Introduction to Philemon

It has been estimated that, in the first century, there were between five and ten million slaves scattered throughout the Roman Empire. One of these was a man by the name of Onesimus.¹Onesimus means “useful.” Most commentators believe that he was the slave of a man by the name of Philemon, who was a well-to-do, citizen in the city of Colossae. One indication of his wealth was that his home was large enough for the church at Colossae²The church meeting in Philemon’s home is believed to be the same church to which the Letter to the Colossians was written. to meet in.³Philemon 1:2 Another, more obvious, testament to his wealth was the fact that he could afford to own a slave in the first place. The price for a male slave in Rome at the time of Augustus ⁴ He was born September 23, 63 BC and died August 19, 14AD. has been quoted at 500 denarii or about $360 today⁵I used https://walletinvestor.com/converter/denarius/usd/500 to make these conversions.. A female could go for as much as 6,000 denarii or roughly $4,300 today.⁶Roman Slavery. United Nations of Roma Victrix (UNRV). https://www.unrv.com/slavery.php

Why bring all of that up? It is because, though Paul’s letter does not say so explicitly, it appears that Onesimus⁷His name means useful; profitable; helpful. had escaped from his master’s home and traveled 12,000-1300 miles making his way to the city of Rome where the Apostle Paul was under house arrest.⁸see Acts 28:16, 30. “The tradition from Clement to Eusebius favors two imprisonments with a year [at least] of liberty between them. It has been pointed out that the leaving of Trophemus sick at Miletus (2Ti_4:20) could not have been an occurrence of Paul’s last journey to Jerusalem, for then Trophimus was not left (Act_20:4; Act_21:29); nor could it have been on his journey to Rome to appear before Caesar, for then he did not touch at Miletus. To make this incident possible, there must have been a release from the first imprisonment and an interval of ministry and travel.” [Note: The New Scofield . . ., p. 1208.] Dr. Thomas Constable. We do not know how, but some way or the other, Onesimus, the run away slave, encountered Paul there in Rome.⁹Since Paul knew Philemon, his family and many in the church at Colossae, it is possible that he also knew Onesimus. If this is the case, after fleeing to the city of Rome, Onesimus, may have heard that Paul was under arrest there and went to him, to ask him for help with his situation. This is all, of course, speculation. There is no way to know how Onesimus came to encounter Paul. As a result of this encounter, Onesimus became a believer in Christ ¹⁰ Philemon 1:10and continued on, in Rome, giving aid and comfort to Paul during his house arrest.¹¹ Philemon 1:11, 13 Although Paul wanted to keep Onesimus with him, he was sending him back, and requesting that Philemon accept him, not only as a forgiven runaway slave, but also as a brother in Christ.¹²Philemon 1:16

Paul understood that, as a runaway slave, Onesimus was, very possibly, in grave danger. Under Roman law, Philemon had every right to punish Onesimus even to the point of crucifixion.¹³Slavery in the Early Roman Empire. https://carolashby.com/slavery/ At the same time, Paul knew that Philemon was a man of great faith in Christ with a deep love for his fellow believers.¹⁴Philemon 1:5 Paul’s hope was that Philemon might treat Onesimus with the same love that he had demonstrated for others in the faith. So, rather than command Philemon to do the right thing, he appealed to Philemon out of love. Paul did not command with apostolic authority, but, rather, appealed to Philemon as brother to brother. Paul tells Philemon that he would very much like for Onesimus to stay with him and continue to minister to the aging apostle. Onesimus has rendered service on Philemon’s behave and in Philemon’s absence.¹⁵Philemon 1:13 Paul, in the spirit of 1 Corinthians 7:21–23, returned Philemon’s property. But the tender affection of Paul for his son in the faith is evident. As Onesimus returned to his master in Colossae, it was as though Paul’s own heart traveled with him.¹⁶Philemon 1:12 Paul asks Philemon to welcome Onesimus just as you would welcome Paul himself¹⁷Philemon 1:17, not as a slave but as a brother in Christ.¹⁸Philemon 1:16 Paul promises to repay anything Onesimus may have taken or cost Philemon.¹⁹Philemon 1:18 Before he closes the letter with a final greeting, Paul asks Philemon to prepare a room for him because he is expecting to be released soon.²⁰Philemon 1:22 Many believe that the letter to the Colossians (perhaps with the letter to the Ephesians)²¹Dr. Thomas Constable includes the letter to the Ephesians. Notes on Philemon 2022 Edition Dr. Thomas L. Constable https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/philemon/philemon.htm  and the letter to Philemon were written at the same time from the same place and that the letters were delivered to Colossae by Tychicus and Onesimus. However, Tremper Longman III says that the fact that Paul expects to be released in Philemon but says in Colossians that he is in chains,²²Colossians 4:3 and asks that the church remember his chains ²³Colossians 4:18 means that the two letters were written at different times probably from different locations.²⁴The Expositor’s Bible Commentary Series. Ephesians – Philemon By: Tremper Longman III, David E. Garland, William W. Klein, Todd D. Still, Robert L. Thomas, Andreas J. Kostenberger, Arthur A. Rupprecht

Paul closes his letter to Philemon with his typical greeting. What is particularly interesting though is the list of names he addresses. He gives greetings from Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. Luke has been his traveling companion for several years. He has chronicled most of Paul’s Christian career being the author of the book of Acts. Luke is mentioned in Colossians 4:14 as well as in 2 Timothy, which is believed to be Paul’s last letter before his execution (2Tim. 4:11). So it appears that Luke stayed with Paul right up until the end. Demas will later forsake Paul (2Tim. 4:10), but when Colossians and Philemon are written he was ministering to and with the apostle.²⁵Colossians 4:14 Aristarchus is first mentioned in Acts 19:29 as a Macedonian from Thessalonica (Acts 27:2), who along with Gaius, was Paul’s companions in travel. By the time of the writing of Colossians, it would appear that he had been arrested, along with Paul, for preaching Christ for he is said to be Paul’s “fellow prisoner” in Colossians 4:10.²⁶In his commentary on Colossians, Dr. Constable quotes Herbert M. Carson, who says that, “Prisoner” (Col. 4:10) is the translation of an unusual Greek word (lit. prisoner of war). It probably means prisoner to the will of God rather than prisoner of Caesar (cf. Phm. 1:23). https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/colossians/colossians.htm. He is not mentioned again in Scripture so we do not know what became of him. Quoting Constable: “Epaphras was the evangelist of the Lycus Valley and a leading man in the church at Colossae, probably the leading pastor (Col. 1:7; cf. Php. 2:25). He was probably not in prison with Paul (Col. 1:8; cf. Col. 4:10). ‘Fellow-prisoner’ is more likely a figurative expression referring to the Christian’s spiritual warfare.²⁷Notes on Philemon 2022 Edition. Philemon 1:23-24. Dr. Thomas L. Constable https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/philemon/philemon.htm The fact that Epaphras,²⁸”He is not the same as Epaphras who was mentioned in Col. 1:7; :12; Phm. 1:23, although Epaphras is an abbreviation of Epaphroditus.” Dr. Bob Utley. YOU CAN UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE!. PHILIPPIANS 2. http://www.freebiblecommentary.org/new_testament_studies/VOL08/VOL08D_02.html Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke are all mentioned in Colossians as well as in Philemon is taken by many commentators to mean that the two letters are addressed to the same church. The letter to the Colossians is clearly written to the church at Colossae and it is assumed that the church in Philemon’s house (Phm. 1:2) is also the church at Colossae and that Philemon, therefore, lives in Colossae.²⁹Life Application Study Bible (LASB). Colossians 1:7. As has already been pointed out by Dr. Constable, it is also believed that Epaphras was probably the pastor of the Colossian church (Col. 1:7; cf. Php. 2:25).³⁰Notes on Philemon 2022 Edition. Philemon 1:23-24. Dr. Thomas L. Constable https://www.planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/html/nt/philemon/philemon.htm

So what is the central theme of Paul’s letter to Philemon? Douglas Moo agues that “the central theme of Philemon is koinōnia, “fellowship.” He says that, “Believing in Christ joins us to other believers in an intimate family unit. Within that new relationship, which takes pride of place in all our relationships and dictates how those other relationships are to be lived out, we bear responsibilities for one another. It is those responsibilities that Paul spells out in this letter. This short private letter stands, then, as an important reminder of the communitarian aspect of Christianity that many of us, in our individualist cultures, are so prone to forget. In Christ we belong to one another; we enjoy each other’s company and support; and we are obliged to support, to the point of sacrificing our own time, interests, and money, our brothers and sisters.”³¹The Letters To The Colossians and To Philemon: Pillar New Testament Commentary [PNTC] by Douglas J. Moo. Page 378.

Still others point to reconciliation as being the primary theme and goal of Paul’s letter to Philemon. Scot McKnight writes: “I believe the apostle Paul opens the door into the home of Philemon with a letter that attempts (probably successfully) to persuade Philemon, not to manumit (release from slavery) Onesimus, but to welcome him back home after running away and probably swiping some money and goods for his trip. Paul wants Philemon, in other words, not to pursue justice but to create a cycle Of grace, forgiveness, restitution, and reconciliation. More tellingly, Paul seeks here to create a new kind of society, a fellowship of equals in which the slave owner and slave were brothers (and sisters) in Christ.”³²The Letter to Philemon (The New International Commentary on the New Testament) by Scot McKnight. Page 5. He continues: “What this letter then does for us today demands our immediate attention: the church is to be first space of reconciliation in our communities, first among its own people and second as reconciled people who strive for reconciliation in society. Reconciled people become agents of reconciliation because they know no other way. Churches form the vanguard of creating a place where those deemed by the world and society and culture as unequals will be welcomed, not in terms of the world but in terms of being in Christ. As a place that embodies reconciliation in space and time, the church generates a new way of life—Christoformity—that is to become paradigmatic of how Christians enter into society and the world. That is, this letter points the way for Christians to become agents that subvert slavery in Our world by finding it, by naming it, by fighting against it, and by embodying a way of life that establishes social equality as the ground rules for the new communities in Christ. Hence, we must now enter into two features of slavery: what it meant in the world of Paul and what it means now. Once these are clear, we can see what Paul said and see how we can embody the new society under king Jesus.”³³ibid

As we read this short letter, we can probably see both of these themes emerging. But, then, it could be argued that “fellowship” and “reconciliation” are, perhaps, not mutually exclusive. We cannot have biblical fellowship with being first reconciled to God. And reconciliation among believers is often necessary for fellowship to exist in a world plagued by sin and populated with sinners.

-Allen