The Christ-poem, even if originally composed in Aramaic, still heavily used Hellenistic ideas specifically in the use of Hellenistic phraseology (the form of a god/ equal to god'') as well as in the use of hellenistic theology of a god's ''metamorphosis'' into a man (being in the form of a god...becoming in the likeness of men). The latter part of the passage (Philippians 2:9-10) alluded Hebrew scriptures in Greek (LXX) at least two from psalms (97:9, 132:8) and one from Isaiah (45:23) through Romans 14:11. This shows that the Christ-poem was composed with a Semitic influence.
Philippians 2:9-11 is a poem which is of Semitic origins as well as of Greek origins. The parallelism of Philippians 2:6-11 was a Semitic influence whilst the terms morphe theou and iso theo as well as its concept of a god's metamorphosis into a man (huparchon en morphe theou....genomenon en homoimati anthropoi) were of Hellenistic influence. Crispin-Louis Fletcher (2017) also spoke of these Hellenistic influences in Philippians 2:6-7 [2].
Philippians 2:9 and Psalm 138:3 both used the same word ''name'' [Grk, ''onoma''] that is ''above'' [Grk, ''uper''] everything in the context of exaltation. ''You have exalted your [name] [above] every thing'' (Psalm 138:2).
The first portion of the carmen christi contains Hellenistic phraseology such as morphe theou and iso theo (v. 6). The phrases ''form of God'' and ''equal to God'' were both absent in Hebrew scripture. The Septuagint did have ''equal to God'' in 2 Maccabees 9:12 which is not considered part of the Hebrew scripture. On the other hand, the ''form of God'' was present in the writing of a hellenistic Jew, Philo of Alexandria (On the Embassy to Gaius Chapter 14, 110). [3] In this case, if Philippians 2:6-11 were a pre-Pauline composition originally written in Aramaic [4], the Jewish Palestinian Christians were actually using Hellenistic phraseology translating them into Aramaic. Based on this evidence, it's highly likely was that Paul was writing to Christians of Hellenistic-Jewish origin.
''Just as it is helpful to acknowledge the rich combination of influences on Philippians 2:6-11, it is also illuminating to acknowledge the impact these influences had on the early church. The church we know today originated in a melting pot of cultures which practiced both monotheistic and polytheistic religions. Greco-Roman influences are present and influential in New Testament texts, intertwined with the Semitic background. By knowing this exchange between cultures, one can see more clearly the various influences and pressures that shaped the early church, and how the church has evolved into its present form in the modern day.'' ( Paul's Poetic License: Philippians 2:6-11 as a Hellenistic Hymn, Anna Groebe, 2013). [5]
References
[1] ''As many have now seen, Phil 2:6–11 (along with 3:20–11) is a traditional hymnic piece that uses Greco-Roman language for divine rulers to express a kind of “imperial Christology.” Whilst the second half (vv. 9–11) cites biblical prophecy (Isa 45:23), the first half lacks scriptural language. Instead it employs Greco-Roman language, especially the conventional terminology for the gods’ self-transformations; stories of gods taking on a new "form (μορφή)" to visit human communities in disguise. Besides the shared language that has been noted especially by German scholars (D. Zeller, U. B. Müller and S. Vollenweider, cf. A. Y. Collins), there are other ways in which verses 7–8 employ the distinctive terminology of divine self-transformations that have hitherto escaped commentators' notice. Together, Phil 2:6–11 and 3:20–11 also echo distinctive themes of those stories, for example in the combination of divine self-transformation (2:6–8) and the gods' transformation of human beings (3:21). Christ is a divine ruler who comes to earth in a way that is comparable to the poetic vision of Octavian as a self-transforming God who comes to earth as Rome’s saviour in Horace Odes 1:2 (lines 42ff). However, in other ways Christ’s divine self-transformation is like no other: he empties himself and lives a whole human life, dying on a cross (see vv. 7a, 8a–c), things that the pagan gods never do.'' (https://www.academia.edu/35135373/Incarnation_Ruler_Cult_and_Divine_Desire_in_Philippians_2_6_11)
[2] ''In my most recent post on Christology I began to speak about the “incarnation” Christology found famously in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, 2:6-11. There are a lot of other things I want to say about this passage, all of them relevant to the issues I’ve been discussing. The first and most important thing is that it has been widely recognized by scholars for a very long time that this passage is something that Paul appears to be quoting, that it is not simply part of the prose letter. Moreover, it is frequently called (probably wrongly) a “hymn” (that’s probably wrong because – as I’ve been told by an expert in the field of ancient music, it doesn’t actually scan as music). But in any event, it is highly structured in a balanced fashion and thus seems to be more like a poem than like prose. The reasons for thinking that Paul is quoting rather than composing it are pretty compelling''. (https://ehrmanblog.org/the-pre-pauline-poem-in-philippians-2-for-members/)
[3] ''Is it fitting now to compare with these oracles of Apollo the ill-omened warning of Gaius, by means of which poverty, and dishonour, and banishment, and death were given premature notice of to all those who were in power and authority in any part of the world? What connexion or resemblance was there between him and Apollo, when he never paid any attention to any ties of kindred or friendship? Let him cease, then, this pretended Apollo, from imitating that real healer of mankind, for the form of God is not a thing which is capable of being imitated by an inferior one, as good money is imitated by bad'' (On the Embassy to Gaius, Chapter 14, verse 110).
http://www.earlyjewishwritings.com/text/philo/book40.html
[4] ''Fitzmyer retrojects the Greek of Phil 2:6–11 into (mostly) Second Temple Aramaic, which he suggests supports a Palestinian provenance.'' (Christ’s Enthronement at God’s Right Hand and Its Greco-Roman Cultural Context, D. Clint Burnett , 2021, page 115)
[5] https://digitalcommons.augustana.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=honrstudent
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