The Universal Eschatological Worship of Jesus Christ in Paul’s Letter to the Philippians

Drawing on the all-encompassing worship of God in Isaiah 45:23 and contrasting this against the backdrop of the Roman cult of Augustus in the colony of Philippi, Surif shows how the apostle Paul encourages believers to orient their lives towards the coming universal worship of God and his Christ, who humbled himself and was exalted (Phil 2:6–11). It is a real delight to welcome the publication of this excellent, promising first monograph from a talented Indonesian New Testament scholar and teacher!

Markus Bockmuehl, PhD
University of Oxford, UK

This careful and theologically important study establishes that the universal eschatological worship of Christ serves as one of the keys to the message of Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of Paul’s theology.

Roy E. Ciampa, PhD
Samford University, Birmingham, Alabama, USA

Surif is to be commended for effectively bringing to the fore the topic of eschatological worship, not just in the famous christological hymn of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, but also the entire letter. No stone is left unturned in this comprehensive account of the theme.

Kim Huat Tan, PhD
Trinity Theological College, Singapore

2. Abbreviations
3. Chapter 1 Introduction
4. 1. Review of Scholarship
   2. 1. Ernst Käsemann
      2. Ralph P. Martin
      3. Morna Hooker
      4. Larry W. Hurtado
      5. Stephen Fowl
      6. L. Gregory Bloomquist
      7. Peter Oakes
      8. Joseph H. Hellerman
      9. M. Sydney Park
      10. Sergio Rosell Nebreda
      11. Heiko Wojtkowiak
      12. Summary and Remarks
   3. Thesis
   4. The Terminology of Worship
   5. Methodology and Presentation
5. Chapter 2 The Universal Eschatological Worship of YHWH in Isaiah 45:23–24
6. 1. The Eschatological Worship of YHWH in Ancient Jewish Writings
   2. 1. The Covenantal Notion
      2. The Visions of the Universal Worship of YHWH
      3. YHWH’s Eschatological Reign
      4. The Transformation of the Worshippers of YHWH
      5. Summary
   3. The Universal Eschatological Worship of YHWH in Isaiah
   4. 1. The Universal Eschatological Worship
      2. The Eschatological Reign of YHWH
      3. The Transformation of the Worshippers
      4. The Covenant Framework
      5. Summary
   5. Reading Isaiah 45:23–24
   6. 1. The Texts
      2. The Context
      3. The Universal Eschatological Worship of YHWH
      4. YHWH’s Eschatological Reign and Salvation
      5. The Transformation of the Worshippers
      6. The Covenant Notion
   7. Summary
7. Chapter 3 Paul’s Reading of Isaiah 45:23
8. 1. The Use of Isaiah 45:23 in 4Q215A – Time of Righteousness
   2. 1. The Universal Eschatological Worship of the God of Israel
      2. The Eschatological Reign and Salvation of God
      3. The Motif of Holiness
      4. The Covenant Notion
      5. Synthesis
   3. The Use of Isaiah 45:23 in the Aleinu Prayer
   4. 1. The Universal Worship of God
      2. The Eschatological Reign of YHWH
      3. The Motif of Holiness
      4. The Covenant Notion
      5. Synthesis
   5. The Use of Isaiah 45:23 in Romans 14:11
   6. 1. The Universal Eschatological Worship
      2. YHWH’s Eschatological Reign
      3. The Holiness Motif
      4. The Covenant Framework
   7. Summary
9. Chapter 4 The Worship of Augustus in the City of Philippi
10. 1. The Worship of Augustus in the Greco-Roman World
    2. 1. The Roman Imperial Cult
       2. The Rise and Prominence of the Cult of Augustus
    3. The Worship of Augustus in Philippi
    4. 1. The Roman Philippi at the Time of Paul
       2. The Existence of the Cult of Augustus
       3. The Prominence of the Cult of Augustus
    5. The Eschatological Significance of the Worship of Augustus
    6. 1. The Myth of the Golden Age in Antiquity
       2. Virgil’s Remaking of the Myth
       3. The Imperial Version of the Golden Age
       4. The Prevalence of the Mythical-Imperial Ideology
       5. The Worship of Augustus and the Golden Age of Rome
    7. Summary
11. Chapter 5 The Setting of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians
12. 1. The Integrity of the Letter
    2. 1. The External Evidence
       2. The Internal Evidence
       3. Excursus: The Epistolary Type and Rhetorical Structure
    3. The Writer, the Recipients, and their Relationship
    4. 1. Paul, the Slave of Christ Jesus
       2. The Church at Philippi
       3. The Koinonia in the Gospel of Christ
    5. The Addressed Problems
    6. 1. Excursus: The Cult of Augustus and the Civic Opposition in Philippi
    7. The Anti-Imperial Stance
13. Chapter 6 The Universal Worship of Christ in Philippians 2:6–11
14. 1. Working Framework for Reading Philippians 2:6–11
    2. 1. The Context of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians
       2. Philippians 2:6–11 as the Narratival Gospel of Jesus Christ
       3. The Reading of the Eschatological Narrative in Isaiah
       4. Philippians 2:6–11 as a Polemic Against the Imperial Narrative of Augustus
    3. Philippians 2:10–11 as the Universal Worship of the Messiah Jesus
    4. 1. Worship or Submission?
       2. The Object of Worship
       3. The Worshippers
       4. The Event of Worship
    5. The Significances of the Motif of Eschatological Worship of Christ
    6. 1. Christology
       2. Soteriology
       3. Anti-Imperial Stance
       4. Ethics
    7. Summary
15. Chapter 7 The Function of Philippians 2:10–11
16. 1. Paul’s Eschatological Frame of Mind
    2. 1. Paul’s Τοῦτο Φρονεῖν in 1:5–7
       2. Paul’s Τοῦτο Φρονεῖτε Exhortation in 2:5–11
       3. Paul’s Τοῦτο Φρονῶμεν Exhortation in 3:4–15
       4. Synthesis
    3. Reading Philippians 1:27–2:18
    4. 1. Paul’s Rhetorical Strategy
       2. The Pivotal Element of Paul’s Eschatological Frame of Mind
       3. Synthesis
    5. Reading Philippians 3:2–4:4
    6. 1. Paul’s Rhetorical Strategy
       2. The Pivotal Elements of Paul’s Frame of Mind
       3. Synthesis
       Chapter 8 Summary and Conclusion
    7. Bibliography
    8. Index of Names
    9. Index of Scripture
    10. Index of Ancient Texts and Literature