Philemon 1-8

Philemon 1-11

Introduction: Philemon

Author:

There are two periods in which the authenticity of Philemon was called into question. Boa and Wilkinson note that some in the 4th century concluded that since it was not doctrinally heavy it was not considered worthy of Paul; however, Chrysostom and Jerome “vindicated the epistle” and it was not questioned until the 19th century (a recurring date for these things) (443). Yet, Carson and Moo give this dissension very little weight, writing: “Only the radical critics of the Tubingen School ever denied the Pauline authorship of Philemon. Contemporary scholars unanimously view Paul as the author” (589).

Date and Provenance:

Philemon’s date is closely associated with the date for Colossians. It was written during Paul’s Roman imprisonment, placing it in the early 60s, but there are numerous connections between this epistle and the letter to the Colossians. Both include Timothy as a co-sender, they both refer to Epaphras, Archippus, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke as Paul’s companions. Colossians even includes a reference to Onesimus (a name you will become familiar with here in a moment). Colossians 4:9 even indicates the Onesimus was a resident of Colossae and that he traveled with Tychicus who is the letter carrier for both epistles. Col 4:9 states: “he is coming with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.” Philemon, based on the fact that Onesimus was a resident of Colossae, was also a resident of Colossae. Carson and Moo conclude then that “Both letters were therefore almost certainly written at the same time and place and sent together to Colossae” (592). This would put it at either 60 or 61.

Recipients:

Philemon is the recipient of this letter. He is the master of Onesimus who is a runaway slave. Boa and Wilkinson suggest that Onesimus may have robbed Philemon or had wronged him in some other way. We get this from verse 18 where Paul says to Philemon concerning Onesimus “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.”

Onesimus had encountered Paul during Paul’s Roman imprisonment and became a convert to the Way through Paul’s preaching, as we find in verse 10 “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.” Carson and Moo note: “Paul, in conformity with Roman law, is sending Onesimus back to his master, Philemon. Paul writes to explain these circumstances, to encourage Philemon to accept Onesimus back as a “brother” (v. 16), and to delicately suggest yet a further favor from Philemon—that he send Onesimus back to Paul and perhaps set him free (v. 21)” (588).

Colossae (Review):

Colossae itself was a city in decline. John Dunne notes that this began when a trade route was constructed in the third century that went west of the city to Laodicea instead. Thus, Colossae began to wane in importance while its two neighbors (Hierapolis and Laodicea) really began to grow in prominence eventually far exceeding Colossae by the time of Paul. Dunne writes: “Colossae turned into a rural community. Thus, in the first century Colossae was a rather insignificant city in the Roman world” (LBD). There was likely a connection between the Christian communities in these three cities (Col 4:13), and Paul actually asks them to exchange the letters that he wrote to both of them at the end of this (though the one to the Laodiceans is lost) (Col 4:16).

Slavery:

Without going too far into the details there are a few things that we need to note about slavery during this point in history. One, it was not based on race or ethnicity. A person became a slave through massive debts (so they would sell themselves into slavery), through being a conquered people, or being born into a family of slaves. Very often slaves looked similar to their masters. Second, though slaves were not on the bottom rung of the socioeconomic ladder (that was reserved for poor free persons who had to seek work as day laborers) everyone recognized that it was far better to be free and of high status. Slave status was universally despised. Third, every slave recognized this principle: “As a slave, a human being was bodily and totally subjected to the practically unlimited power of an owner and the owner’s heirs” (WNT 170).

Now the position that Onesimus is in would be a precarious one. As we talked about in Ephesians concerning the slaves new reason for obedience, the former reason was fear of a beating. Bartchy writes: “Physical violence against slaves by their owners was regarded as right and proper. Slaves were subjected to beatings, torture, and death (by burning or crucifixion) to reinforce social hierarchy and to make clear that they did not belong to the fully human, rational community. Slaveholders routinely suspected that without fear of punishment their slaves would become lazy and disobedient, even rebellious. Pliny the Younger writes, “Slaves are ruined by their own evil natures” (Ep. 3.1). Seneca reports a common saying, “You have as many enemies as you have slaves” (Epist. mor. 47), to which he objects: ‘More correctly, by cruel and inhuman treatment, we make them enemies’” (WNT 171).

According to Roman law, Paul needed to send Onesimus back, but there is a tension in which if Philemon acts according to the cultural values, Onesimus will be subject to severe treatment. As such, Paul encourages Philemon to accept him, not as a slave, but as a brother in Christ. I like N.T. Wright’s comments on this. He says: “Paul was faced with two estranged Christians, both of whom, under God, owed their salvation to him (v. 19). But if the gospel both have embraced is the message of reconciliation (Col. 1:18–20; 3:12–17; cf. 2 Cor. 5:17–21), then it must be able to bring together slave and free as it did Jew and Greek, or male and female (Col. 3:11; Gal. 3:28)” (170–171).

Verse 1:

Just a few things to note concerning the verse 1. First, Paul’s title for himself here differs from what we may be used to in that he makes zero appeals to his own authority (not mentioning his apostleship, perhaps in part because in a private letter this could be deemed offensive cf. Melick 348), nor does he refer to himself as “a slave of Christ” though he frequently did so in other letters. Instead, he refers to his current situation in Rome as a prisoner for the sake of Christ. While some scholars somewhat downplay this statement (and others make more of it than they ought), we should not miss the fact that Paul does not view himself as primarily a political prisoner, but as one whose imprisonment is “belonging to” and “for the sake of” Christ (HIBC 1336). Wright points out that Paul’s imprisonment for the sake of Christ is actually going to form a sort of sub-theme throughout the letter with Paul making reference to it in vv. 9, 10, 13, 22-23.

Second, the mention of Timothy here is probably best explained by Philemon’s own familiarity with him. It is clear throughout the letter that the content is produced probably exclusively by Paul, so we should not overstate the “co-author” notion here. Though we do not know anything about Philemon apart from this letter, what we can adduce is that Philemon came to Christ as the result of Paul’s preaching, most likely in Ephesus (since Paul did not preach in Colossae). We know that Timothy was present with Paul in Ephesus and that he had extensive work there after Paul’s time in that city. If this is the case, and it seems likely, then as Anthony Ash notes: “it seems inconceivable that Paul would not have mentioned him” (Philemon 1).

Third, the address to Philemon is very personal and cast the letter in the sphere of friendship, love, and perhaps mutual respect (at least the two had served together towards the same goal, the ministry of Christ). Anthony Ash notes: “‘Dear friend’ (ἀγαπητός, agap̄etos) shows Paul’s affection for him (some translations have “beloved”) and introduces a Greek term which is woven throughout the letter (“love” in 5, 7, 9, and “dear” in 16). Paul’s relation to Philemon was couched in love, as all Christians are immersed in God’s love” (Phm 1). It may be that the two served together in Ephesus, but it could also be that Paul is recognizing Philemon as a fellow-worker for Christ at a distance.

Verse 2:

In verse 2 we find two more names: Apphia and Archippus. It is very likely that Apphia is the wife of Philemon. She is a Christian (being addressed by Paul as “our sister”), and it is perfectly fitting that she be included in the address since, as Melick notes: “women took charge of the house affairs, she probably had an interest in Onesimus” (350).

Archippus is likely the son of Philemon and Apphia, though he also had some responsibilities in the church. That he is their son is suggested by the “family context” of the address thus far, and that he had some responsibilities in the church is suggested by his being mentioned in Colossians 4:17 and Paul referring to him as a “fellow-soldier.” Melick notes: “(Paul) seldom referred to Christians at large by that designation” (350).

That an entire household is being addressed is noteworthy for two reasons: first, the description of them demonstrates that Philemon is a man of some wealth. The fact that he owned a slave is an indicator of this, for slave ownership and the number of slaves owned often indicated social status. Bartchy writes: “the number and quality of slaves one owned were critical factors in determining the owner’s reputation and social status; more than one senatorial household included more than four hundred slaves” (171). He also points out that in rural areas (like Colossae) “Huge numbers of slaves were used extensively” (171).

The fact that the church met in his house also points to his wealth. Most religious organizations at this time would meet in an individual’s home who was wealthy enough to sponsor the group as sort of an “unofficial” patron. Melick notes: “Urban Christians followed the same pattern, hoping for a benefactor who had the resources to sponsor a church. Graciously, the Lord provided such people in most places, and Philemon was one of those” (350).

The second reason it is worth noting that the entire household is addressed is that it demonstrates, as N.T. Wright points out, that “If Onesimus is to be welcomed back, it must be by the entire household” (177).

Verse 3:

Verse 3 is very in keeping with Paul’s traditional greetings; however, I never want us to miss the depth within them. We saw the same greeting in Philippians and a similar one in Colossians. In both places we noted that in his greeting Paul Christianizes the two greetings of the day, the Gentile and the Jewish greetings. In Greek you would greet someone by saying “χαι̂ρε” (“hail”), and in Hebrew you would say “Shalom” (“peace”). Paul changes the Greek slightly to grace, pointing to the gift of God, the unmerited favor that we have received, and he notes the source of our peace with God and one another “God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Think of the depth of this phrase as Paul says “Hello.” “God’s unmerited favor and the cessation of hostility and the blessings thenceforth to you from the source of these blessings, God our Father (with the cultural implications of the Father including how the entire household takes their bearings from the father and how if we all have one father, then we have been incorporated into the same household) and the Lord (which is to equate him with God and denote his lordship and right to rule over his subjects) Jesus Christ.”

Verses 4-5:

We have also become very acquainted with Paul’s prayer life through the study of the prison epistles. First, he always notes the consistency of his prayer, and the content of his prayers. For starters, he does not indicate that he has given up everything (all work, eating, conversation, letter writing, etc.) to dedicate himself to perpetual prayer. Likely, as we’ve seen from other letters, he prays consistently (perhaps twice a day as was the Jewish custom). Second, as is evident here, the content of his prayer is thanksgiving for God’s working in the lives of the Christian communities, and in this case, the life of an individual. His prayer constantly has an element of thanksgiving for what God has done in the lives of others.

Specifically, here, in verse 5, Paul thanks God for Philemon’s faith in Christ and love for the saints. This verse is grammatically tricky, but what most scholars suggest is that Paul is writing in a chiastic fashion where the first and forth element line up and the second and third line up; therefore, Paul thanks God for Philemon’s faith (trust in) Christ, and his love for all the saints. For our purposes, it is worth while to note that both elements bode well for Philemon’s proper response to what Paul is about to ask of him. It is also worth noting, as Wright does that: “This love and faith are not there by accident, but are the result of a gracious work of God. Paul mentions love first, no doubt because it is to love that he will appeal. But, as we shall see, underneath this love at every point is Christ, seen by faith” (180). Paul’s appeal is going to be housed in what God has done already in Philemon and Philemon’s willing exercise thereof. “Demonstrate your Christian love with Christ as your focus.”

Verse 6:

I’m going to warn you right out of the gate with verse 6, it is one of the most complicated verses that we have dealt with thus far. There is difficulty with nearly every phrase, so we will do our best to summarize the meaning of it. Harris understands the term κοινωνία (with the semantic range of “sharing, participation, partnership, contribution”) to mean “generosity” and this arising from Philemon’s faith.

He sums up the verse: “Paul’s prayer was the Philemon’s faith would prompt his generosity, and that his generous act of welcoming Onesimus and then of releasing him for the work of the gospel would prove effective in deepening his understanding and experience of every spiritual blessing that is the Christian’s heritage through being related to Christ” (253).

Alternatively, Melick understands it to refer to a “participation in the faith” as a commonality among all believers and a participation in the good things of Christ. Paul’s prayer then would be that “this participation in the faith would work in the test case involving Onesimus” (354). The term ἐνεργὴς means something like “activity, effectiveness,” so Philemon’s participation in the faith (the commonality with believers and in the good things of Christ) would become active in the sphere of knowledge (which is not just an intellectual assent to something, but an experiential knowing) of every good thing in us, pressing towards Christ. That last phrase, according to Melick shows that Christ is the goal. “When Christians act in accord with the blessings they have in Christ, they grow closer to Christ” (355).

Like I said, it is not an easy verse to understand, but at the heart of it is that Paul is praying according to Philemon’s circumstances and that Philemon’s Christian faith would be put into action and grow by having put it into action. In other words, since he is participating in the faith, Paul prays that this may be an active participation in both an intellectual and experiential knowledge of all of the spiritual blessings that are in us, and that this would lead to Philemon being more Christ-like.

Verse 7:

Now Paul can pray in this way, and make the request that he is about to make (though it is an exceedingly testy request to make) because of the character of the man to whom he writes. Philemon, whether in a single action or simply through his regular conduct, has been a source of joy and encouragement to Paul, and a source of rest for the believers in Colossae. When talking about the believers Paul says that their σπλάγχνον have been refreshed by Philemon. Do you remember what that term means? It’s the guts, bowels. Culturally, that was the seat of the emotions, and Paul only uses the term in emotion laden passages, like this one. Thus, Philemon was an encourager.

N.T. Wright notes that the verb translated “refreshed” is “in origin a military metaphor, signifying the rest that an army takes while on the march. The Colossian Christians, weary in their daily battles for the Lord, find in Philemon the refreshment and rest needed to regain strength for renewed warfare” (184). Now, this verse is somewhat pivotal since in it Paul has introduced several themes that will recur through the rest of the letter, but what I want to highlight is that term σπλάγχνον in this context of Philemon’s character and actions. He has refreshed the σπλάγχνον of the believers, so Paul is confident that Philemon will do the same for him in Philemon’s dealings with Onesimus, whom Paul will describe in verse 12 as “my σπλάγχνον.”

See the emotional affection that he has for both believers and the way in which he appeals for reconciliation. Primarily, his appeal is rooted in their sharing of Christ, secondarily his appeal is shaped by his own personal relationship to both individual’s (but only in so much as they are related to Paul by means of Christ and the Gospel through which they both, as he will show, became like his children). What do we learn from this strategy of reconciliation? Can you put it into practice today? How do we usually try to reconcile people? Why does it fail?

Verse 8:

The argumentation of Paul throughout Philemon is masterful and witty. Here’s what I mean: in verses 8-9 he makes the statement: “Therefore, having much boldness in Christ to command you to do what is fitting, but rather on the basis of love I appeal to you…” Paul mentions his authority, just to note how he will not be arguing based on his authority. N.T. Wright sums this up well: “(Paul) is indeed hinting that there is something which Philemon ‘ought to do,’ even while saying, in effect, ‘but I shan’t mention that’” (186).

This is a wonderful rhetorical flare in which Paul will house his entire appeal, not in his authority (though reminding Philemon that he has such authority), but in Philemon’s character of love that has been emphasized twice in the letter already (more on this in a moment). So, though Paul mentions his authority, he does so to emphasize that he does not desire Philemon to do what is right simply as an adherence to a command, but to do what is right as a continued expression of his Christian faith (for there is a conduct that is fitting for the Christian, and this is very practical, as will be made clear by Paul in how he appeals to Philemon to treat Onesimus).