The Rhetorical Purpose and the Political and Military Character of Philippians: A Call to Stand Firm

Argues that Paul wrote Philippians in order to encourage the Christians in Philippi to remain steadfast in their commitment to Christ and the Gospel ministry and to show them how to do so. To organize the letter and accomplish his hortatory purpose, Paul drew upon the conventions of ancient deliberative rhetoric and utilized political topoi, terminology, and concepts to portray and reinforce corporate Christian identity as "heavenly citizenship".