Philippians: The IVP New Testament Commentary Series
By Gordon Fee
IVP. 204 pages. £9.99 (hardback)
ISBN 0 85111 684 1
A good commentary has several things to achieve: to capture the Scripture's meaning then; to identify the timeless theological truths and unchanging general principles which framed that original meaning; to apply those truths and principles accurately and helpfully to today; and to present the whole in an accessible and readable fashion. Gordon Fee's commentary on Philippians does all these things.
Philippi saw the first European church. From what Acts 16 tells us of the church at Philippi, its make-up (including businesswoman Lydia, a slave-girl and the Roman gaoler) reflected a socio-economic range that is not so dissimilar to that found in urban churches centres today. Affectionate, full of memorable passages, Philippians is one of Paul's best-loved letters. But it is also one of his least understood.
