Epistle to Philemon

The Epistle to Philemon is a book of the Bible in the New Testament. Philemon is now generally regarded as one of the undisputed works of Saint Paul, although it was questioned in the past by some. It is the shortest of Paul's extant letters, consisting of only 335 words in the original Greek text, and 25 verses in modern English translations.

Summary

Paul, who is apparently in prison (probably in either Rome or Ephesus), writes with his assistant Timothy to a fellow-Christian Philemon and two of his associates, Apphia and Archippus. Philemon is indentified as a leader of the Christian community in his city (possibly Colossae) for the church congregates in his house. Paul praises Philemon's generosity, which he says is a source of joy for him, because Philemon "has refreshed the hearts of the saints."

Paul writes on behalf of Philemon's slave, Onesimus. Onesimus is described as having been "separated" from Philemon, once having been "useless" to him (a pun on Onesimus's name, which means "useful"), and having done him wrong. The dominant scholarly consensus is that Onesimus is a run-away slave: a fugitivus. Apparently Philemon or has become a Christian believer under Paul's tutelage after fleeing from Philemon's household, for Paul states that he "became my son while I was in chains." Paul now sends him back to face his aggrieved master, and strives in his letter to effect reconciliation between these two Christians.

It is not entirely clear how Onesimus came to be with Paul. Various suggestions have been given: 1) Onesimus being imprisoned with Paul; 2) Onesimus being brought to Paul by others; 3) Onesimus deliberately seeking Paul out, as a friend of his master's.

Paul's letter is cryptic. He tactfully addresses Philemon, speaking of Philemon's Christian compassion. However, at the same time Paul reminds Philemon of Paul's authority over him, for not only Onesimus, but Philemon himself is Paul's spiritual son. Thus, Philemon owes Paul a spiritual debt Philemon, and Paul even goes so far as to suggest that "in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I appeal to you on the basis of love." (1:8-9) He also points out that Onesimus's conversion has brought about a new state of affairs. And so Onesimus is returned "no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother (vs. 16)." He expresses a deep affection for Onesimus, "who is my very heart," and implies that it is Philemon himself who should have been assisting Paul during this time.

Paul does not say exactly what he wants Philemon to do. Is Onesimus simply to be forgiven, or freed? Is Onesimus still Philemon's slave as well as his Christian brother, or does his position of "brother" supplant that of slave? In other letters, Paul urges slaves to be obedient to their masters, but here he seems to imply a hope that Philemon will be generous, perhaps by freeing Onesimus and almost certainly by sending him back to Paul as a servant to assist the Apostle in prison.

In any case, Paul asks Philemon directly to welcome Onesimus "as you would welcome me" and to charge any harm or debts done by his absence to Paul's account. "I will pay it back," Paul promises, adding pointing: "not to mention that you owe me your very self." Still not saying exactly what he expects, he concludes that he is "confident of your obedience." He closes with a blessing and greetings from his "fellow workers," among whom are mentioned both Mark and Luke, the putative authors of the Gospels that bear their names.

There is no way of knowing what happened to Onesimus after the letter. Ignatius of Antioch mentions an Onesimus as Bishop of Ephesus in the early second century, and some commentators have suggested a connection between the slave mentioned by Paul and this Bishop of Ephesus. He has even been suggested as a candidate as the author of the Epistle to the Ephesians, which many scholars believe to have been written by someone other than Paul who was very familiar with his thought.

Significance

Philemon has been of only marginal interest in Christian theology and ethics. The German Protestant reformer Martin Luther saw a parallel between Paul and Christ in their work of reconciliation. However, Luther insisted that the letter upheld the social-status quo: Paul did nothing to change Onesimus' legal position as a slave - and he complied with the law in returning him.

The letter was a cause of debate during the British and later American struggles over the abolition of slavery. Both sides cited interpretations of Philemon for support.

Bibliography

• J.M.G. Barclay, Colossians and Philemon, Sheffield Academic Press 1997 (ISBN 1-85075-818-2)
• N.T. Wright, Colossians and Philemon, Tyndale IVP 1986 (ISBN 0-8028-0309-1)

Online translations

• Online Bible at GospelHall.org (King James Version)
• oremus Bible Browser (New Revised Standard Version)
• oremus Bible Browser (Anglicized New Revised Standard Version)

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This entry incorporates text from the public domain Easton's Bible Dictionary, originally published in 1897.

Preceded by: Titus

Books of the Bible

Succeeded by: Hebrews

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