Philippians 1:15

Of envy and strife. — Explained below as of “contention,” or, more properly (as in Philippians 2:3, and in Romans 2:8; 2 Corinthians 12:20; Galatians 5:20), of factiousness, or “party spirit.” It seems impossible to doubt that this refers to the Judaising party, St. Paul’s old antagonists. The whole tenor of the Epistle to the Romans shows how strong a Judaic element there was in Roman Christianity. Even in approaching Rome, we may gather from Acts 28:15, that the Apostle had felt doubtful of his reception there by the Church. His formal renunciation of the obstinate Jews, and proclamation that the Gentiles would hear what they had rejected, might excite against him not only the unbelieving Jews, but the Jewish and still more the Judaising Christians. The party “of Cephas” and the party “of Paul” might be placed in strong antagonism more easily than even at Corinth.