‘Vile Bodies’ or Transformed Persons? Philippians 3.21 in Context

Abstract

Arguing for a new approach to translating ‘humble’ at Phil. 3.21, this article follows three word-trajectories through the letter: ‘mindedness’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘humility’ are found both to be focused in 3.18-21 and to be pervasive throughout the letter’s thought. Within 3.18-21, a contrasting of two ways, there is evidence of Paul’s basic resurrection-eschatological language and thought, and of its scriptural subtext. Those on the way to destruction are characterized by earthy-mindedness; those on the way to salvation, by their citizenship in heaven. Its context strongly suggests that 3.21 should now be understood to say that what the awaited Lord will transform is ‘our body characterized by humility, as it is conceptualized in 2.2-5’.