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Philippians and Philemon: Prison Epistles, Part 2

  1. Lesson One
    Overview of Philippians (Philippians 1–4)
    22 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. Lesson Two
    Philippians: Suffering and Community (Philippians Review)
    22 Activities
  3. Lesson Three
    Overview of Philemon
    22 Activities
  4. Lesson Four
    Paul and Slavery (Philemon, Romans 6 Review)
    17 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  5. Lesson Five
    Social Impact
    9 Activities
    |
    4 Assessments
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Read the larger passage containing Paul’s contrast between life and death in Philippians 1:21-26 NIV:

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on account of me.

As literature, this passage presents a somewhat agonized decision by Paul. He says he is “torn between the two,” life and death. Is this simply stating Paul’s existential feeling? As Dr. N. Clayton Croy has noted, Paul is likely using an ancient rhetorical trope in this passage known as “feigned perplexity.” Ancient thinkers would sometimes pretend to be uncertain as to the better of two options or ideas to produce a dramatic effect. People like Plato and Cicero would use this trope to move their audiences. There are many examples we might look at, but let’s hear the Greek orator Isocrates, from the mid-fourth century BC, roughly 400 years before Philippians was written:

I am at a loss as to what I should do–whether I should speak the truth as on other occasions or be silent, fearing enmity with you. For while it seems better to me to talk about (your errors), I see that you are more harshly disposed toward those who offer reproof than toward those who are responsible for your misfortunes. Nevertheless I would be ashamed if I appeared to be more concerned for my own reputation than for the common safety. It is, therefore, my duty and the duty of others who are concerned about the state to choose, not the words which are most pleasant, but those which are most beneficial.
—Isocrates

While he’s giving this speech, Isocrates isn’t really deciding whether he’s going to speak up. This part of the speech is itself a reflection of his decision to speak up. He frames the alternative he’s chosen (speaking up), alongside its opposite (not speaking up), in a performance of uncertainty for dramatic effect.

Not only is each speaker presenting himself as doing something selfless for the common good, the structures of the two passages are similar. The speaker pretends to be uncertain before framing the dilemma and making his “decision.” Croy has placed key phrases from these two passages side by side to emphasize these parallels.

His . . .IsocratesPaul
uncertainty“I am at a loss”“I do not know”
agenda“the common safety” “your progress and joy in faith”
reason“my duty”“this is to me the gain from the labor”
dilemma“to choose”“What will I choose”
alternative“most pleasant (words)”“better by far”
decision“most beneficial”“more necessary”

Table and quote from: N. Clayton Croy, “‘To Die Is Gain’” (Philippians 1:19-26): Does Paul Contemplate Suicide?” Journal of Biblical Literature 122, no. 3 (2003), pp. 528-529.

Beyond its dramatic value, this approach gained credibility with the audience and provided context for the rest of what the speaker had to say. Because Isocrates has already established the fact that his speaking up is a selfless and unrewarding option, the audience can trust his voice and the rest of his message. So Philippians 1:21-24 isn’t only about the benefits of being in Christ in life and death; it’s about credibility and context for the rest of the letter. 

Paul is not in this moment facing a life-or-death crisis, nor is he genuinely considering death seriously as an outcome worth exploring. As Croy puts it: 

Paul’s dilemma is chiefly to be in his rhetoric, not in his legal predicament or his psychological state. Paul does not think that he is in mortal jeopardy because of alleged crimes, neither is he despondent and pushed to such extremes that he is pondering self-destruction.

Paul wasn’t promoting martyrdom or saying that in some cases it’s better to try to die for Christ than to live for Him. But by performing “feigned perplexity,” as so many classical rhetoricians had before him, Paul made a point about how Christians are safe in Christ in life and death. Incidentally, he also crafted one of his most memorable passages, and one that resonated with Christian martyrs in the centuries to come. 

Quote from: N. Clayton Croy, “‘To Die Is Gain’” (Philippians 1:19-26): Does Paul Contemplate Suicide?” Journal of Biblical Literature 122, no. 3 (2003), pp. 528-529.