Designed to make the latest scholarship on Philippians accessible to a broader readership, this new commentary brings to life both the letter's historical setting and its vigorously theological purpose. A number of important recent studies of the social and religious context of first-century Philippi are here considered for the first time in a commentary, and the author offers a critical engagement with several of the newer approaches to Pauline interpretation, including questions of rhetoric and social convention. Theological highlights include the themes of Christian joy in all circumstances, the Philippians' active 'stake-holding' partnership in the gospel, and above all the pervasive passion for a union with Christ in following his self-humbling example of service. Giving due attention both to the theological heritage of St. Paul's Jewish background and to the Greco-Roman social and religious setting of his readership, this commentary relates a well-grounded understanding of the letter's first-century impact to the wider concerns of Christian theology.