- Author: Paul writing from prison in Rome is what most scholars agree on as clearly the letter itself is from him (1:1). Furthermore, the writings of the early church fathers attest to Pauline authorship (Walvoord & Zuck, 1984). There are undoubtedly echoes of the epistle in Polycarp's Letter to the Philippians, with earlier allusions in the letters of Ignatius and Clement (Martin, 2009). The letter itself consisted of 221 lines according to the count of ancient lines (stichoi) in each (McRay, 2003). Paul's prison letters are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon written while he was in prison, however, there is no positive proof whether the letters were from his imprisonment in Rome or perhaps Ephesus or Caesarea (Gundry, 2003).- Date: The approximate date of this letter is AD 61 or 62 from Rome (Holman Bible Publishers, 2004). Paul writes to Philippians near the end of his imprisonment and expects to be released soon and to visit the church in Philippi. This is evident from the fact that one of the church members, Epaphroditus, brought him financial help, and Paul thanks him for this in this letter (Gundry, 2003). - Main themes Living the Christian life, Joy in difficulties, Mindset, Beware of Judaizers, Fellowship, push towards the goal, encouragementLiving the Christian life Concerned about the members of the church of Philippi, Paul encourages them in their Christian life. According to Paul, living means living for Christ. Help each other grow and experience the joy of faith. Praise for their constant testimony (1.3-6). Praise for their concern for the gospel (1.7) and praise shown by his love for them (1.8). Joy in Difficulties Another theme of this epistle is joy. Paul rejoices in the promotion of the Gospel... middle of paper... don't worry about anything; instead pray for everything, tell God what you need and thank him for everything he has done (4.6). Experiencing the peace of God, surpassing all understanding. His peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ (4.7). Works Cited The Orientation Bible. (2013). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers. Goodrick, E., & Kohlenberger, J. (1999). The strongest NIV exhaustive concordance. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. Gundry, R. (2003). A survey of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.Holman Bible Publishers. (2004). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (C. Brand, C. Draper, and A. England, eds.) Nasville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.McRay, J. (2003). Paul: his life and teaching. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. Walvoord, J. F., & Zuck, R. B. (1984). The commentary on the knowledge of the Bible: New Testament. Colorado Springs, CO: David C Cook.