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1 results

  • (Im)Perfection: Reading Philippians 3.5–6 in Light of the Number Seven

  • Todd D. Still
  • Journal:
    New Testament Studies / Volume 60 / Issue 1 / January 2014
    Published online by Cambridge University Press:
    16 December 2013, pp. 139-148
    Print publication:
    January 2014

  • Although interpreters of Philippians have observed both the number and the progression of items in Phil 3.5–6, previous scholarship on the letter has failed to recognise that this ‘catalogue of boasting’ consists of precisely seven items. As a result, commentators have not attempted to explicate these two verses in light of the ostensible presence and influence of numerical symbolism. This paper offers a fresh reading of Phil 3.5–6 (and surrounding verses) – one that keeps Paul's sevenfold list of his pedigree and performance in Judaism clearly in view. The insights gleaned from the interpretation proffered in this article enable a fuller understanding of this programmatic autobiographical text.