User:Motley Fosset/Philemon

Dictionary of Paul and his letters

Occasion
According to the majority interpretation, Paul wrote this letter on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave who had wronged his owner Philemon. The details of the offence are unstated, although it is often assumed that Onesimus had fled after stealing money, as Paul states in verse 18 that if Onesimus owes anything, Philemon should charge this to Paul's account. Sometime after leaving, Onesimus came into contact with Paul, although again the details are unclear. He may have been arrested and imprisoned alongside Paul. Alternatively, he may have previously heard Paul's name (as his owner was a Christian) and so travelled to him for help. After meeting Paul, Onesimus was converted to Christianity. An affection grew between them, and Paul would have been glad to keep Onesimus with him, but considered it better to send him back to Philemon with an accompanying letter.

Greeting and introduction (1–3)
The opening salutation follows a typical pattern found in other Pauline letters. Paul first introduces himself, with a self-designation as a "prisoner of Jesus Christ," which in this case refers to a physical imprisonment. He also mentions his associate Timothy, as a valued colleague who was presumably known to the recipient. As well as addressing the letter to Philemon, Paul sends greetings to Apphia, Archippus and the church that meets in Philemon's house. Apphia is often presumed to be Philemon's wife and Archippus, a "fellow labourer", is sometimes suggested to be their son. Paul concludes his salutation with a prayerful wish for grace and peace.

Thanksgiving and intercession (4–7)
Before addressing the main topic of the letter, Paul continues with a paragraph of thanksgiving and intercession. This serves to prepare the ground for Paul's central request. He gives thanks to God for Philemon's love and faith and prays for his faith to be effective. He concludes this paragraph by describing the joy and comfort he has received from knowing how Philemon has shown love towards the Christians in Colossae.

Paul's plea for Onesimus (8–20)
As a background to his specific plea for Onesimus, Paul clarifies his intentions and circumstances. Although he has the boldness to command Philemon to do what would be right in the circumstances, he prefers to base his appeal on his knowledge of Philemon's love and generosity. He also describes the affection he has for Onesimus and the transformation that has taken place with Onesimus's conversion to the Christian faith. Where Onesimus was "useless", now he is "useful" – a wordplay, as Onesimus means "useful". Paul indicates that he would have been glad to keep Onesimus with him, but recognised that it was right to send him back. Paul's specific request is for Philemon to welcome Onesimus as he would welcome Paul, namely as a Christian brother. He offers to pay for any debt created by Onesimus' departure and expresses his desire that Philemon might refresh his heart in Christ. Paul describes his confidence that Philemon would do even more than he had requested. At the end of the body of the letter, he mentions his wish to visit and asks Philemon to prepare a guest room.

Authorship
The scholarly consensus attributes this letter to the apostle Paul. Peter O'Brien writes, "Only the most extreme negative critics have in the past disputed the Pauline authorship of the epistle." The main challenge to the letter's authenticity came from a group of German scholars in the nineteenth century known as the Tübingen School. Their leader, Ferdinand Christian Baur, only accepted four New Testament epistles as genuinely Pauline: Romans, 1|1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians and Galatians. Commenting on Philemon, he described the subject matter as "so very singular as to arouse our suspicions," and concluded that it is perhaps a "Christian romance serving to convey a genuine Christian idea." Such views have not gained widespread acceptance.

Date and origin
The epistles to Philemon and the Colossians are often considered to have been written together, in the same location. As well as sharing a common destination, Onesimus is described as accompanying both letters, five of the same individuals send their greetings , and Archippus is mentioned in both.

Against this view, Judith Ryan argues that the two letters were unlikely to have been written at the same time. She highlights discrepancies such as the absence of Philemon and Apphia from Colossians, the lack of mention of Tychicus in Philemon, and the inconsistency in the names of Paul's fellow prisoners: Epaphras is in prison in Philemon, but free in Colossians, and the opposite appears to be true of Aristarchus.