The letter of Philemon was written by Paul the apostle along with Timothy. Paul
was definitely the author and nothing needs to confirm that. The “external
testimony is unimpeachable.” (Smith, p.510) The letter was written to Philemon
on behalf of Onesimus. Philemon lived in Colosse and we know this because
Onesimus was also Colossian which is confirmed in Colossians 4:9. Philemon was a
man of property and influence. It is not known exactly how he knew Paul
though.(Smith, p.509) Paul did address others in the letter. One of which was
Apphia, a Christian woman. She was a member of Philemon’s household and may
have been his wife.(Smith, p.47) It also includes Archippus who was a Christian
teacher in Colosse. He is also mentioned in the book of Colossians. Archippus
might have also been a member of Philemon’s household.(Smith, p.51) Some
believe that Paul did not intend this to be a personal letter. They base this
assumption on the fact that he addressed other people.(Tenney, p.753) Philemon
lived in Colosse at the time, and as I mentioned before, we know that because of
Paul’s final greetings toward some of the Colossian people mentioned in both
Philemon and Colossians. Paul wrote this letter during his first imprisonment in
Rome. The dates range from A.D. 63 to A.D. 64. We know that he was in prison in
Rome because of some of the things mentioned in this book (Philemon vs. 13,23)
and once again because of the similarities with the book of Colossians. Others
believe that Paul may have been in Ephesus at this time. When Paul mentioned
that he wanted to stay with Philemon, that request was congruent with the plans
he made during his Ephesian ministry to visit the Lycus valley.(Tenney, p.755)
During the time that this letter was written, slavery was very common. Most of
these slaves had been captured in wars. Masters were totally in control. If a
slave were to steal something, he might be branded on his forehead with “CF”
for Cave Furem which means “Beware of Thief.” He could also be put to
death.(Wight, p.292) The Apostles did not do much to overcome slavery. They just
kept preaching Biblical principals. “Paul’s letter to Philemon has, no
doubt, done more to overcome slavery than any other document ever
written.”(Wight, p.293) Roman law also stated that “whoever gave hospitality
to a runaway slave was liable to the slave’s master for the value of each
day’s work lost.”(Tenney, p.753) That could be a reason why Paul said he
would repay Philemon’s losses. The book of Philemon was actually written on
behalf of another person. Paul wrote this letter in order to ask Philemon to
accept Onesimus back into his household. “I appeal to you for my son Onesimus.”
(Phil.10) Onesimus was a slave of Philemon’s. It is not known exactly why he
left Philemon. Some think he left just so he could have freedom. Others are sure
he stole something from Philemon. (Smith, p.510) During Paul’s imprisonment in
Rome, Onesimus was with him. Paul was able to witness to him and he was
converted to Christianity. Because of this, Onesimus knew he had to return to
Philemon and place himself at Philemon’s disposal once again. Paul acted as a
mediator in his situation. He did this in order to help both Onesimus and
Philemon.(Tenney, p.756) The letter was written on behalf of Onesimus. Paul
wanted Philemon to accept Onesimus back because he was no longer just a servant,
but a brother in Christ. One of the themes of Philemon has to do with slavery.
Paul was hoping that God would speak to people after they read this letter and
that they would want to end slavery. Paul was also hoping that Philemon would
accept Onesimus back into his home. He did not force Philemon to do this. He
was, rather, wanting Philemon to take him back out of love. Paul made it clear
that for whatever wrongs Onesimus had caused to Philemon, he (Paul) would repay
all the debts. The letter of Philemon begins with greetings from Paul and
Timothy to Philemon, his church, and his household. It also continues with Paul
thanking God for Philemon’s faith. It also encourages Philemon to be active in
sharing his faith. The next section of the book has Paul making a request. He
wants Philemon to accept Onesimus. He does not force Philemon to do this, even
though he could. He wants Philemon to do it out of love. He tells Philemon that
Onesimus is useful to both of them now because he became a Christian. Paul then
goes on to tell that he will be sending Onesimus to Philemon. Paul would rather
have Onesimus stay with him, but he knows he cannot keep him without the consent
of Philemon who owns Onesimus. Paul is hoping that when Onesimus does arrive,
Philemon will accept him as a brother in Christ, not a slave. Paul tells
Philemon in the next paragraph that he will be willing to repay any debts that
Onesimus owes him. He ends the letter by telling Philemon that he wishes to
visit them very soon. He concludes with final greetings from him, his fellow
prisoner (Epaphras), and his fellow workers (Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and
Luke). When the people who lived during this time received this letter, it made
a very strong point. Paul was not condemning slavery. Instead he was encouraging
those people to see everyone as equals. The letter showed a Christian’s view
of slavery. “As a historical document, the letter throws unusual light on the
Christian conscience in regard to the institution of slavery in the ancient
world.” (Tenney, p.755) It showed where Paul stood as a Christian on the issue
of slavery. Paul set the standard for us today when he wrote this letter.
Because of the letter, we are able to see another side of Paul’s character. He
was a true man who was trying to help another man in need.(Tenney, p.756) This
man just happened to be a slave. The book of Philemon showed how God’s love
broke down dividing walls. The barriers between different races, males and
females, and slave and master were all destroyed.(Hawthorne, p. ) God’s
infinite love made us all equal in His sight. We are all loved the same amount
and we are all slaves to Him. Paul wanted Philemon to treat his slave, Onesimus,
well because they were both equally under the same Heavenly Master. Every member
of the Christian society (or family) is spiritually gifted and blessed no matter
what their status is. “Every member of the church is called to the same
obedience to Christ, slave or free, male of female.” (Kaiser, p. ) In the
letter, Paul was not condemning slavery, he was encouraging slaves to be
obedient and accept their situations. He wanted them to focus on the reward in
heaven that they would receive. Paul also did not make converts give up their
slaves. He was hoping that over time they would realize how hard it is to keep a
person a slave and still call them a brother or sister in Christ.(Kaiser, p. )
Today this letter can actually teach us a lot of things. We can look at it in
two ways. The first being the issue of slavery. Slavery is not present today in
our culture. It does apply to us though in a sense that we are to accept
everyone as equals. We may not have slaves, but a lot of people are still very
racist. Paul was writing this letter on behalf of Onesimus, but he also had
another objective, I believe. He was hoping that through this letter, people
would realize that under God we are all equal. No one is better than anyone
else. We are all, in fact, slaves of Christ. We all serve Him. He sees us the
same and He loves us all the same amount. He doesn’t love anyone more than
anyone else. A second point that came across to me in this letter was how Paul
was willing to repay Onesimus’ debts. When I read this, it reminded me of
Christ’s love for us. He knows that we have committed sins, but he repays the
debts that we owe. We should be the ones who repay our own debts, but because of
God’s love for us, He sent His Son in order to pay the price. I was just
reminded how much God really loves me. He has done so much for us by taking our
burdens upon Himself and paying the price that we should pay. The purpose of
this letter was that Paul wanted Philemon to forgive Onesimus and accept him as
a brother in Christ, rather than just a servant. Paul knew this could only be
done if God worked in Philemon’s life and help him realize that he should
forgive Onesimus. Paul was also trying to get a subtle point across. He was
able, in this short letter, to write about slavery without condemning it. He was
hoping that slaves would be treated as equals. There is no official document
that states it, but it is known that Philemon did find it in his heart to accept
Onesimus back and finally free him. Paul had a great influence on Philemon’s
life, but that was only possible through God.