ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the place of others-centeredness within the Christian New Testament. Focusing in particular on Philippians 2:3 and its immediate context, and then zooming out to other Pauline literature and the Gospels, the chapter argues that it is plausible to interpret several key New Testament texts as encouraging readers to adopt others-centeredness. The main argument begins with an explanation of how a philosophical puzzle raised by representative English translations of Philippians 2:3 can be adequately resolved if the passage is interpreted as encouraging the cultivation of others-centeredness. The central heavy lifting of the argument then comes when attention is shifted to the original Greek of Philippians 2:3 and its surrounding context, where it is argued that a sophisticated case can be made for viewing this verse as well as Philippians as a whole as advocating others-centeredness. The chapter then turns to textual and thematic parallels between Philippians and other New Testament texts, making a more tentative case that others-centeredness is also encouraged elsewhere throughout the New Testament. The final sections of the chapter respond to important challenges to these interpretive arguments, and identify avenues for developing a more thorough New Testament Theology of others-centeredness.
