This book breaks new ground in offering an exposition of the theological
message of the Shorter Pauline Letters. Karl P. Donfried puts 1 and 2
Thessalonians in their cultural context, and identifies a number of key
themes in these letters, such as the notion of election. I. Howard
Marshall's study of Philippians brings out especially the understanding
of the theological basis of the Christian life that underlies the
letter, while his discussion of Philemon emphasizes how the main theme
of the letter is the relation between the gospel and Christian ethics.