PAUL'S LETTER TO PHILEMON
Lord God,
Despite his struggles and misfortunes, St. Paul was always thinking about and praying for the spiritual health of the Christian communities he founded and the welfare of others. His attitude of continual self-sacrifice by living in the image of Christ is a model of love in action for us to follow. Send Your Holy Spirit to guide us, Lord, as we study Paul's letter that addresses the welfare of a fellow Christian and the injustice of slavery. We pray in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen.
+ + +
Be careful to
observe how much groundwork is necessary before Paul honorably brought Onesimus
before his master. Observe how wisely he has done this. See for how much he
makes Philemon answerable and how much he honors Onesimus. You have found, he
says, a way by which you may through Onesimus repay your service to me. Here
Paul shows that he has considered Philemon's advantage more than that of his
slave and that he deeply respects him.
St. John Chrysostom,
Bishop of Constantinople, Homilies on Philemon, 2
The great apostle to the Gentiles, known to us as St. Paul, was named Saul (Sha'ul in Hebrew) by his parents; it is a Hebrew name meaning "to desire" or "to ask." As a member of the tribe of Benjamin, it is likely that his parents named him for that tribe's most illustrious member, Saul, the first King of Israel (Acts 13:9 and 1 Sam 8:1-5; 9:1-2, 15-17; 10:1a). It was not uncommon for Jews of Paul's time to use two names, their Hebrew name and a Gentile name that facilitated their interaction with the Gentile community. Therefore, Paul probably always used two names: Saul, his Hebrew name, and Paulus, his Latin name that helped define his Roman citizenship since his hometown was a Roman provincial capital.
Paul was born in Tarsus, the capital city of the Roman province of Cilicia on the southeastern coast of Asia Minor. Since his father was a citizen of the Roman Empire; therefore, Paul could boast that he was born a Roman citizen (Acts 22:28). Paul's father was granted citizenship either by providing some important service to the Empire, or he was a freed Roman slave. It was the Roman custom to grant citizenship to emancipated slaves. When St. Paul was in trouble with the Roman authorities, he always used his Roman citizenship to his advantage, as he did when he and his associates were arrests in Philippi (see Acts 16:37-39; also see 22:25-29).
Paul writes that he was an orthodox Jewish Pharisee who was born a citizen of Rome but called from his mother's womb to serve God (Rom 3:5-6). As a youth, he was sent to Jerusalem to study under the great rabbi and Sanhedrin council member Gamaliel. He later served as an officer of this same Jewish law court which condemned both Jesus and St. Stephen to death. It was Saul/Paul's assignment as an officer of the Sanhedrin to hunt down and persecute suspected follows of Jesus of Nazareth. It was a task he pursued with enthusiasm before his conversion experience: Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains (Acts 9:1-2).
Paul must have been one of the brightest young men of his generation to have been chosen to study in Jerusalem with Rabbi Gamaliel, the great Jewish scholar, teacher of the Law of Moses, and member of the Jewish High Court (Acts 22:3 and 5:34-39). Paul probably studied with Gamaliel the customary three or four years and was then appointed an officer of the Jewish High Court, the Sanhedrin. He was serving in this capacity when he witnessed the martyrdom of St. Stephen in circa 37 AD (Acts 7:58-8:1). As an officer of the Sanhedrin, Paul went to Damascus, Syria to arrest other Jewish Christians who had fled persecution in Jerusalem.
The turning point in Paul's life was his encounter with the risen Savior on the road to Damascus: On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting (Acts 9:3-5). It is a story repeated three times by Luke in Acts of Apostles (9:1-19; 22:4-16; and 26:1-23).
The Lord told Ananias, the Christian sent to baptize Saul/Paul after his conversion experience: ...this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and Israelites (Acts 9:15). Paul fulfilled that commission by making three missionary journeys into Asia Minor and Greece, establishing many Christian communities. The people Paul mentions in his letter to Philemon are Christians meeting at a home-church in what is probably Colossae. Paul did not evangelize Colossae, a city in the Lycus Valley in Asia Minor, east of Ephesus. It was a community apparently established by Epaphras of Colossae (Col 1:7; 4:12; Phlm 23). There are a number of links between Paul's letter to Philemon and his letter to the Christians of Colossae:
The Letter to Philemon is one of Paul's prison letters, either written from Ephesus during Paul's third missionary journey (53-58 AD) or during his imprisonment in Rome (61-63 AD). On a second visit to Ephesus (c. 57-58 AD), he took up residence in Ephesus for two years before having to leave the city after being accused of causing a riot (Acts 19).1 Or the letter could have been written from Rome sometime between the years 61-63 AD (Acts 26:32-27:1; 28:16). The "prison letters" include his letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon ( Eph 3:1; 6:20; Phil 1:7, 13, 14, 17; Col 4:3, 10; 4:18; Phlm 1:1, 9, 10, 13). Paul's second letter to Timothy is also a prison letter, but the tone of that letter suggests he wrote it during his last incarceration before his martyrdom in 67 AD ( 2 Tim 1:8, 16; 2:9).
Paul's letter concerns Onesimus, a runaway slave from Colossae (Col 4:9) who Paul brought to believe in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior during his imprisonment (Phlm verse 10). Paul has become very fond of Onesimus. However, in compliance with Roman law that imposed the death penalty by crucifixion on runaway Roman slaves, Paul has decided to send Onesimus back to his master with a letter, pleading for forgiveness and giving Onesimus the possibility to make amends for any wrong-doing, and possibly obtaining his freedom.2 Paul suggests that he would like to have Onesimus, like him, become a slave for Jesus Christ in sharing the Gospel salvation.
| Biblical Period | #12 The Kingdom of the Church | |||
| Covenant | The New Covenant in Christ Jesus | |||
| Focus | Greeting and thanksgiving | Petition for Onesimus | Closing remarks | |
| Scripture | 1------------------------8----------------------17------------------------------23--------------25 | |||
| Division | Commendation for Philemon | Intercession for Onesimus | Confidence in Philemon | Greeting from fellow prisoners |
| Topic | Praise for Philemon | Paul's plea for Onesimus | Paul's pledge | Greeting from co-workers |
| Character of Philemon | Conversion of Onesimus | Paul's confidence in the outcome | Benediction | |
| Location |
From a temporary imprisonment in Ephesus or from a two year house arrest in Rome |
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| Time |
Ephesus = c. 57/58 AD Rome = sometime between 61-63 AD |
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| Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2018 | ||||
Philemon Verses 1-2 ~ Address and Greeting
1
Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon,
our beloved and our co-worker, 2 to
Apphia our sister, to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church at your
house. 3 Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the majority of St. Paul's letters, he gives a greeting followed by a thanksgiving for those to whom he is writing. His greeting follows a standard form with only slight variations. The three basic elements are:
Question: Who was Timothy, the co-sender? See
Acts 16:1-3; 18:5; 19:22; 20:4;
Rom 16:21;
1 Cor 4:17; 16:10-11;
2 Cor 1:1;
Phil 1:1; 2:19-22;
Col 1:1;
1 Thes 1:1; 3:2;
2 Thes 1:1;
1 Tim 1:2-3; and
2 Tim 1:5, 7.
Answer:
One element missing from this letter is Paul's
declaration of his apostleship that appears in most of his other letters (cf.
Rom 1:1;
1 Cor 1:1;
2 Cor 1:1;
Gal 1:1;
Eph 1:1;
Col 1:1;
1 Tim 1:1;
2 Tim 1:1 and
Titus 1:1).
Question: Why might Paul fail to assert his
apostolic authority in this letter?
Answer: The letter concerns a personal and not a
doctrinal matter.
Modern scholars and the Fathers of the Church are divided on the roles of these three people in their faith community that Paul mentions is a "church" in their home. In the early years of the Church, before Christianity was recognized as an approved religion protected under Roman Law, it was not safe for Christians to have buildings dedicated for worshipping Jesus Christ.3 They met in the homes of fellow Christians ( Acts 12:12; Rom 16:5; 1 Cor 1:1; 16:15, 19; Col 4:15). It is likely that the church-home of the three mentioned in the letter is in Colossae. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul mentions that Onesimus is from Colossae, and Paul has sent him there with Tychicus (Col 4:9). The "your" in "your house" in verse 2 is in the singular and probably refers to Philemon. That Paul considers him a "co-worker" (verse 1) suggests he is involved in Christian ministry.
As for the identity of the three people Paul mentions:
3 Grace to you
and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul gives the community a blessing at the end of his
greeting. It is Paul's typical blessing found in all of his letters. The only
exception is the Letter to the Hebrews that the Church Fathers attributed to
St. Paul and which was probably the written copy of a homily he delivered to
the Jewish-Christians of the Jerusalem Church. The only difference in Paul's
greetings from a traditional Greek letter is that he does not use the customary
Greek greeting chara or chaire, meaning "joy" or "rejoice."
Instead, he substitutes the Greek word charis.
Scholars suggest that Paul intentionally substitutes the Greek word charis, meaning "favor," with the distinctive meaning and understanding of the Hebrew word hen, meaning "grace," a gift of God. The New Testament writers used the international language of Greek to write their letters, but all their concepts were from the Hebrew, and so they adapted Greek words to convey the Hebrew into distinctively Christian concepts.3 And then, to the greeting giving the blessing of God's grace, Paul adds the Greek word for "peace," eirene, which reflects the typical Semitic greeting of shalom (i.e., see 2 Mac 1:1; Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19, 21, 26). It is a greeting repeated in our priestly greeting at Mass when the priest, repeating the words of Jesus' post-Resurrection greetings (Lk 24:36; Jn 20:19, 21, 26), says "Peace be with you."
In his greeting of grace and peace, Paul gives what Jewish-Christians would have recognized as an echo the ancient priestly blessing for God's holy people Israel in Numbers 6:24-26, May Yahweh bless you and keep you. May Yahweh let his face shine on you and be gracious to you [give you grace]. May Yahweh show you his face and bring you peace (NJB). If Paul does intend to echo the priestly blessing, then this is an ecclesial blessing. In that case, "grace" represents God's covenantal grace revealed in Jesus Christ and "peace" is the deep and abiding peace that comes from the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. It is a blessing that would have appealed to a mixed congregation of Christian Jews and Gentiles who are one Body in Christ.
Question: Paul's letters are not the only place
where this blessing of "grace and peace" appears as a greeting in the New
Testament. Where else is the same blessing found in the New Testament? See
Rev 1:4.
Answer: It is the greeting Jesus sends to the
seven churches in the Book of Revelation.
Philemon Verses 4-7 ~ Thanksgiving and Prayer
4 I give
thanks to my God always, remembering you in my prayers, 5 as I hear of the love and the faith you
have in the Lord Jesus and for all the holy ones, 6 so that your partnership in the faith
may become effective in recognizing every good there is in us that leads to
Christ. 7 For I have
experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts of
the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother.
Like Paul's most of Paul's other letters, his greeting is followed by a "thanksgiving" for the community in verses 4-7 (cf. Rom 1:8-15; 1 Cor 1:4-9; 2 Cor 1:3-7; Phil 1:3-11; Col 1:3-8; 1 Thes 1:2-10; 2 thes1:3-10; 2 Tim 1:3-5).
Verse 4 marks a transition where Paul begins writing in the singular, "I," where he was previously writing using the plural "our." The change emphasized that Paul is addressing Philemon in a personal and heartfelt way, reminding him of Paul's prayers and their partnership in service to Christ.
6 so that
your partnership in the faith may become effective in recognizing every good
there is in us that leads to Christ.
This verse stressing their "partnership in the faith"
expressed "in recognizing every good" they can do for Christ together, together
with the next verse sets Philemon up for Paul's request concerning Onesimus in
verses 8-22.
7 For I
have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love, because the hearts
of the holy ones have been refreshed by you, brother.
Paul's word "hearts" is literally "bowels" or "internal
organs." It was a Semitic idiom for the place where emotion resides, whereas
"hearts" symbolized the moral essence of a person. Paul uses the same
expression in verses 12 and 20. The "holy ones" refers to fellow baptized
Christians, made holy by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Philemon Verses 8-21 ~ Paul's Request Concerning Onesimus
8 Therefore,
although I have the full right in Christ to order you to do what is proper, 9 I rather urge you out of love, being as
I am, Paul, an old man, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus. 10 I urge you on behalf of my child, Onesimus,
whose father I became in my imprisonment, 11
who was once useless to you but now he is useful to [both] you
and to me. 12 I am sending
him, that is, my own heart, back to you. 13
I should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might
serve me on your behalf in in my imprisonment for the Gospel, 14 but, I did not want to do anything
without your consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but
voluntary. 15 Perhaps this
is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 no longer as a slave, but more than a
slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to you, as a man
and in the Lord. 17 So if
you grant me as a partner, welcome him as you would me. 18 And if he has done you any
injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me. 19 I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I
not tell you that you owe me your very self. 20 Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 With
my trust in your compliance I write to you, knowing that you will do even more
than I say.
Onesimus evidently left his master to seek out Paul. Finding Paul in prison, Onesimus has stayed with him, becoming a Christian through Paul's ministry and affectionately, a spiritual son. The "good" for Christ that Paul was praying Philemon would "recognize" in verse 6 is a deed Paul is going to request in the next part of the letter. Paul wants Philemon's consent so the "good" deed is voluntary.
10 I urge
you on behalf of my child, Onesimus, whose father I became in my imprisonment, 11 who was once useless to you but now
he is useful to [both] you and to me.
Onesimus' name means "useful" or "beneficial," and Paul
makes a wordplay on his name in this verse. He may have made himself "useless"
to his master when he ran away; however, with his new birth in Christ as a
child in the family of God, he now has the opportunity to live up to the
meaning of his name to both Paul and his master.
12 I am
sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
Paul expresses his affection for Onesimus and his sorrow
for feeling the need to return him to his master.
13 I
should have liked to retain him for myself, so that he might serve me on your
behalf in in my imprisonment for the Gospel, 14 but, I did not want to do anything without your
consent, so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Paul wants to keep Onesimus with him, but does not want
to presume on the kindness or legal rights of his master. Paul does not want
to impose his apostolic authority and prefers to give Philemon the more
honorable and generous free consent to Paul's desire to have Onesimus with him.
The word translated as "voluntary" is the Greek word hekousion (Interlineal
Bible Greek-English, vol. IV, page 585). It appears only here in the New
Testament; however, it appears twelve times in the Septuagint Greek translation
of the Old Testament. In those passages, the main reference is to the type of
Temple sacrifice known as the "free-will offering (e.g., Lev 7:16; 23:38; Num 15:3; 29:39). Paul's request of Philemon concerning Onesimus could, therefore,
be seen as an offering not by compulsion but as a free-will offering.
15 Perhaps
this is why he was away from you for a while, that you might have him back
forever, 16 no longer as a slave,
but more than a slave, a brother, beloved especially to me, but even more so to
you, as a man and in the Lord. 17 So
if you grant me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
Question: In verses 16, 17, and 21, what requests
does Paul make concerning Onesimus? What might be implied by Paul in verse 21?
Answer: He asks for Philemon to receive Onesimus
back as a long-lost brother (verse 16), to treat Onesimus as he would treat
Paul himself (verse 17), and to go beyond those acts of kindness (verse 21). To
"do even more than I ask" in verse 21 perhaps suggests freeing Onesimus from
slavery.
Paul knows his request to treat Onesimus like a "brother" by setting him free would be a sacrifice for Philemon. Onesimus is, after all, an able-bodied young male with many years of service ahead of him. Paul's choice of wording is probably deliberate. He asks Philemon to sacrifice his legal right and interests to serve his Christian mission.
Slavery was an ancient, universal institution. Slaves were either prisoners of war sold into slavery by the victor, were sold into slavery by parents who could not care for a child, an adult who was destitute who sold himself into slavery, or a person born into slavery from slave parents. Nations in ancient times did not have welfare systems to take care of the poor, and in many cases, slavery served this need. The exception was the Law of the Sinai Covenant that commanded the care of the poor among the children of Israel (Dt 15:4; Lev 19:10, 15; 23:22; 25:35-37). The Law also commanded that a Hebrew adult could not be held in slavery beyond six years (Ex 21:2-4; Dt 15:12). Gentiles could be held in slavery indefinitely; that part of the law had the desired result of encouraging Gentile conversion to the Sinai Covenant (Lev 25:44-55). However, even the Israelites/Jews were often negligent in obeying those laws concerning the freeing of slaves (Jer 34:14). Gentiles did not have limits on years of service for slaves, and since the names of the people to whom the letter is addressed are all Greek names, it is likely they are Gentile-Christian converts.
Some commentators have criticized Paul for not using the
opportunity to write a moral treatise against the institution of slavery.
Question: Why do you think Paul didn't take a
moral stand against slavery in the letter?
Answer: That is not the point of Paul's letter.
He did not want to alienate Philemon who had the right under Roman law to have
Onesimus killed. Instead, Paul writes a personal appeal for Christian mercy.
18 And if
he has done you any injustice or owes you anything, charge it to me.
In verse 18, Paul even offers to compensate Philemon.
Some commentators interpret this offer to suggest that Onesimus has robbed his
master of some property, but there is no evidence to support this assumption.
Paul's offer could simply refer to the loss of service of the slave while he
has been in service to Paul.
As far as Paul's stand against slavery is concerning, the point is if all Christian slave-holders behaved as Paul requests in his letter, slavery would end among Christians. In fact, the Church was the first institution to condemn slavery, establishing orphanages and taking responsibility for feeding and caring for the poor and housing the sick and dying.
19 I,
Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay. May I not tell you that you owe
me your very self.
Paul writes that his word on the matter of repayment is
good because he has written the pledge to do so himself.
Question: What does Paul mean when he writes
concerning the debt that Philemon owes him that is "your very self"?
Answer: From this verse, it appears that it was
Paul who led Philemon to salvation in Christ Jesus which incurs for Philemon a
debt to Paul for saving his life eternally.
20 Yes,
brother, may I profit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. 21 With my trust in your compliance I
write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say.
Having confidence that Philemon will "do even more than I
say" probably refers to setting Onesimus free from slavery so he can return to
Paul and work to share the Gospel of salvation as a missionary for Christ.
Philemon Verses 22-25 ~ Personal Request and Closing Remarks
22 At the
same time prepare a guest room for me, for I hope to be granted to you through your
prayers. 23 Epaphras, my
fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you 24
as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my co-workers. 25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your spirit.
Question: What does Paul write in verse 22? Why is this
information an incentive to fulfill Paul's request concerning Onesimus?
Answer: He informs Philemon that he will be coming soon to visit
him. It is easy for Philemon to refuse Paul's petition from a distance, but it
will be hard when he is face to face with Paul!
The men named in verse 23-24:
25 The
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
Paul concludes his letter with a benediction found in most of his
letters with slight variations (1 Cor 16:23; 2 Cor 13:13; Gal 6:18; Eph 6:24;
Phil 4:23; 1 Thes 5:28; 2 Thes 3:18; 1 Tim 6:21b; 2 Tim 4:22; Titus 3:15b).
St. Ignatius of Antioch (martyred c. 107 AD), mentions Onesimus, pastor (or bishop) of Ephesus, in one of his letters (Eusebius, Church History, 3.36.5). There isn't, however, any additional evidence to connect the two men, but it is intriguing to speculate if Onesimus did indeed offer up his life to Christ as his Master in service to His Church.
Question for discussion or reflection:
In his letter, Paul asks Philemon to put what is best in
service to Christ over personal benefits and considerations. How often have
you had to make similar "voluntary" sacrifices for Christ?
Endnotes:
1. Neither Pau's letters nor Acts of the Apostles
explicitly offers evidence that Paul was imprisoned in Ephesus; however, many
Biblical scholars believe he was in prison there. They also believe Paul write
his letters to Philemon and the Colossians during an incarceration in Ephesus.
They offer as evidence the fact that Paul and his term were the cause of a
riot. Charges were brought against Paul, and he had to appear for a trial
before the magistrate. After his bad experience with the official in Ephesus,
he decided not to return at the end of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:16-16). In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes about dangers from
his opponents in Ephesus (1 Cor 15:32; 16:8-9). He also writes to Timothy
during his Roman imprisonment about the services Onesiphorus rendered him in
Ephesus, paralleling his visit to Paul during his Roman (2 Tim 1:17-18). Along
with this circumstantial evidence, they point out the proximity of Ephesus to
Colossae. Since Ephesus was only a hundred miles away from Colossae, it is
more likely that Onesimus escaped from his master in Colossae to join Paul in
Ephesus rather than in Rome (a city that offered great danger to a runaway
slave).
2. The Romans were desperate to control the slave population, which in Paul's time outnumbered Roman citizens.
3. In 313 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great in the Western Empire and Licinius Augustus in the Eastern Empire granted the Edict of Milan. The edict granted religious freedom throughout the Roman Empire. In addition, the edict ordered the restitution of property confiscated from Christians.
Michal Hunt, Copyright © 2018 Agape Bible Study. Permissions All Rights Reserved.
Catechism references for this lesson (* indicates
Scripture is either quoted or paraphrased in the citation):
Phlm verse 16 (CCC 2414)