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.