at Philippi. All that he has experienced at their hands, all that he has heard of them by report, calls forth from him nothing but thankfulness. Even any word of warning which he may feel to be needful is uttered with the most delicate courtesy and tact. But further, his mood at the time of writing is cheerful and bright. He is a prisoner, but, none the less, the work of Christ has richly prospered. He has discovered that it is altogether independent of the human agents employed. Hence, although enmity or opposition may silence the preacher, the Gospel has free course. It remains the power of God unto salvation. But the progress of events, also, has led him to believe that his work is not done. Things seem to be shaping towards his release. The clouds, indeed, have not wholly vanished. Therefore a dark shadow flits, for a moment, across the page. But hope returns, a hope not baseless, but resting on what he feels to be the mind of God. So his farewell greeting can utter itself in exulting strains: ‘ Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice”’.
LITERATURE. (1) Earlier Commentaries. The most valuable are those of Chrysostom, Theodore of Mopsuestia (ed. H. B. Swete, Camb., 1880) and Theodoret ; in the Reformation period, Calvin.
(2) Modern Works. Out of a large number which have been consulted we may mention Commentaries by Hoelemann (1839), Rilliet (1841), De Wette (ed. 2, 1847), Meyer (Engl. Tr.), Wiesinger (in Olshausen’s Com., Engl. Tr.), B. Weiss (1859, most exhaustive), J. C. von Hofmann, Alford, Ellicott, Lightfoot, Eadie, Beet, Moule (Cambr. Bible ; Cambr. Gr. Test.), A. H. Franke (ed. 5 of Meyer, 1886), R. A. Lipsius (in Holtzmann’s Hand-Commentar, 1892, ad- mirable for terse exposition), A. Klopper (1893, thorough), Gwynn (in Speaker’s Com., 1893), Wohlenberg (in Strack-Zoeckler’s Komm., 1895), B. Weiss (Die paulin. Briefe im berichtigten Text, 1896, brief notes), Vincent (International Crit. Comm., 1897), E. Haupt (ed. 6 of Meyer, 1897, very suggestive), and K. J. Miller (Freib. i. Br., 1899).
Of a more homiletic or practical character are the works of Braune (in Lange’s Bibelwerk), Vaughan (1882) and Von Soden (1889, a model of its kind). To the same category belong Rainy’s exposition of the Epistle (Expositor’s Bible, specially valuable on the theology), and Moule’s Philippian Studies (1897, devotional). Bengel’s Gnomon is always worth consulting.
Most valuable articles dealing with the Epistle are those of Holsten (fahrb. f. protestant. Theol., 1875, 1876, see section on “ Genuineness”’ in the Introduction supr.), Zahn (Luthardt’s Zeitsch. 1. kirchliche Wissensch, u. kirchl. Leben, 1885) and Henle (Tiibingen