Philippians 1:16

The one do it of love, knowing that I am set for the defense of the gospel; but the other proclaim Christ of faction, not sincerely, thinking to raise up affliction for me in my bonds.

The factious party in view here had the purpose of making Paul's imprisonment more distasteful and burdensome, no doubt hoping to influence his judges against him, their conduct in this being as contemptible as any that could be imagined.

Set for the defense of the gospel ... Foy E. Wallace deplored the rendition of this in RSV which drops out of sight altogether the stern and determined purpose of the word "set," making it read, "I am put here![34]

Lightfoot identified the factious preachers of this passage as belonging to the Judaizing party, giving reasons for the difference in Paul's rejoicing in their preaching (as stated in the next verse) and his scathing denunciation of the Judaizers in Galatians; but the reasons for such a change of Paul's viewpoint are not sufficient. Therefore, it seems far more preferable to look for the source of the envy and strife against Paul in some other quarter. Caffin and many others have followed Lightfoot's lead in this, supposing that:

Their motives were not pure; they wished to make Paul feel the helplessness of imprisonment, and to increase his affliction by opposing his doctrines, and by forming a party insisting on the observance of the ceremonial law.[35]

[34] Foy E. Wallace, Jr., A Review of the New Versions (Fort Worth, Texas: Foy E. Wallace, Jr. Publications, 1973), p. 445.

[35] B. C. Caffin, op. cit., p. 5.