Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und Neuen Testaments - Studien zur Handlungsorientierung einer frÃ"hchristliche
Was he a model figure or not? Heiko Wojtkowiak deals with the question of the relationship between Paul's strict ethical mandates toward the congregation of the Philippians and Christ's own actions. His intention is to illuminate the relationship between paraklesis and Christ's saving action as stated in Paul's letter to the Philippians. To approach this diputed question, he looks at the role Christ is given in the epistle as a moral model and particularly illuminates the Christian Psalm (Phil. 2.6-11) and its role in the epistle. From this ethical vantage point Wojtkowiak make the case that with his letter Paul was addressing a concrete conflict there, a crisis prompted by experiences of suffering within this Gentile Christian congregation.