Philippians
Although this letter was written while Paul was in prison, it is one of the most joyful books in the whole Bible. It's most prominent theme is joy, specifically the joy of serving Jesus.
Philippi was a culturally diverse Roman city on the main highway from the eastern provinces to Rome, and the church at Philippi had a very diverse group of believers.
Women played important leadership roles in the churches that Paul founded. He mentions two in chapter four, Euodia and Syntyche. The exact nature of their leadership is not known, but the authority of both women was sufficient that Paul encouraged them to seek harmony with one another. Paul was concerned that they "be of the same mind in the Lord."
Colossians
The city of Colosse was about a hundred miles east of Ephesus. At one time it was a large and strategic city but by the time of this writing it had declined into the shadows of nearby cities.
Theologians debate about the authorship of this letter. Most agree that it was not written by Paul but rather by one of his followers. Ancient writers had different views about plagerism and it would have been out of honor that they wrote this letter in their mentors name.
The Colossian church was experiencing the same sorts of problems that other early churches had encountered. Certain members were teaching that the observance of Jewish rulers about food, the Sabbath, and special festivals would help believers earn their salvation.
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