Paul's Letter to the Philip...

"...in Paul's hand conventions are never merely conventional. Eventually everything...is brought under the influence of Christ...To live is Christ; to die is to gain Christ; & for the sake of such 'gain'...all else is merely refuse. Thus, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all the readers of this letter, & with those who use this commentary to help better understand it as the Word of Christ" (462),

"The uniqueness of this passage in the corpus comes into focus here. For in Philippi he did accept their material support once and again. This says something significant about his relationship with this church, and here it is hard not to see the hand of Luke (and Lydia?) at work. Thus he gladly acknowledges their gift, but even here one finds the demurrer" (448).