Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 160:639 (Jul 2003)
Article: The Humiliation of Christ in the Social World of Roman Philippi, Part 1
Author: Joseph H. Hellerman

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BSac 160:639 (Jul 03) p. 321

The Humiliation of Christ in the Social World of Roman Philippi, Part 1

Joseph H. Hellermana

The purpose of this two-part series is to demonstrate how knowledge about the social world of Roman Philippi contributes to understanding Paul’s rhetorical strategy in his portrayal of Christ’s humiliation in Philippians 2:6–11. A newly published collection of inscriptions from Philippi, along with two recent monographs that attempt more accurately to situate Paul’s letter in its historical and cultural setting, offer promising avenues of approach to a text that has been at the center of Christological controversy for generations.1 This article examines the social world of the colony of Philippi, where the social stratification so central to Roman sensibilities—and the corresponding quest for public honors that characterized elite males in the empire—manifested itself to a degree apparently unparalleled in the Roman world. A second article will offer reflections on the importance of the social setting of the colony for interpreting Philippians 2:6–11.

Social Stratification in the Roman World

Much has been written on class structure and social stratification in antiquity, and the problems associated with cross-cultural

BSac 160:639 (Jul 03) p. 322

analysis undertaken across great barriers of time are well known.2 It is commonly acknowledged, however, that Roman elite society was highly stratified and that this stratification was replicated in various nonelite social settings throughout the empire.3 Also elite males in Roman society engaged in a relentless quest for the acquisition and preservation of personal and familial honor. These concerns, in turn, generated a consuming passion to identify persons publicly according to social status, a characteristic of Roman society that found expression wherever two or more were gathered in the ancient world.4

Based on their social status individuals wore different clothing, occupied different seats at public events, and experienced different treatment at the hands of Roman magistrates. Urban patronage provided an opportunity for elites to enhance their honor by spending their wealth on public projects such as fountains, baths, and libraries. Civic offices and local priesthoods throughout the empire served further to highlight the status of their occupants. Various other...

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