Introduction
Overview
Paul’s brief letter to Philemon is a fascinating work that provides an illustration of how the gospel transforms the lives of Christians and the way they treat one another. There are two features that make this epistle distinct among the NT writings. First, it is the shortest of Paul’s Letters, consisting of 335 words in 25 verses in the Greek text. Second, it is one of the few letters addressed to an individual rather than to a church or a number of churches; however, Paul does include other addressees in his opening and closing greetings (vv. 2, 23–24), which suggests that on another level the personal letter was to be read in the wider church community.
The details in the epistle provide us with a rough sketch of the story behind the letter. Paul, who is in prison, writes to Philemon, his “dear friend” and “coworker” (v. 1). Philemon is apparently wealthy, since he is a slave owner and has a large house that is able to accommodate a church gathering (v. 2). The letter is accompanied by Onesimus, Philemon’s slave, who has been away from Philemon and with Paul for some time due to a breach in their slave-master relationship. Paul returns Onesimus—who has become a Christian while with Paul (v. 10)—to Philemon and appeals for restoration between Philemon and Onesimus. Despite these details of the three-way relationship between Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus, many essential aspects of the epistle are open to debate—including the letter’s occasion and purpose, the specifics of Paul’s request, the historical situation behind the letter, and his attitude toward slavery. [Slavery in the New Testament]
Authorship, Date, and Place of Origin
There has been no major challenge to Paul’s authorship of this letter (v. 1) or to the letter’s literary integrity. The letter indicates that Paul is imprisoned (vv. 1, 9–10), but the location of his imprisonment (and hence the date of the letter) remains unclear. Scholars have put forward three main proposals: Ephesus in the mid-50s, Caesarea Maritima in the late 50s, and Rome in the early 60s. Of the three proposals, the two more plausible options are Rome and Ephesus. Since Rome is the traditional location for Paul’s “prison epistles” (Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians), it could be the location of his imprisonment in this letter given the close link between Paul’s epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (e.g., see the similar lists of Paul’s companions in Col 4:10–14 and Phm 23–24). However, the long distance from Rome to Philemon’s house in Colossae makes Onesimus’s travel to Philemon seem unrealistic. Ephesus, on the other hand, is in close proximity to Colossae, thus making Onesimus’s journey to Philemon more feasible. Unfortunately, the book of Acts and Paul’s Letters do not mention an Ephesian imprisonment. In the end, the location of Paul’s imprisonment remains uncertain.
Occasion and Purpose
Why did Paul write this letter? As early as the end of the fourth century, the “traditional” explanation has been that Paul writes the Letter to Philemon appealing on behalf of Onesimus, who is a runaway slave of Philemon. Since Paul finds himself in a delicate position of harboring a “fugitive” and being legally obligated to return Onesimus to Philemon, he sends him back to Philemon with a request for clemency on behalf of Onesimus. Proponents of this theory speculate that verse 18 means Onesimus has defrauded Philemon or stolen from him, which has propelled him to flee. Those who affirm this view also perceive Paul as willing to repay Philemon for what Onesimus has done or, more specifically, what he has taken. Paul’s request, then, is for Philemon to readmit Onesimus into his household, clear his debt, and possibly grant him freedom (manumission).
Despite the popularity of the runaway interpretation, there are problems with it. In fact, there has been a widespread challenge to this view. One problem is the difficulty of accounting for why Onesimus, having defrauded or stolen from Philemon, would seek to obtain help from Philemon’s friend Paul. It is doubtful that Onesimus would risk being captured and punished by seeking out an apostle in prison. And it might be too great a coincidence if the two met by chance in the same prison. Also unlikely is the suggestion that Onesimus was captured and put into the same prison as Paul, since a runaway slave would not be placed with a Roman citizen under “house arrest,” and Paul would not be able to send a fellow prisoner to Colossae. Another difficulty of this interpretation is that, if Onesimus was a “fugitive,” Paul as a Roman citizen would have been obligated by Roman law to return Onesimus to Philemon. As a fugitive, Onesimus could suffer severe punishment, anywhere from beating to execution. In light of this severity, critics of the traditional interpretation have pointed out that if Paul writes that he will repay Philemon for what Onesimus has done (v. 18), then Paul is primarily concerned with some other matter than Onesimus’s running away. Moreover, if Onesimus was indeed a runaway slave, it is strange that Paul fails to mention Onesimus’s regret or sorrow, which we would expect to find in the letter. Thus, there is no clear evidence in the epistle that Onesimus is a runaway slave who has found Paul in prison.
Some interpreters have posited the scenario of Onesimus’s leaving Philemon due to his poor working conditions and possible abuse by Philemon. However, if Onesimus did seek Paul out regarding unfavorable conditions, we would expect Paul in the letter to make a reference to Philemon’s mistreatment and to ask him to treat Onesimus more favorably (cf. Col 4:1). Furthermore, this interpretation places the blame primarily on Philemon, but Paul seems to admit that Onesimus, rather than Philemon, is at fault.
One strong proposal, which has a growing number of supporters, provides a scenario and corroboration of the text’s details better than the runaway theory. This interpretation contends that Onesimus did not defraud Philemon or steal from him but committed an error that financially burdened Philemon and probably aroused his anger. Onesimus, then, seeks out Paul as a mediator in this matter. There was a legal custom during that time that allowed Onesimus to seek out a friendly third party to advocate and intercede on his behalf. This scenario, then, regards Onesimus as not having run away but having sought Paul’s intercession for the goal of returning to his master in more favorable circumstances.
In spite of the uncertainty surrounding the letter’s occasion, these views all recognize that Paul implores Philemon to be reconciled with Onesimus, given their new relationship in Christ. By coming to the defense of Onesimus, Paul follows Jesus’s pattern of self-giving love that embraces those who are weak and helpless. Furthermore, the major theme underlying the letter is the demonstration of how the gospel challenges the status quo of relationships by transforming and uniting believers in Christ as brothers and sisters, regardless of their social identity.
Philemon and Slavery
Many people have approached the Letter to Philemon as a Christian treatise on slavery, given that the letter involves an apostle, a slave owner, and a slave. The letter was especially important in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries during the efforts to abolish slavery. Interestingly, it was used to support both the sanctioning and abolishment of slavery; for instance, proponents of slavery regarded Paul as condoning slavery since he sends a slave back to his owner. A careful reading of the text, however, reveals the complexity of this issue and points to a more prominent (though still related) issue of how the gospel transforms Christian relationships.
Although it does provide a social commentary on the realities of ancient society and the church, the letter does not provide a systematic treatment of slavery. In fact, it is difficult to ascertain Paul’s attitude toward slavery in general and whether he protests this established social institution and accepted way of life in the ancient world. It must be kept in mind that slavery in the ancient world was different from the slave trade in the modern era in North America and Europe, especially since the latter came to be viewed as morally abhorrent while the former was not (see the article “Slavery in the New Testament”). Again, Paul’s ultimate concern in the letter is that the gospel radically alters how Christians treat one another, regardless of their social positions and status. In Col 3:11 he momentously declares, “In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.” In regard to Philemon and Onesimus, then, Paul affirms how the gospel alters their relationship from master-slave to brothers in Christ: “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave—as a dearly loved brother” (v. 16). Therefore, the gospel transforms and enhances any social relationship, regardless of its shape (e.g., master-slave), and breaks down barriers of inequality between brothers and sisters in Christ. It should be said, however, that in the case of Onesimus, Paul seems to expect that Philemon will liberate Onesimus from slavery (vv. 16, 21)—thus opposing the view that Paul simply accepted (and even endorsed) the realities of slavery.
Outline
1. Greetings (1–3)
2. Prayer of Thanksgiving (4–7)
3. Paul’s Appeal (8–22)
4. Closing Greetings (23–25)