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  • From: rfellows AT intergate.ca
  • To: <corpus-paul AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Time and place of Philippians
  • Date: Sat, 18 May 2002 21:22:26 -0700


David Inglis wrote:
>My view is that there is simply *no* evidence
>that points to Ephesus. There are a few things that allow Ephesus as a
>possibility, but that is not the same thing.
>
>For example, Paul's words in Philippians regarding Timothy's movements do
>appear to fit with what is recorded in Acts 19 and 1 Cor. However, all
>that means is that Timothy's movements in Philippians do not preclude
>Ephesus.

David, you agree that Paul's words in Philippians regarding Timothy's
movements do appear to fit with what is recorded in Acts 19 and 1 Cor. I
therefore fail to understand why you do not see this as evidence for Ephesus
as the place of writing of Philippians. There is other evidence for Rome, of
course, but the data in Phil concerning the movements of Paul and Timothy
must surely be registered as evidence for Ephesus.

The data is as follows:

1. Paul plans to send Timothy to Philippi (Phil 2:19)
2. Timothy is to return to Paul (Phil 2:19)
3. Paul plans to visit Philippi soon (Phil 2:24)

Now, these planned movements are identical to what was planned during the
Ephesian period. We have the same planned movements in the same order:

1. From 1 Cor 4:17 and 16:10) we deduce that Timothy was sent by Paul to
Corinth by the land route (i.e. via Philippi).
2. From 1 Cor 16:11 we know that the plan was for him to return to Paul.
3. From 1 Cor 16:5 we know that Paul planned to visit Macedonia. (From 2 Cor
1:16 we can deduce that the plan to go to Macedonia was made rather earlier
than 1 Cor, and probably pre-dated the departure of Timothy from Ephesus.
Acts 19:22 also confirms that the plan to go to Macedonia was made before the
departure of Timothy. For more on this see my "Was Titus Timothy?", JSNT,
2001)

So each of the pieces of data in Philippians fits with Ephesus in the year
before 1 Corinthians.

If, on the other hand, we believe in Rome as the place of writing of
Philippians, then we have to arbitrarily hypothesize a duplication of all
three pieces of data. It is not, of course, impossible that all these
circumstances occurred together a second time, but it would be a bit of a
coincidence. Our duty as historians is to go with the most economical
hypothesis.

It is my personal opinion that the pastoral epistles are of no value in
tracing the movements of Paul and his companions. I would therefore say that
we have no evidence that Timothy ever went to Rome.

Incidentally, I suggest that Colossians should not be used to interpret
Philemon. I therefore have no idea where Philemon was written from or to.

Richard Fellows
rfellows AT intergate.ca
Winnipeg
Canada




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