Opponents and Identity in the Letter to the Philippians.

• Superior document: Novum Testamentum Supplements, v. 173
• Author: Nina Nikki
• Place / Publishing House: Leiden, , Boston: : Brill, , 2019.
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Series: Novum Testamentum, Supplements 173.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (278 pages)

Guided by awareness of the problematic relationship between polemical text and history, Opponents and Identity in Philippians seeks to establish a historical context for the letter to the Philippians. The study re-evaluates the relationship between Paul and the Jerusalem-based Christ-believing community from the time of the Jerusalem meeting and the Antioch incident. A more detailed analysis centers on how this relationship is reflected in Philippians. The book argues that Paul was continuously on problematic terms with the Jerusalem community, which means that they are the Jewish Christ-believing opponents referred to at several places in Philippians as well. With the help of the social identity approach (SIA), the book illustrates how Paul engages in identity formation through polemical rhetoric in his last letter.

Table of Contents

Front Matter -- Copyright page -- Acknowledgements -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- Introduction -- Methods and Context of the Letter -- Methodology -- The Context of the Letter to the Philippians -- Paul and the Jerusalem Community -- Paul and the Jerusalem Community Before Philippians -- Analysis of Philippians -- Introducing the Opponents: Inclusiveness for the Sake of Self-Enhancement (Phil 1:15-18a) -- Securing the Status of the Philippians against the Jewish Christ-Believing Outgroup: Vilification and Leadership Tactics (Phil 3:2-11) -- Participation in Christ (Phil 3:10-16) and Eschatology (3:11-15, 20-21) in the Service of Identity Construction -- Second Round of Denigration: Jewish Christ-Believers as Libertinists (Phil 3:18-21) -- Conclusions -- Back Matter -- Bibliography -- Ancient Authors Index -- Modern Authors Index -- Biblical Index.