Pauline Epistles, also one of four Prison Epistles, 11th book of the New Testament.
Author: Paul and Timothy are named as the authors in Philippians 1:1. Paul is traditionally considered the primary author.
Audience: Philippians is written to a group of believers with whom Paul founded a church, during his second missionary journey in approximately AD 49 (Acts 16). Philippi was a Roman colony, with believers consisting primarily of Gentiles. This group had donated support to Paul, financially and otherwise, at least three times prior to this letter (Philippians 4:16). They had also delivered another gift through Epaphroditus. This letter, written about 12 years after the founding of the Philippian church, is largely a thank you letter to the Philippians, and as a result is mostly positive. However, because Paul wrote this letter during a time of house arrest in Rome, it includes the major theme of rejoicing during suffering. Paul personally identified with those who suffer. He had sympathy for the suffering of Philippian believers, and gives much encouragement to help them during times of hardship. Paul also speaks against those who preached out of personal ambition (Philippians 2:3–4; Philippians 1:15–18) and various false teachers (Philippians 3).
Date: Approximately AD 60–62, during Paul’s first Roman imprisonment.