"Live as Worthy Citizens": The πολιτεύομαι Metaphor in Philippians

Abstract

This thesis argues that πολιτεύομαι functions as a dominant conceptual metaphor in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, and therefore, this metaphor frames and structures Paul’s ethical discourse. When Paul employs this powerful metaphor to describe the Christian life, he brings to the foreground a conceptual template, which Paul ties to an ideal Christian community and a model citizen—Christ. The verb πολιτεύομαι provides an avenue for understanding Christian responsibility by evoking an encyclopedic conceptual frame animated by both the Greco-Roman and Jewish backgrounds. In other words, the πολιτεύομαι metaphor in Philippians supplies a familiar cultural lens through which Paul exhorts the Philippians.