Paul's Letter to the Phillippians in Light of Disunity in the Church

Paul's Letter to the Philippians in Light of Disunity in the Church. By Davorin Peterlin. Leiden: Brill, 1995, 272 pp., $88.75.

Peterlin's work, a revision of his 1992 doctoral dissertation under I. Howard Marshall, attempts to establish the occasion and overall aim of Philippians. After an introduction to other views, Peterlin asserts his own: Paul writes to address disunity in the church. The church is divided over its allegiance to Paul and its support of his mission.

The work has two parts. The first is a study of disunity. Peterlin examines Phil 1:1-11, 1:12-26, 1:27-2:18, 3:1-21 and 4:2-3. From these passages he concludes that the common presentation of the Philippian congregation as a mature, harmonious and supportive group is wrong. They are instead wracked by strife and party spirit.

The second section examines the Philippians' financial capabilities and their support of Paul. Peterlin examines the social composition of the church, the mission of Epaphroditus (2:25-30) and Paul's attitude toward the gift (4:10-20).

The clarity of Peterlin's presentation is one of his strengths. It is always clear where his argument is going. He demonstrates that the rosy picture of Philippians as a mature, harmonious congregation is somewhat overemphasized. Two other strengths include a helpful section on the social composition of the Philippian church, which is fresh and insightful, and a section on the subject of women as deacons, which draws on inscriptional evidence and on secondary works little used by other commentators.

There are three major weaknesses of Peterlin's work. (1) The quality of his logic and argumentation varies. At points he is lucid, displaying tight logic. At other times he is careless and jumps to conclusions based on preconceptions. For example, he evaluates Paul's comments in 4:10-20, saying it contains "genuine gratitude" and "manifest appreciation" (p. 207). But we are never told what criteria Peterlin uses in order to make these value judgments. On what basis does he evaluate Paul's "gratitude"? Twentieth-century standards? First-century standards? Similarly, he assumes 4:1020 contains the language of finance, relying heavily on the works of others. He concludes that a fair proportion of the Philippian Christians were involved in financial transactions typical of commerce and business. On another item, Peterlin establishes that the congregation was divided over support for Paul. The church actually contained an anti-Pauline lobby. He then reaches the conclusion that Euodia and Syntyche themselves disagreed on whether to support Paul. This conclusion seems questionable.

(2) His methodology is faulty. His entire argument relies heavily on mirror-reading. For example, stated simply, Peterlin asserts that 1:12-26 does more than just report dissension over Paul at the place of his imprisonment. Rather, Paul includes that report because there is a similar dissension over Paul in Philippi. Similarly, Peterlin looks for a reason why Paul praises Epaphroditus in 2:25-30 and concludes it must be because there is tension between Epaphroditus and the church. (On mirror-reading see Barclay, "Mirror-Reading a Polemical Letter: Galatians as a Test Case," JSNT 31 [1987] 73-93.)

(3) Peterlin's work displays a gross lack of familiarity with the social backgrounds regarding the giving and acceptance of gifts in the Greco-Roman world. In that context, acceptance of a gift establishes an ongoing social relationship and places the receiver under obligation to repay the giver. (See Mott, "The Power of Giving and Receiving: Reciprocity in Hellenistic Benevolence," Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation [ed. G. F. Hawthorne; Eerdmans, 1975] 60-72.) These social backgrounds would have strongly influenced the way Paul felt he must respond to the Philippians' gift of financial aid in 4:10-20. Peterlin acknowledges this crucial background but chooses to ignore it. I believe his understanding of Philippians is grossly flawed as a result.

Owing to its cost and spotty quality I would recommend that only those who wish to engage in scholarly work on Philippians consult Peterlin's work. And they should borrow it from a library.

G.W.

Osceola Evangelical Free Church, Osceola, IA

Copyright Evangelical Theological Society Sep 1998
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