High Definition

Commentary

Philippians

Steven E. Runge

Visual Design by Shiloh Hubbard

Lexham Press, 2011

High Definition Commentary: Philippians

Copyright 2011 Lexham Press

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You may use slides and brief quotations from this book in presentations. You may also use brief quotations from this book in articles and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. Email us at permissions@lexhampress.com.

Author: Steven E. Runge

Visual Designer: Shiloh Hubbard

Publisher/Editor: John D. Barry

Copy Editor: Francine VanWoudenberg Sikkema

Project Support: Jessi Gering

Acknowledgments and Dedication

Several people played a key role in the development of this volume. Thanks first and foremost to Bob Pritchett, who had the idea to marry the insights from my work in discourse studies with the power of infographics. These incredible graphics were fashioned by Shiloh Hubbard, a very gifted member of the Logos team. John D. Barry’s work in editing and overseeing the production of this volume is also to be commended. Finally, special thanks to Patrick C. Geracie for contributing a conceptual framework that helped shape my understanding of Philippians; I dedicate this volume to him.

Introduction

How Is the High Definition Commentary Different?

What you are about to read is derived from a rigorous discourse analysis of the Greek text of Philippians. Discourse analysis doesn’t just look at what is said but how it’s said. By looking at how Paul phrased things in Greek, we can see the progression of his thoughts. The phrasing of every sentence in the New Testament presupposes decisions about communication—the same kinds of decisions we make every day.

This commentary guides you through the linguistic devices Paul used and shows what we can learn from them. It’s a guided tour of the Greek text—minus the unnecessary details. I highlight the important stuff for you.

Why I Wrote This Commentary

Commentaries either give you the big picture or all the detail. But what I really want is a commentary that gives you the details you need without losing sight of the big picture. That’s what this commentary is about.

In the Lexham Discourse Greek New Testament and the Lexham High Definition New Testament, I annotated all the significant discourse devices that aid us in biblical interpretation. There is one drawback to these volumes: the onus is on you to synthesize the data into a cohesive analysis. In this volume, I synthesize the conclusions that can be drawn from my analysis of Philippians and make them easy to understand.

Discourse studies have a reputation for complexity. Linguists joke that it rivals nuclear fission or brain surgery. The secret is that, as a speaker of any language, you actually know a lot more about discourse devices than you might think. The problem is that we rarely think about these issues. We just do what fits best in the context; we use whatever devices ...