Interpreters of Philippians have often seen this letter as one of Paul’s
friendliest, turning to friendship terminology from the wider Greco-Roman world to
develop their arguments. This move, however, requires a reevaluation of the
rhetorics in both scholarship and the letter. This reconsideration is achieved, in
part, by surveying what was involved in ancient friendship, especially as it was
developed by and for elite aristocratic males. In the political realm,
‘friendship’ is intertwined with patronage and the justification
for specific interstate relations of domination. Comprehending and analyzing this
hierarchical aspect should lead, then, to a similar approach to Paul’s use
of friendly terminology in Philippians, a task as yet not taken up by most interpreters.
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