The Book of Philippians was a letter written by the apostle Paul to a church in a city called Philippi. Most Bible scholars believe the letter was written around the year 60 A.D. and was probably written from a place called Caesarea—though some have debated it may also have been written from Rome (60–63 A.D.), Ephesus (54–57 A.D.), or Corinth (50 A.D.). One thing that’s definitely clear is Paul was writing this letter from prison—one of the many times Paul was imprisoned.

The city of Philippi was a pretty big deal in the ancient world. It was essentially a gateway between Europe and Asia, a busy city with a great deal of business coming through it. Many have called Philippi a mini Rome, particularly due to the large number of Roman citizens and retired Roman soldiers living there.

Philippi was also a very wealthy town, because of its gold and silver mines. For Paul, Philippi was a city and church he held very dearly. His missionary work in Europe began at Philippi, and he was the first to start baptizing people in the continent.

Interestingly, there doesn’t actually seem to be a single overriding concern or issue behind the writing of this letter. This differs from many of his other letters, like the letters to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, etc. For the most part, this is simply a thank you letter from Paul to a group of believers who were especially near and dear to his heart. What was he thanking them for? The Philippians had sent Paul a very generous financial gift to support him during his imprisonment as he awaited an audience with Caesar. The Philippians were also very concerned about Paul’s wellbeing, so Paul wrote not only to thank and encourage them, but also to reassure them of his condition—both spiritual and physical.