What is Epistle to the Philippians?
The '''Epistle''' (or '''letter''') '''to the Philippians''' is a short book in the [[New Testament]]. It is a [[letter]] to the [[church]] at Philippi in [[Macedonia (region)|Macedonia]] from [[Saint Paul]]. It was written while Paul was in jail for telling people about [[Jesus]]. ==Author== Most everyone thinks that Paul wrote what is in the book. Some think it was a single letter, but others think that it puts together three letters into one. The letter or letters were written in Greek in about 50 to 60 A.D.<ref>[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/alexander_a/canon.iv.x.html?highlight=epistle,greek,language,philippians#highlight Section X. Testimonies to the Canonical Authority of the Fourteen Epistles of Paul]. Canon of the Old and New Testaments Ascertained, or The Bible Complete without the Apocrypha and Unwritten Traditions. Alexander, Archibald (1772–1851).</ref> ==Contents== In Chapters 1 and 2 of Philippians, Paul tells the Philippians that he is about to be [[trial|tried]] in Rome. He says he is not afraid of death,{{Bibleref2c|Phil|1:18b–26}}. He tells the readers to be happy no matter what happens.{{Bibleref2c|Phil|2:14–18}} He says that being in jail is helping to spread the Christian message, rather than stopping it. {{Bibleref2c|Phil|1:12–15}} He says that Epaphroditus is a hard worker and is a hero. The Philippian church had sent Epaphroditus to visit Paul and bring him gifts.{{Bibleref2c|Phil|2:25–30}} Some time during his visit with Paul, Epaphroditus got sick.{{Bibleref2c|Phil|2:26–27}} But he got better before being sent back to the Philippians. In Chapter 3, Paul warns the Philippians about those Christians who insist that circumcision is necessary for salvation. Circumcision is the removal of skin from the male sex organ for religious reasons. It is practiced by Jews and Muslims. He testifies that he once was a strong follower of this and other Jewish laws, but he now considers these things to be like trash compared to the [[gospel]] of Jesus. He says that being right with God comes from [[sol