Publisher's Synopsis
The letter to the Philippians is the eleventh book of the New Testament, a letter from the apostle Paul to the Christians in the Macedonian city of Philippi.Paul's intention in writing this letter was to encourage the church to rejoice, and he shows them that even in prison he rejoiced, and that we should rejoice no matter what the circumstances.When, in a vision, the apostle Paul received the call to take the good news to Macedonia, he and his companions, Luke, Silas and young Timothy, obeyed without hesitation. From Troas in Asia Minor, they sailed to Neapolis and set out immediately for the city of Philippi, about fifteen miles inland through a pass. Luke describes it as "the chief city of the district of Macedonia." (Acts 16:12). It was called Philippi after the Macedonian king Philip II (father of Alexander the Great), who captured the city in 356 BC. It then came under Roman rule. It was the scene of decisive battles in 42 BC, which helped strengthen the position of Octavian, who later became Caesar Augustus. In commemoration of this victory, he made Philippi a Roman colony.
