Philemon

This is the shortest of Paul’s letters. In it, he persuades a Christian slave-owner to forgive a slave who had stolen from him. This letter is especially dramatic when we place it against its historical backdrop. It plays out Paul’s claim that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:28). Instead of calling for the abolition of slavery, Paul calls for Christian love which outperforms law. As Paul himself writes, “Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say” (Phile. 21).

Author

Critical scholars from the 19^th century Tübingen school questioned whether or not Paul wrote this letter. For example, critic F.C. Baur argued that this was a second century letter that was spuriously written under Paul’s name to address the issue of slavery in the church. Other critics noted the similarity with Colossians in regard to the final greetings. This led them to think that this was purposely copied from Colossians.

However, few have followed in their footsteps. Indeed, one scholar stated that this was “one of Baur’s greatest blunders.” The Tübingen school was radically critical—only accepting four of Paul’s letters as authentic (Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians). Today, even most critical scholars brush these arguments off as subjective or inconsequential. For example, the similarity with Colossians is probably due to the fact that these books were written at the same time, while Paul was in prison. Today, “virtually all scholars accept Pauline authorship,” and “few, if any, dispute that Philemon is a letter written by the apostle Paul.” Likewise, Wright briefly notes, “There is no doubt that Paul himself wrote it.” Bruce writes, “Pauline authorship has been accepted by most critics.” Indeed, even critical scholar Bart Ehrman admits, “Virtually all scholars agree that seven of the Pauline letters are authentic: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon… They all claim to be written by Paul. There is scarce reason to doubt that they actually were written by Paul.”

Date

If Paul wrote this letter at the same time as Colossians, then this would date the letter sometime between AD 58 and 60. Both letters mention “Archippus” (Phile. 2; Col. 4:17), and they both contain the same closing greetings. However, in this letter (Phile. 22), Paul asks Philemon to prepare a lodging for him. This implies that he was ready to leave house arrest and come to visit him (see “Introduction to Colossians”).

Why such a short letter?

Some people ask why such a short letter is in the Bible. Yet, we’re spoiled when it comes to Paul’s letters: Most of them after far longer than typical letters from this time period. Indeed, Paul’s letter to Philemon is “longer than most secular letters from the same period.” Furthermore, why should the size of the letter affect a letter’s value? Which is more valuable: A pound of gold or a ton of manure? An eight-pound baby or a Chevy Vega? This letter is invaluable because it shows us how to motivate others under grace.

Legislation or Love?

Paul writes to a Christian slave-owner named Philemon (pronounced fie-LEE-mun). In the letter, Paul urges Philemon to take back a thieving slave named Onesimus (oh-NISS-i-muss).

How does Paul motivate a slave owner like Philemon to take in a slave like Onesimus? In the first nine verses, Paul acknowledges Philemon’s Christian maturity and love. He calls Philemon his “beloved brother” (v.1), and he tells him that he prays for him often (v.4). He acknowledges his love for Christ and “all the saints” (v.5). Yet, very subtly, by saying that Philemon loves all the saints, this would inadvertently include Onesimus. Paul is already setting up for the call that he is going to make in verse 10.

Paul also tells Philemon how much his friendship means to him personally (v.7). At this point, Paul tells Philemon that he could command him to do what is right (v.8-9), but instead, he “appeals” to him. Paul’s persuasion and rhetorical skills must have been phenomenal. We can all learn from the way that Paul motivates and persuades Philemon to make this decision to accept Onesimus. Paul’s strategy can be summarized in verse 14: “I wanted you to help because you were willing, not because you were forced” (NLT).

Conclusion. Paul was modeling the very character quality that he wanted to see in Philemon. Even though Paul had the authority to order Philemon to release Onesimus, he didn’t exercise this authority. In the same way, while Philemon had the legal right to punish Onesimus, Paul wanted him to relinquish this right. This is at the heart of Paul’s approach.

For more on slavery in the Bible, see our earlier article “The Bible and Slavery.”

Philemon

Paul deeply loved Philemon (v.1b). In the letter, we learn that Philemon is a mature Christian (v.5), and Paul likely led Philemon to Christ (v.19b). Philemon is also a slave owner (v.16), and there is good evidence from the letter that he is wealthy. After all, he hosts a house church in his home (v.2), his house is big enough to have a “guest room” (v.22), and he owned at least one slave (e.g. Onesimus). Melick writes, “In the major cities, most people lived in rooms, rather than houses, and the fact that he had a room large enough for a meeting suggests he had above-average means.” Furthermore, you can see that Paul refers to Philemon deferentially in this letter, which implies that Philemon was from the upper-class.

Onesimus

Onesimus is a runaway slave from Philemon, who may have even stolen money from Philemon before he left. This would explain why Paul writes, “If he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account” (v.18). It’s possible that “Onesimus could have joined a band of other ex-slaves, hidden himself in the underworld of a big city, or fled for refuge to a pagan shrine.”

At this time in Roman culture, this was a very serious crime. Under Roman law, slaves weren’t considered human, and they could be executed. Indeed, the execution of a slave was debated in terms of the loss of property, rather than the loss of human life.

Yet, something remarkable happened when Onesimus ran away. He met Paul. And he came to faith in Christ.

At this point, Onesimus’ entire world changed. Through Christianity, he changed from being property to being a person made in the image of God. This is how Paul can refer to him as a “beloved brother” (v.16).

After coming to Christ (v.10), Onesimus must’ve explained his predicament to Paul. We can imagine Onesimus saying, “I’m in big trouble, Paul. This guy, Philemon, is my slave master, and I ran away from him…” Yet, we can equally imagine Paul perking up and saying, “Philemon?! I know that guy! I’ll write you a letter to smooth things over… Don’t worry!”

At this point, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon (v.12), but he didn’t send him emptyhanded. He gave him this letter, as well as the promise to reimburse Philemon for any debt Onesimus owed to him (v.18).

This is quite a powerful picture when we think about it. After all, who do you think carried this letter to Philemon? It was most likely Onesimus! That is, he carried his own letter of forgiveness as he walked back to Philemon’s house. Imagine what this must have looked like as Onesimus knocked on the door of Philemon’s house. He must have been worried that Philemon would swing at him the moment he opened the door. But we can imagine him saying, “Wait a minute! Before you react… Read this letter… from the apostle Paul…”

Conclusion

It’s one thing to preach about how there is “neither slave nor free” (Gal. 3:28), but it’s quite another to put it to the test by sending Onesimus back to find reconciliation with Philemon.