Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. In John 14:6, Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” The goal of Anchored by Truth is to encourage everyone to grow in the Christian faith by anchoring themselves to the secure truth found in the inspired, inerrant, and infallible word of God.

Script:

And I will continue to be happy, because I know that by means of your prayers and the help which comes from the Spirit of Jesus Christ I shall be set free. My deep desire and hope is that I shall never fail in my duty, but that at all times, and especially right now, I shall be full of courage, so that with my whole being I shall bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die.

Philippians, chapter 1, verses 18 thru 20, Good News Translation

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VK: Hello! I’m Victoria K. Welcome to Anchored by Truth brought to you by Crystal Sea Books. We’re thankful to be with you today. For this episode of Anchored by Truth we are continuing our series on “Paul’s Places.” By “Paul,” of course, we’re referring to the Apostle Paul who wrote almost half of the books in the New Testament. In this “Paul’s Places” series we are taking a look at Paul’s letters to the churches that are identified in our Bibles by geographic names – mostly of cities such as Rome or Corinth. But the book of Galatians is named for the province of Galatia which was a region in what is now in modern-day Turkey. Today we are going to do our 9th episode in this series. So, for anyone who has missed any of the previous lessons we would strongly encourage you to go to our website, crystalseabooks.com, and check out the earlier episodes as well as all of our series. In the studio today we have RD Fierro, an author and the founder of Crystal Sea Books. RD, what was the biggest reason you wanted to do a series like “Paul’s Places?”

RD: Well, let me first start by thanking our listeners for joining us here today. We often observe on Anchored by Truth that the Bible is a book that is firmly grounded in time and place. Said differently, we can test the accuracy of the Bible writers by going to the details of geography and history and seeing whether the Bible is consistent with what we know from other sources.

VK: And, when we do so, we find that the Bible is consistent with what is reported to us from other ancient sources that report about the places and times contained in the Biblical record. But let’s hasten to add that just because there will be times that there are differences between other ancient writers or sources this does not mean that the Bible is incorrect, does it?

RD: No. It doesn’t. The Bible has often been proven right when others thought it wrong.

VK: Can you give us an example of what you’re thinking about here?

RD: Sure. For many years there were questions about the existence and the actual title of Pontius Pilate—the Roman governor who presided over the trial of Jesus. Pontius Pilate's title was traditionally thought to have been "procurator of Judea" since the Roman historian Tacitus who wrote in the second century AD referred to him as a procurator. But Luke and the other gospel writers called Pilate a “prefect” not a procurator. The term “prefect” is translated in our Bibles as “governor”. "Prefects" were governors in charge of parts of larger provinces. The fact that “prefect” was the correct title was confirmed in 1961, when a two by three foot stone was discovered that had a Latin inscription. The translation of the inscription reads as follows:

Pontius Pilate, Prefect of Judea, has presented the Tiberieum to the Caesareans.

This was not only archaeological confirmation for the existence of Pilate but it was also confirmation that Pilate was the Prefect, or governor, of Judea.

VK: And we now know that the title “Procurator” was not used for the Roman governors in 33 AD which was when Jesus’ trial was held. This title only came into usage at a later time, during the reign of the emperor Claudius who was emperor from A.D. 41-54. During Claudius’ reign the title of the Roman governors shifted from Prefect to Procurator. Although the later Roman writers gave Pilate the incorrect title, the Luke and the other gospel writers did not. They called him a prefect - not a procurator.

RD: Another example which applies to the book that we’re considering today, Philippians, is the title of the Roman magistrates who served in Philippi. Even though Philippi was located in Macedonia, modern-day Greece, it was a Roman colony.

VK: And we not only know that Philippi was a Roman colony from extra-Biblical sources but from the book of Acts. Luke, who wrote Acts, tells us in chapter 16 that, “From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.” That’s Acts, chapter 16, verse 12 from the New International Version.

RD: And we’re going to talk more about the implications of Philippi being a Roman colony in a second. But just to provide a couple of additional examples of where the Bible has been proven right even when its accuracy was doubted, Luke called the magistrates in Philippi “praetors.” At first Luke was thought to be in error. According to the "scholars" two duumuirs would have ruled the town. So, there were scholars who thought Luke was not technically correct for referring to the Philippian rulers as praetors. However, as usual, Luke was proven right. Archeological findings have shown that the title of praetor was employed by the magistrates of a Roman colony and it is now known conclusively that Philippi had been designated a Roman colony by Paul’s time. Also at one time there was doubt about Luke's use of the Greek word meris with respect to Philippi. Luke refers to Philippi as the leading city of that "district" of Macedonia. He uses the Greek word meris which is translated as "district." F. J. A. Hort believed Luke was wrong in this usage. He said that meris referred to a "portion" not a "district." Archaeological excavations, however, have shown that the word, meris, was the correct word. Archaeology again demonstrated the accuracy of Luke.

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VK: So, the big point that we are making is that there have been many times when people have doubted the Bible. There are even times when writers from antiquity have provided reports that differ from the Biblical record. But in a great many instances as further information has come to light the Bible has been shown to be right. As a general rule archeological finds have often confirmed the reliability of the Bible even in cases where the initial reports were in doubt. So, one of the strongest reasons we have to trust the Bible is because it is overwhelmingly supported by evidence that comes to us from archeology or other historical records. And this fact applies to the Apostle Paul’s epistles that are many of the books we have in our New Testament. The content of the letters that Paul wrote to the various churches is consistent with what we know about those places and times.

RD: Amen. So, today we want to take a look at the letter that Paul sent to the church at Philippi. We refer to that letter as the book of Philippians.

VK: As we’ve mentioned Philippi is located in modern-day Greece. In Paul’s day the Roman province in which Philippi is located was called Macedonia. We can think of it as being northern Greece. Philippi was located several miles inland from Neapolis which is on the coast. Neapolis served as a seaport for Philippi so travelers coming from Asia to the east would often land at Neapolis. And that’s exactly what Luke reported that Paul did when he made his first trip to Philippi. In Acts, chapter 16, verse 11 we hear, “From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis.” Troas was on the west coast of modern-day Turkey, which was called Asia in Paul’s day. Paul didn’t stay in Neapolis because Philippi was a much larger and more important city. Philippi was named after Alexander the Great’s father, Philip of Macedon, who had taken over the city in 358 B.C. and renamed it after himself.

RD: Right. Philip wanted the city because there were some very productive gold mines in the vicinity of Philippi and he needed gold to finance his territorial ambitions. He fortified the city not only because of the gold but also because the agricultural land around Philippi was productive and it was located on an important trade route. But it seems that by the time the Romans took over Philippi the gold mines had fallen in production and Philippi’s fortunes had fallen with it. But the city was later revived during the Roman period because the Romans designated it as a “colony.” Roman colonies outside of Italy were generally places where Roman military veterans were given land so they settled there and, more or less, brought the Roman culture to the region.

VK: And by Paul’s day Philippi had regained much of its former luster. It’s access to Neapolis, trade, and the fact that it had been designated a “Roman colony” helped it to again be an important city. Being a Roman colony the city enjoyed many privileges that other cities in Macedonia did not – the most important of these privileges was the exemption from certain forms of taxation. I guess people didn’t like paying taxes in those days any more than we do today. So, if the Romans gave Philippi exemptions from some taxation it would certainly have drawn trade and commerce into the area.

RD: And anybody who has read the book of Acts quickly finds out that when Paul went to Philippi some truly remarkable things happened. First, Paul and his companion, Silas, got into trouble when Paul cast a spirit out of a young female slave. The girl’s owners had made a lot of money because the spirit, which was most likely demonic, had given her the ability to foretell the future to some extent. When the girl’s owners realized they had lost their “golden goose” they complained to the magistrates who had Paul and Silas beaten in public.

VK: And that was a problem because Paul and Silas were both Roman citizens. ” And Roman law forbid Roman citizens from being punished without a trial and they weren’t allowed to be flogged publically. After some changes made to Roman law in the early 2nd century BC a Roman citizen could not be tortured or whipped and could commute sentences of death to voluntary exile, unless he was found guilty of treason. So, the fact that Paul and Silas had been beaten publically was a real problem and the fact that they hadn’t had a trial just compounded the problem for the Philippian magistrates.

RD: Right. And the magistrates realized the gravity of their problem the next day. But not until after Paul had spent a night in prison where again something remarkable had happened. Around midnight Paul and Silas were singing hymns, the other prisoners were listening, and a huge earthquake shook the prison so hard all of the prisoners’ chains came loose. The jailer became so distraught that he was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. In the Roman system if a jailer allowed a prisoner to escape the jailer was held accountable for the escaped prisoner’s crimes.

VK: But, as He so often does, God intervened and Paul assured the jailer everyone was still there. The jailer was so convicted he wanted to know what he had to do to be saved. So, the Philippian jailer has become one of the most dramatic examples of a conversion during Paul’s ministry, hasn’t he?

RD: Yes. But the story doesn’t end with the jailer’s conversion. Not only was the jailer saved but so was the jailer’s family. Well, the next morning the Philippian magistrates decided it was ok to release Paul and Silas but Paul wasn’t going to let them off the hook for violating their rights. So, Paul told the magistrates’ officers that he and Silas were Roman citizens and that they wanted a public apology. Well, when the magistrates found out that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens they realized they were in trouble.

VK: And they did apologize. But they also asked Paul and Silas to leave the city. Evidently they didn’t want any reminders of their malfeasance hanging around

RD: And it’s easy to understand why. Let’s focus on their problem for a second. The magistrates had blatantly violated the plain requirements of Roman law and justice. This wasn’t just a problem for them personally but it was potentially a problem for the whole city. As we have mentioned Philippi enjoyed some tangible benefits for being a Roman colony such as exemption from some taxes. But the magistrates knew that the authorities in Rome took a very dim view of provincial cities that violated the rights of Romans. They were well aware that if their egregious violation of Paul and Silas’ rights got much attention in Rome, Rome might retaliate. So, they essentially wanted to sweep the whole episode under the rug.

VK: And Paul and Silas accommodated them. The left Philippi and eventually wound up in Thessalonica which was 50 or 60 miles away. So, how does this relate to the letter wrote to the Philippians while he was imprisoned in Rome?

RD: In a couple of ways. First, in the letter to the Philippians it’s very apparent that Paul has great affection for the Philippian congregation. We know from chapter 20 of the book of Acts and from 2 Corinthians that Paul visited Philippi on at least 2 other occasions. Part of this strong connection to the Philippian congregation undoubtedly stemmed from the dramatic way it was founded. It may well be that the jailer became an important leader in the church in Philippi and he certainly would have been very grateful to Paul that Paul and Silas hadn’t fled, or tempted other prisoners to flee, even when they had the chance. Paul had effectively saved the jailer’s life, family, and future.

VK: Well, that would have formed the basis for the Philippian believers to have great affection for Paul. The believers in Philippi would have known that not only had Paul endured insult and injury to found their church but also they would have known that Paul didn’t create problems for their city even though he had a perfect right to. Paul’s behavior had been a model of grace and mercy to them and all of the city.

RD: Right. And we know that the Philippian church expressed their gratitude to Paul tangibly. In his letter Paul makes mention of the fact that the Philippians had become faithful supporters of Paul’s ministry.

VK: Philippians, chapter 4, verses 15 through 17 says, “As you know, you Philippians were the only ones who gave me financial help when I first brought you the Good News and then traveled on from Macedonia. No other church did this. Even when I was in Thessalonica you sent help more than once. I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness.” That’s from the New International Version.

RD: Yes. So, let’s take a closer look at the timing of the events we’ve been discussing. Paul’s first visit to Philippi was during what is referred to as his second missionary journey. Many scholars believe that took place between the years 50 to 52 AD. And as we’ve mentioned Paul visited Philippi at least a couple of more times. It seems that his last visit there may have been around 5 to 7 years later which was near the end of his third missionary journey.

VK: But some scholars believe that Paul actually left Timothy and Luke in Philippi even after he and Silas moved on to Thessalonica. Luke wrote the book of Acts. In part of Acts Luke says “we went to such and such a place” or “we did something.” But in chapters 17 through 20 of Acts Luke no longer uses the “we.” He starts writing that “Paul did this” or “Paul went there.” So, it seems that Luke was not with Paul during the events Luke describes after Paul left Philippi until Paul again visited Macedonia during the latter part of his 3rd missionary journey. Now from Acts, chapter 17, verse 14 it seems that Timothy didn’t stay in Philippi as long as Luke did. Acts, chapter 17, verses 13 and 14 say, “But when the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, some of them went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The believers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.”

RD: Yes. So, it seems likely that the Philippian church had a continuing reminder of what Paul had done for them – at least for some period of time. Luke wasn’t overly concerned with telling us what he was doing. He kept his account focused on Paul because Paul was the apostle and Paul was the one carrying the burden of the emerging church.

VK: So, how long after Paul’s last visit to Philippi did he write his letter to the church there?

RD: A reasonable guess is that Paul wrote the letter to the Philippians in 61 or 62 AD. Most scholars believe that’s when Paul was imprisoned in Rome.

VK: So, roughly speaking there were around 5 to 7 years between the events of Acts chapter 16 when Paul founded the Philippian church and his last visit with the church before his period of imprisonment. And there were about 4 to 5 years between that last visit and when Paul wrote the letter we have in our Bible that we call the book of Philippians. And in those intervening years the Philippians had often sent Paul support for his ministry. In other words, it makes good sense that Paul expressed a strong sense of affection for the Philippian church. He and they had a relationship that likely went back more than a decade. What else comes across from the letter to the Philippians?

RD: There are two other themes that come across very clearly in Philippians – joy and the need for endurance and unity.

VK: Some form of the word “joy” is mentioned 16 times in Philippian. This almost seems strange because it is obvious from Philippian church that it is experiencing some form of persecution.

RD: And that is one of the great things about the Apostle Paul. He often faced persecution personally but he never lost his abiding sense of the joy that he had for his personal salvation and for the redemption that he saw God building in and through his church.

VK: You know it’s possible that the Roman authorities in Philippi never quite got over their embarrassment and chagrin for what they did to Paul and Silas. The magistrates in Philippi knew that they had messed up big time so they probably carried around a spirit of guilt and fear that their abuse might come back to haunt them. So, even though Paul had moved on they may have harbored some lingering resentment for the church he founded.

RD: Sadly, that’s quite possible. The magistrates had a limited ability to get at Paul but they could get at his spiritual children who were in the Philippian church. And, as we have mentioned several times during this Paul’s Places series Roman authorities had an easy charge that they could level at Christians – the charge of sedition or, at least, disloyalty.

VK: This goes back to what we said earlier about Philippi being a Roman colony. The status of being a Roman colony meant that its residents were considered Roman citizens. Rome designated certain foreign cities as colonies because it gave the Roman state places where they could award grants of land to Roman army veterans without giving them land in Italy or Rome where the wealthy actually owned most of the land. Giving their veterans land grants in colonies outside Italy not only gave Rome a way to reward its military veterans but it also extended the sense of Roman loyalty throughout its empire. And it also extended the amount of territory upon which it could draw conscripts the next time they needed to raise an army. For Rome their colonies were a sort of win-win proposition.

RD: So, it would have made sense that a highly patriotic citizenry would have had some resentment for the new Christians who would no longer declare that “Caesar is Lord.” By that time in its history Rome had adopted a form of “emperor worship” and all citizens were required to declare their worship for the emperor unless they were part of another officially recognized religion. The Jewish religion was a recognized religion but no one, including the Roman authorities, were quite sure where Christianity fell. But the pagan ex-army vets wouldn’t have much sympathy for the Christians’ sensibilities. The Christians were not disloyal to their government but it was easy to make it seem like they were.

VK: This might have added to the sense of persecution the Philippian believers felt. So, it is reasonable that Paul addressed the persecution they were enduring in his letter to them.

RD: And there is one more attribute of the letter to the Philippians which we should address before we close. In the letter Paul seems to anticipate that he will shortly be released from imprisonment. We heard that in our opening scripture. It makes sense that Paul would tell the Philippians that because of the long relationship he had had with them. Not only would they be concerned about his welfare but they would know it would likely mean he could come and see them again. It was fairly easy to get from Rome to Philippi by way of the Mediterranean. Paul even mentions in Philippians that he was planning on sending Timothy to them soon and that one of their members, Epaphroditus, would be coming home with Timothy.

VK: That all reinforces the big point that we are making in this “Paul’s Places” series. The epistles, the letters, Paul sent to the various churches we know in our Bibles by geographic labels are consistent not only with geography and culture but also with the history of the latter part of the 1st century AD. Paul had had a long and close relationship with the Philippian church. Timothy had spent time with the church even after Paul had moved on. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus to Rome with even more support for Paul. Prisoners had to provide for their own support in Paul’s day. So, Paul wrote our book of Philippians with a message that essentially said, “I think I’ll be set free soon. I want to come see you but until I do Timothy is coming again and Epaphroditus is coming home.” All that fits together perfectly. Let’s close with prayer as we always do. Today let’s listen to a prayer of adoration for the One who leads us into a knowledge of the truth – the 3rd Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.

---- PRAYER FOR ADORATION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

VK: Before we close we’d like to remind our audience that a lot of our radio episodes are linked together in series of topics so if they missed any episodes in this series or if they just want to hear one again, all of these episodes are available on your favorite podcast app. To find them just search on “Anchored by Truth by Crystal Sea Books.”

If you’d like to hear more, try out crystalseabooks.com where “We’re not perfect but our Boss is!”

(Opening Bible Quotes from the Good News Translation)

Philippians, chapter 1, verses 18 thru 20, Good News Translation

Pontius Pilate - Prefect, not Procurator — Ray Downing

Microsoft Word - Pauline Chronology.doc (paultanner.org)

http://www.angelfire.com/sc3/myredeemer/Evidencep13.html