The life and work of St. Paul

PHILIPPI. 277
parts of the world.1 In his Epistle to the Philippians St. Paul makes prominent
mention of two ladies, Euodia and Syntychc, who were well known hi the
Christian community, although unhappily they could not agree with each other. 2
The part that women played in the dissemination of the Gospel can hardly be
exaggerated, and unless it was a mere accident that only women were assembled
in the proseucha on the first Sabbath at Philippi, we must suppose that not a
few of the male converts mentioned shortly afterwards 3 were originally won
over by their influence. The only converts who are mentioned by name are
Epaphroditus, for whom both Paul and the Philippian Church seem to have
felt a deep regard; Clemens, and Syzygos, or "yokefellow,"* whom Paul
addresses in a playful paronomasia, and entreats him to help the evangelising
toils the joint wrestlings for the Gospel of Euodia and Syntyche. But
besides those there were other unnamed fellow-workers to whom St. Paul
bears the high testimony that " their names were in the book of life."
Yery encouraging and very happy must these weeks at Philippi have
been, resulting, as they did, in the founding of a Church, to whose members
he finds it needful to give but few warnings, and against whom ho does
not utter a word of blame. The almost total absence of Jews meant an
almost total absence of persecution. The Philippians were heart-whole in
their Christian faith. St. Paul's entire Epistle to them breathes of joy,
affection, and gratitude. He seems to remember that he is writing to a
colony, and a military colony a colony of Roman " athletes." Ho reminds
them of a citizenship loftier and more ennobling than that of Rome; 6 ho calls
Epaphroditus not only his fellow-worker, but also his fellow-soldier, one who
had stood shoulder to shoulder with him in the now Macedonian phalanx,
which was to join as of old in an advance to the conquest of the world. He
derives his metaphorical expressions from the wrestling-ground and the race. 8
Alike St. Paul and St. Luke seem to rejoice in the strong, manly Roman
nature of these converts, of whom many were slaves and freedmen, but
of whom a large number had been soldiers, drawn from various parts of
Italy in the civil wars men of the hardy Marsian and Pelignian stocktrained
in the stem, strong discipline of the Roman legions, and unsophisticated
by the debilitating Hellenism of a mongrel population. St. Paul
loved them more and honoured them more than he did the dreamy, superstitious
Ephesians, the fickle, impulsive Gauls, or the conceited, factious
Achaians. In writing to Thessalonica and Philippi he had to deal with men
of a larger mould and manlier mind more true and more tender than the men
M r
l See Lightfoot, Philip., p. 55.
J s
Phil. iv. 2.
Acts xvi. 40.
4 It is true that the name does not occur elsewhere, but I cannot for a moment believe
with Clemens Alex. (Strom, iii. 6, 53) and Epiphanius (H. E. iii. 30) that the word
2uvye means "wife." Lydia is not mentioned in the Epistle, unless the name of this
Lydian lady was Euodia or Syntyche. She may have died, or have returned to her native
city in the intervening years. She most assuredly would have been named if the Epistle
had been a forgery.
5 Phil. i. 27, woAiTev'cotfe ; iii. 20, iroXirevfio. I
6 Phil. i. 27, oT^Ktr*; iii. 12, Ju>; 14, iv\ ro 8pa0u>i>j Iv. 3, nj0A>|