Captured by Christ Jesus : Paul as Christ's Trophy Slave in Philippians 3:12c Conspectus : The Journal of the South African Theological Seminary, Volume 12, Issue 09, Sep 2011, p. 1 - 38

Abstract

Paul's autobiographical account of his Christian existence in Philippians 3:12 has been a source of immense encouragement to believers, as well as a subject of extensive academic debate. An aspect of this debate is the group of grammatical conceptual and theological problems presented by his transitional disclaimer in Philippians : Several proposals for resolving these questions have been made but the full import of his cryptic statement in Philippians 3:12c that he as κατελήμφθην ύπό Χριστοΰ Ϊησοΰ appears not to have received the attention it deserves. By examining Paul's self-understanding throughout the epistle, and pertinent data in the secondary literature on the Roman triumphus, during which prized captives of war were proudly paraded as the victor's trophy this article argues that Paul describes himself in Philippians 3:12c as Christ's captive trophy slave. The merits of the proposal including how it rebutted the arguments of Paul's opponents and how it helps elucidate the link between Philippians 3:12c and the rest of the epistle, are also discussed.