Bird and Gupta Commentary on Philippians August 2020

Coming this August:

Michael Bird and Nijay Gupta, Philippians (NCBC; ed. Ben Witherington; Cambridge: CUP, 2020).

In this commentary, Michael Bird and Nijay Gupta situate Paul’s letter to the Philippians within the context of his imprisonment as well as the Philippians’ situation of suffering and persecution. Paul draws the Philippians’ attention to the power and progress of the gospel in spite of difficult circumstances. He also warns them about the dangers of rival Christian groups who preach out of poor motives or have a truncated gospel. Bird and Gupta unpack the rich wisdom and theology of the Christ Hymn (2:6-11). Throughout the commentary, they apply a broad range of exegetical tools to interpret this letter including historical, sociological, rhetorical, and literary analysis, and they give attention to the reception of this important Pauline text throughout history. Bird and Gupta also includes short reflections on the meaning of Philippians for today.

Good discussions on:

Ephesian provenance
Paul and the gospel
Friendship, partnership, unity
Imitation of Christ
Christ hymn/poem
Paul’s opponents
Pistis Christou debate
Paul’s co-workers

Here’s the Amazon link.