Living and Dying Well in Philippians

The contemporary bifurcation of living and dying and the aversion of death are largely absent in ancient conceptions of human flourishing. Gregory Lamb bridges this gap by combining living and dying well as the twin facets of flourishing and by comparing the often-competing conceptions of flourishing within salient ancient sources (up to 100 CE). Beginning with Paul's concept of flourishing in Philippians, and then comparing/contrasting popular Greco-Roman, Egyptian, and Second Temple Jewish views, the volume advocates a "kaleidoscopic" reading of Paul that attunes to the complex diversity and Sitze im Leben of the Philippians. The author argues that Philippians is central to Paul's presentation of flourishing as a Christocentric, cruciform life, and that despite the competing conceptions of living and dying well in the cultures around him, Paul, nonetheless, stands in stark contrast to them.