Written for: Expository Preaching
Date Written: 1/31/2008
A Brief History of the City and Church of Philippi
The city of
Philippi was located was located in northern Greece
near the city of Macedon (Archeological Study Bible,
p.1927), approximately ten miles from the port city of
Neapolis. It gained access to travelers, as well as
trade through the Via Egnatia road (the road that
linked Italy with Asia), which ran straight through the
city. It was one of four districts that made up the
province of Macedonia. A few of the other larger cities
within the province were the cities of Amphipolis (the
districts capital), Macedon, and Thessalonica
(Thielman, 2002, p.343).
The city had a rather eventful history. Founded in 359
B.C. by the Orator Callistratus, along with a few
colonists the city began as a Greek colony. But then
came Philip II from the nearby city of Macedon and
seized the city and its abundant gold mines. He then
proceeded to fortify the city walls, and drain the
nearby marshes. He continued to advance the city in
many other ways, and then renamed it after himself.
When Philip II’s son came to power, Alexander the
Great, he used Philippi as a headquarters for his
conquest of the world (Archeological Study Bible, 2005,
p.1927).
But the second century B.C. brought a dramatic shift in
the balance of power in the Grecian world with the
invasion of the Romans. With their capture of the
province of Macedonia, Philippi became a Roman outpost.
With the assassination of Julius Caesar in 42 B.C.
civil war broke out in the Roman Empire. Even on this
occasion Philippi played a role. It was near the city
of Philippi that the forces of Octavian (Augustus) and
Mark Antony defeated the forces of Cassius and Brutus
(Archeological Study Bible, 2005, p. 1927).
But, this comradeship between Octavian and Mark Antony
was destined to fail, and war broke out between these
two factions as well, with Octavian surmounting as the
victor. With his victory complete, Octavian renamed the
city of Philippi as Colonia Julia Augusta Philippensis
and sent a group of Roman veterans to live there
(Archeological Study Bible, 2005, p. 1927). This influx
of Roman soldiers no doubt greatly influenced the
culture of Philippi, and by the time Paul entered onto
the scene, Philippi had “a strong roman character”
(Thielman, 2002, p. 344). Barclay (1959) remarks
concerning this Roman influence, “Wherever they were,
these colonies were little fragments of Rome and their
pride in their Roman citizenship was their dominating
characteristic. The Roman language was spoken; Roman
dress was worn; Roman customs were observed; their
magistrates had Roman titles, and carried out the same
ceremonies as were carried out in Rome itself. They
were stubbornly and unalterably Roman and would never
have dreamt of becoming assimilated to the people
amidst whom they were set” (Barclay, 1959, p.4).
Roman citizenship was not something to be taken lightly
or for granted. It was to be respected and treasured.
Philippi was even further privileged to have the status
of a Roman colony. Philippi was one of only five cities
in the entire province of Macedonia granted the
ius
Italicum, which is
“the right to be governed by Roman law and to be exempt
from direct taxation” (Thielman, 2002, p.353). This
makes Paul’s statements concerning Roman citizenship
all the more important when he addresses the
Philippians. Citizenship was a very real, and very
vital part of their lives.
Philippi was strongly connected with the god Dionysius
and his other related deities such as Liber, Libera,
and Hercules. Much of this religion focused around
fertility. In connection with this, women played a key
role in the worship of Dionysian and the other deities
that accompanied him (Thielman, 2002, p.344).
Another important deity in the city of Philippi was
that of Diana. She also was strongly connected with
fertility, as well as childbirth and children, and, as
Thielman (2002) points out, these were “typical
concerns of ancient women.” It then follows that most
of her followers were women (Thielman, 2002, p.344).
The Thracian Horseman, another deity found in Philippi,
dealt largely with the “safe conduct of the soul into
the afterlife.” Reliefs to this deity are found on
seven hillsides near Philippi. Archeologists have also
discovered an altar to the emperor Augustus, yet
another deity to add to its repertoire, as well as a
“sanctuary dedicated to the worship of some 140
Egyptian deities.” All of this expresses the setting
with which Paul ministered in Philippi. Thielman (2002)
properly stated the condition of Philippi as a
“cacophony of religious activity.”
It is
interesting to note that Paul’s first intentions were
not to go to the city of Philippi (Thielman, 2002,
p.344-345). Acts 16: 7-10 tells the story, “When they
came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter
Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them
to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.
During the night Paul had a vision of a man from
Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to
Macedonia and help us.” After Paul had seen the vision,
we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding
that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.”
The meager church that Paul found at Philippi was
probably founded by converts from his first missionary
journey through that region (Anders, 1999, p.204). Upon
his arrival he found no synagogue, but only a place of
prayer with a few women who called on the name of the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Thielman, 2002,
p.344).
Paul quickly began his work in the city, and the first
fruit of his labor was the conversion of Lydia, and her
household. And it was with her that they stayed during
their visit to the city (Acts 16:14-15). It has been
suggested that Lydia was a wealthy woman, as she would
need a larger home to be able to house Paul and his
companions (Thielman, 2002, p.345).
His stay in Philippi, however, was not without it’s
troubles. On one of his trips to the place of prayer, a
demon-possessed girl followed Paul and shouted “These
men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling
you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for several
days, until Paul finally got tired of it and cast the
demon out of the girl. With the exit of the demon, the
girl’s ability to predict the future also evaporated,
making the girl’s owners quite upset as they had just
lost a good source of income from her fortune telling.
The owners then incited an uproar against Paul and his
companions. The mob then proceeded to grab Paul and
Silas and brought them before the magistrate who handed
out a sentence of a beating and prison time.
This, however, was not properly accomplished according
to Roman law, and when the magistrates found out that
Paul was a Roman citizen, they quickly recanted and
apologized. But Paul was not idle during his time in
prison, and succeeded in converting the jailer and his
entire family. And so the church began to grow, but
with it also grew persecution (Philippians 1:27-30).
Thielman
(2002) points out “the Philippian Christians must have
stuck out like a sore thumb in society. They were not
willing to participate in the popular cult of the Roman
emperor, nor were they willing to conduct the
traditional funerary rites as the graves of their
ancestors.” These things would have labeled them “bad
citizens” by their friends and family in the city,
hence, the greater persecution (Thielman, 2002, p.354).
There was also some inner turmoil in the church.
Apparently a quarrel had arisen among two member of the
fledgling congregation, namely Euodia and Syntyche.
Paul addresses this issue by exhorting them “to agree
with each other in the Lord.”
The church at Philippi was also a great aid to Paul.
They assisted him financially, even after he left the
province of Macedonia. But they not only assisted him
financially, they also sent him the companionship of
Epaphroditus. As Thielman (2002) points out, “It is no
wonder that as some Christians where Paul was
imprisoned sought his harm (1:17), he longed for this
beloved congregation.” Paul greatly appreciated their
interest and their care for him, as the content of his
letter clearly shows (Thielman, 2002, p.349).
Much can be gleaned from the observation of this early
church. Both the good examples of generosity, and the
bad example of quarreling can be insightful for us
today. Watch Paul as he makes the best out of a
horrible situation in prison by evangelizing the
jailer. Learn from the way Paul handles conflict within
the church. Observe the importance of encouraging those
doing right. Indeed, much can be gained from this
wonderful account of the church at Philippi.
References
Anders,
Max. (1999). Philippians.
Holman New Testament Commentary, Vol. 8. Nashville,
Tennessee: Broadman & Holdman Publishers
Barclay, William. (1959). Philippians.
The Daily Study Bible Series. Louisville, Kentucky: The
Westminster Press
No Author Listed. (2005). Archaeological
sites: Philippi. Grand
Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan
Thielman, Frank. (2002). Philippians.
Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary,
Vol. 3. Grand Rapids Michigan: Zondervan