Christ Identity - A Social-Scientific Reading of Philippians 2.5-11

Contents

Chapter I: Introduction

1. Status Quaestionis

2. The Reading of the Carmen Christi in a New Light

3. Outline of Analysis

4. Concluding Remarks

Chapter II: Reading Ancient Texts through Social Identity Theory

1. Description of the Task

2. Social Identity Theory: Description

2.1 Defining Identity

2.2 Identity: Born or Made?

3. Potential Limitations of the Chosen Approach

3.1. Modern Theories Applied to Ancient Texts

3.2 Lack of (Ancient) Evidence

3.3 History vs Sociology

4. Identity in the First-Century Mediterranean World

4.1 Identity for Paul

4.2 Social Identity Theory and the Mediterranean World

5. Group-Identity Formation in Philippi

5.1 Identity and Ethnicity

5.2 The Source of Social Identity according to Philippians

Chapter III: The Larger Context: First-Century Mediterranean Society through the Social Sciences

1. Introduction

2. Reading Ancient Texts

2.1 Emic-Etic

2.2 Reading Perspective

2.2.1 Social Scripts

2.2.2 High and Low Context Societies

3. Curse and Blessing of ‘Modelling’

3.1 Advantages of Being Explicit

3.2 Heuristic or Prediction Tool?

3.3 The Problem of ‘Fixed’ or Inflexible Models

3.4 One Model vs Many Models?

4. The Context: The Pre-Industrial Society

4.1 Characteristics

4.1.1 Hierarchical

4.1.2 Wide Gap between Rural and Urban Settings

4.1.3 Division of Labour

4.1.4 Strong Group-Based Character

4.2 Structures

5. First-Century Circum-Mediterranean Region

5.1 First-Century Mediterranean Values?

5.2 ‘Pivotal’ Values Re-Examined

5.2.1 Honour and Shame

5.2.2 Limited Good Perception

5.2.3 Kinship

5.3 The Person in This Context

5.3.1 Dyadic Personality

5.3.2 Agonistic Experience

5.3.3 Patronage

6. Conclusions

Chapter IV: The Roman Colony of Philippi

1. Introduction

2. The Roman Colony of Philippi.

2.1 History, Archaeology.

2.2 Religion(s)

2.2.1 Literary, Religious Myths

2.2.2 The Imperial Cult

3. Rome’s Mission to the World

3.1 An Empire of Honour

3.1.1 Granting of Privileges

3.1.2 Patron-Client Relations

3.2 Romanisation: Urbanitas, Humanitas and Romanitas

3.2.1 Romanisation towards the West

3.2.2 Romanisation towards the East

3.2.2.1 Conquest of the Admired

3.2.2.2 Changes in Property

3.2.2.3 Preliminary Conclusions

3.3 Identity in the Graeco-Roman Context

3.3.1 Philippi as Colony

3.3.2 Living in the Colony

3.3.2.1 Day to Day Living

3.3.2.2 Voluntary Associations

3.3.2.3 Roman Citizenship

4. Paul’s Experience in Philippi

4.1 Paul’s Visits to Philippi

4.2 Acts: A Reliable Historical Source?

4.3 The Incident at Philippi as Test Case

4.3.1 Setting up the Scene

4.3.2 The Charges

4.3.3 What Then?

5. Conclusions

Chapter V: Paul: A Man under Constraint

1. Introduction

2. Paul through Many Lenses

2.1 Paul according to Himself

2.1.1 A d.... of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1.1)

2.1.1.1 Slavery in Greece and Rome

2.1.1.1.1 Sources of Slavery

2.1.1.1.2 Justification of Slavery

2.1.1.2 The Slave’s Status

2.1.1.3 Slavery as Social Death

2.1.2 Slavery Redefined: A Model of Discipleship

2.2 Luke’s Portrait of Paul: The Roman Citizen

3. Suffering in Paul: A Theology of Discipleship

3.1 Prisoner for Christ’s Sake (Phil. 1.13)

3.1.1 Incarceration and Shame

3.1.2 Incarceration and Paul’s View of Discipleship

3.2 Abased but Content (Phil. 4.11–12)

3.3 Apostolate and Suffering

3.4 The Persecutor Persecuted

4. Leadership in Paul’s Style: Imitatio, Control or Both?

4.1 Power Relations

4.2 A d.... in Command?

4.2.1 Imitatio Pauli and/or Imitatio Christi?

4.2.2 Living the Cruciform Life

5. Conclusions

Chapter VI: Corresponding with the Communities

1. Paul: The Letter-Writer Apostle

1.1 A New Way of Being in Touch

1.2 How to Understand Written Correspondence in Antiquity

1.2.1 Written Letters to Be Read Aloud

1.2.1.1 Oral/Aural Elements

1.2.1.2 The Role of the Emissaries

1.2.2 Letters Addressing Ad Hoc Situations

1.2.2.1 Ad Hoc but Universal also

1.2.2.2 Not Thorough but to the Point

1.2.2.3 Danger of ‘Mirror-Reading’

2. Philippians through a Socio-Rhetorical Approach

2.1 Provenance

2.2 The Importance of the Social Location for SIT

2.3 Is It All in the Style? (Letter-Forms)

2.3.1 A Friendly Letter

2.3.2 A Unified Letter

2.4 Structure of the Letter to the Philippians

3. Recipients: the Crux of Generalisation in the Umwelt of the Roman Empire

3.1 The Christian Community at Philippi (the Ingroup)

3.1.1 Demographic Figures

3.1.2 Prosopographic Description

3.1.3 Conclusions Concerning the Recipients

3.2 Adversaries: the Many Faces of the Outgroup

3.2.1 Envious and Rival Preachers (1.15)

3.2.2 Political Adversaries (1.28)

3.2.3 Enemies of the Cross (3.2, 18–19)

3.2.4 Concluding Remarks on the Adversaries

4. Philippians Aimed at Identity Formation

4.1 Paul’s Purpose(s)

4.2 The Centrality of Christ as Identity Model

5. Conclusions

Chapter VII: The Source of Identity: The So-Called Christ-Hymn

1. Introduction

2. A Closer Look at 2.[5]6–11

2.1 The Question of Genre

2.2 Philippians 2.6–11 in Its Present Context

2.3 Divisions/Movements

2.3.1 First Act: Christ’s High Existence (2.6)

2.3.2 Second Act: Christ’s Humiliation (2.7–8)

2.3.3 Third Act: Christ’s Exaltation (2.9–11)

2.4 The Christ-Hymn and Its Literary Sitz im Leben

2.4.1 Phil 2.6–11 and the Literature of that Time

2.4.1.1 The Hymn to Augustus

2.4.1.2 Christ’s Lordship vs Caesar’s Empire

2.4.2 Christ and Religious Myths

3. The Function of Philippians 2.5–11

4. The Christ-Hymn: Alternative Living in the City

5. Conclusions

Bibliography

Index