The Price of Partnership in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians: “Make My Joy Complete” by Mark A. Jennings

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Reviewed by: The Price of Partnership in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians: “Make My Joy Complete” by Mark A. Jennings Christoph Stenschke Jennings, Mark A. 2018. The Price of Partnership in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians: “Make My Joy Complete.” LNTS 578. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark. ISBN 978-0567678010. Pp. Xiv + 225. $114. It is often argued that Paul’s letter to the Philippians has no single clear purpose. In addition, for many students, the letter is a loose compilation of several letters or letter fragments. The present monograph challenges these widespread notions and argues instead that there is evidence that Paul [End Page 404] wrote the letter with the sole purpose of persuading the readers to maintain their partnership with him and his mission of proclaiming the gospel to Jews and gentiles. He urges the Philippians to be steadfast in their commitment to his particular version of the gospel of Christ: With the exception of a few ancillary matters, almost every element is directed by this view. He exhorted them to persevere in this by dispelling any doubts as to the legitimacy of his apostleship, pointing to the inauthenticity of competing gospel missions, drawing on reciprocal mutuality, and giving prominence to the eschatological promise of their continued fidelity . . . Paul writes to urge the church in Philippi to partake in his gospel mission from the first day until the last (4). After a brief statement of the thesis and methodological reflections (1–8), Jennings sets the scene for interpreting the letter in view of its current discussion (9–28), including the integrity of the letter, whether it is a friendship-letter or a family-letter, Paul’s imprisonment and the date of the letter, the theme of disunity and unity, the nature of the gospel and of Paul’s mission, the emphasis on perseverance and the significance of the Philippians’ gift. In the main section of his study, Jennings moves in seven chapters through the entire letter (29–177) and presents the following overall interpretation of the letter. As the exordium to the entire letter, Philippians 1:1–11 offers a summary of Paul’s view of the Philippians’ fellowship with him in his mission. Philippians 1:12–26, as the narratio, provides the hermeneutical key for understanding the severance that Paul establishes between himself, his loyal partners and his opponents. In Philippians 1:18a, Paul is not affirming the theological position of his rivals, but he emphasises that their disposition towards him indicates that they are at odds with the gospel message itself. In the propositio (2:1–18) and the heart of the letter, the probatio (2:12–18), Paul’s attention to unity is not aimed at potential fractures within the Philippian church, but directed towards their corporate unity with him. The pattern of Christ (2:5–11), the dichotomy between faithful and apostate Israel (2:12–16a) and his own posture of sacrificial giving (2:16b–18) serve as evidence in support of the propositio. Following the Greco-Roman rhetorical convention, Paul then introduces Epaphroditus, Timothy and himself as examples (2:19–4:1). According to Jennings, Paul delays addressing the Philippians’ gift squarely until he had established the proper context for understanding it [End Page 405] (4:2–20). The Philippians’ support is portrayed as a sanctified, righteous fruit that authenticates their faith and demonstrates their fidelity to him and his gospel mission (7). In the different sections of the letter, Jennings sees Paul addressing three matters: Firstly, the Philippians and Paul had entered into an agreement regarding his apostolic mission (at least in Paul’s presentation!). Because he is certain that it is eschatologically beneficial for both him and the Philippians to preserve their partnership in advancing the gospel mission, mutuality and reciprocity are recurrent themes. Conversely, it is eschatologically perilous for the church to separate from Paul. Secondly, Paul offers “proofs” that simultaneously affirm the superiority of his apostolic mission and repudiate the claims of his antagonists. Paul’s opponents feature not only in the passages where they are explicitly mentioned (1:15–17, 27–28; 2:14–16; 3:2, 12–16, 18–19), but the threat...