Philippians
Proper noun 1. A book of the New Testament: "Philippians" is the name of a book in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is an epistle (letter) traditionally attributed to the Apostle Paul, written to the Christian community in the city of Philippi.
"Philippians" is used exclusively as a proper noun to refer to this specific biblical text. It is often preceded by the definite article "the" and treated as a singular entity, though it contains multiple chapters. * As a subject: "Philippians is one of the Prison Epistles." * With a preposition: "A key theme in Philippians is joy." * Referring to content: "He quoted from Philippians, chapter four."
- Scholarly Reference: In academic or theological writing, "Philippians" may be abbreviated (e.g., "Phil." or "Php.") when citing chapter and verse (e.g., Philippians 4:13).
- Attribution Phrases: It is common to use phrases like "the Epistle to the Philippians" or "Paul's letter to the Philippians" for formal clarity.
- Philippian (adjective): Of or relating to the city of Philippi or the epistle of Philippians.
- Example: The Philippian church was known for its generosity.
- Philippi (proper noun): The ancient Macedonian city to which the epistle was addressed.
- The Epistle to the Philippians: The full formal title.
- The Letter to the Philippians: A common descriptive synonym.
While "Philippians" primarily denotes the biblical book, it can also refer metonymically to the community of believers in Philippi to whom the letter was sent, though this is less common in modern usage. * Example (metonymic): "Paul thanks the Philippians for their gift." (Here, "Philippians" refers to the people of the church in Philippi).
- a New Testament book containing an epistle from Saint Paul to the church at Philippi in Macedonia