The Suffering Body as a Site of Virtue Formation in Philippians

Paul's letter to the Philippians was written during the apostle's incarceration and repeatedly draws attention to the theme of suffering. Yet, interpretations of the letter have tended to overlook or downplay the role of suffering and its embodied nature. Melissa J. Barciela examines the place of the suffering body in Paul's letter to the Philippians, particularly as it relates to ancient philosophical virtue formation. She argues that the suffering body figures as a means of virtue formation, both Paul's and the Philippians', and that through this language the apostle forwards a constructive ethic of the body in pain. She also brings together three key angles of inquiry relevant to Philippians-Paul among ancient philosophers, embodiment in antiquity, and the theme of suffering-to offer a new reading of the embodied language in the letter.

1. Introduction
2. The Virtue Tradition and Paul's Letter to Philippi
3. The Suffering Body in Graeco-Roman Philosophical Virtue Traditions
4. The Imprisoned Body: Paul's Body as a Site of Righteous Suffering
5. The Exemplary Body: Christ's Suffering as an Ethical Model
6. The Athletic Body: The Apostolic Body as a Site of Virtue Formation
7. Conclusion: Paul as an Apostle of the Suffering Body