The Epistle of Paul to Philemon - Essay Example

Philemon Number Introduction Fully known as The Epistle of Paul to Philemon, Philemon is one of St. Paul’s prison letters, since verses 1, 9 and 19 make this plain. The letter is specifically addressed to Philemon and is believed to have been written simultaneously with Colossians, around 60 AD. Philemon is a believer in the church of Colosse who among others was a slave owner as can be seen in Colossians 4:1. Apparently, one of Philemon’s slaves, Onesimus had stolen from him and ran away (1:18). Under the Roman law, Onesimus’ offence was punishable by death. However, Onesimus had chanced upon Paul in his ministry and became a Christian (1:10). Paul is therefore writing against the backdrop of Onesimus willing to return to Philemon, and thus, the need for this personal appeal to Philemon to accept Onesimus as a Christian brother (1:16) (Jason, 2010). 1. The Outline: How the Story Is Arranged by Paul Just as Betz (2004) observes, Apostle Paul writes with a lighthearted tone, but tactfully and with clever wordplay (1:11), to win Philemon’s willingness. Paul organizes the appeal as was prescribed by ancient Romans and Greeks by: building a common ground (1:4-21); persuading the mind (1:11-19); and appealing to emotions (1:20-21). It is interesting that Onesimus’ name is not mentioned until rapport is built between Paul and Philemon (1:10). The appeal is also made at the end (1:17). The letter’s outline proper takes the structure: Salutations (1-3) Thanksgiving and supplication (4-7) The plea for Onesimus by St. Paul (8-21) St. Paul’s final request, followed by greetings and benediction (22-25). 2. The Subject: What the Book Is Talking About As has already been roughly mentioned in the introduction, Apostle Paul is writing to Philemon who is a Christian in the church in Colosse. It is plain that Philemon is a slave master and that there are others in the church with similar status in the same church, according to Colossians 4:1. Onesimus, one of Philemon’s slaves, had stolen from Philemon his master and ran away (v. 18). The import of Onesimus’ act is that it amounts to capital offence under Roman law. As a fugitive, Onesimus happens upon Paul in his ministry and becomes a Christian (v.10). After his stint with Apostle Paul, Onesimus is willing to return to his master, Philemon. For this purpose, Paul makes a concerted appeal to Philemon to accept back Onesimus as a Christian brother (1:16). 3. The Purpose: The Purpose for writing this to the Intended Addressees According to Gromacki (2008), the main addressee in the epistle is Philemon, Onesimus’ master. Again, as already stated, the main intention or purpose of Paul’s address to Philemon is to have him accept Onesimus, his runaway slave back as a Christian brother (v. 16). Paul does this by using several logical strategies which are also subthemes of Paul’s address. One of the underlying themes that Paul uses to convince Philemon is that just as God has forgiven Philemon, so should Philemon extend this forgiveness to Onesimus. Jason (2010) rightly observes that it is also intriguing to consider the fact that in the entire epistle, Paul makes no reference of his apostleship and also shuns any mentioning of his authority. On the contrary, identifies himself as a prisoner of Jesus Christ and refers to Timothy his co-author as our brother. Paul also addresses Philemon as brother and fellow laborer. Against this backdrop, Paul also makes a compassionate appeal to accept Onesimus back as a brother in Christ (v. 16). The gravity of what St. Paul is saying is that once people are in Christ, there is equality and a commonality or oneness which is found, by virtue of belonging to, and being in Christ. Because of this, Philemon ought to forgive Onesimus and accept him as a Christian brother, since Onesimus has become a Christian (Roth, 2014). 4. The Theological Design: What the Book Says About God Just as Roth (2014) observes, the fact that The Epistle of Paul to Philemon makes it to the canon underscores the fact that it had a purpose for both the specific audience (Philemon) and the general audience. The letter’s usefulness to the general audience is informed by the fact that it says a lot about God and His people. Particularly, God’s people should forgive one another just as God has forgiven them unconditionally. This is underscored by the fact that Paul is beseeching Philemon to forgive Onesimus who had stolen and ran away from his master. The letter also helps further underscore the concept of equality among believers. Although Onesimus was a slave, yet Paul asks Philemon to accept Onesimus back as he would, St. Paul himself- a brother in Christ. St. Paul, though an apostle, appeals to Philemon as a fellow Christian. The equality of believers among Christians is underscored by the letter indicating that all Christians, irrespective of their disparity in social standing are slaves or bondservants of Christ and God (Wiles, 2012 and Vining, 2004). Conversely, the extent to which God values reconciliation is further illustrated in the epistle. In Paul’s meeting with and converting Onesimus to the Christian faith and seeking to restore Philemon’s relationship with Onesimus, a beautiful picture is painted on the manner in which those who have encountered Christ have been reconciled with God, by the same Christ who is God’s propitiation. Just like Onesimus who erred and ran away from his master, so have all sinned and become estranged from God. Everyone therefore needs Christ. It is also notable that Paul is not beseeching Philemon to not only accept Onesimus back, to do so as a Christian brother- not a slave. The reason for this standpoint is that Onesimus has become a Christian and Philemon is also a Christian. The gravity of this observation is that during the British and American struggles over the Abolition of Slavery, The Epistle of Paul to Philemon divided proponents and opponents from each other. Opponents of slavery argued that St. Paul sought to have Onesimus’ legal status changed, since he had wanted Philemon to receive Onesimus, not as a slave, but as a Christian brother. Proponents of slavery argued that the fact that Paul sought to have Philemon accept Onesimus back, speaks of Paul’s respect for slavery as an institution. Nevertheless, it is true that Paul sought to have Onesimus’ legal status changed: he wanted Philemon to receive Onesimus, as a Christian brother- not a slave. Again, proponents of slavery argued amiss since they had forgotten that Paul was acting on Onesimus’ willingness to return to his master. In the epistle, the love and benevolent nature of God is seen, in that He accepts man back to Himself, not just as a slave, but as a joint heir with His Son Christ Jesus. It is worth noting that all Biblical references are in King James Version. References Betz, H. D. (2004). Philemon. The Journal of Religion, 84 (3), 458 – 459. Gromacki, R. G. (2008). New Testament Survey. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic. Jason C M. (2010). Colossians and Philemon. Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 53 (3), 662. King James Version (1611). The Holy Bible: Paul’s Letter to Philemon. Oxford. Roth, U. (2014). Paul, Philemon and Onesimus. Zeitschrift fur die Neutestamentliche Wissenschaft und Kunde der Alteren Kirche, 105 (1), 102. Wiles, S. W. (2012). Epistle to Philemon. Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, 66 (4), 440 – 442. Vining, P. A. (2004). Philemon. The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 66 (2), 310. Read More