Paul: Apostle to the Nations, An Introduction

12. Philemon: Life in the Christ-Believing Family

277 Chapter 12 Philemon: Life in the Christ-Believing Family How Did People Live in the Family? As a Christ-believer with a modest income and a small apartment, you have always appreciated Philemon’s generosity. He regularly makes his large home available for worship, and he has financially helped several believers. So you have no problem identifying with the new letter from Paul when the apostle compliments Philemon: “The hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, my brother” (Philem v. 7).1 But then Paul goes on to talk about Onesimus, a slave of Philemon’s who had disappeared but who has now come to believe in Christ. Paul tells Philemon to accept Onesimus “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother” (v. 16). At that point, you glance at Philemon. What is going through his mind? And what does Paul want? The Story behind the Letter Norman R.Petersen’s classic book on Philemon has taught us that we must understand the story of Philemon, Onesimus, and Paul and their interaction if we want to understand the letter.2 Chapter 12: Philemon: Life in the Christ-Believing Family | 279 perhaps Philemon and Paul had met in Ephesus during Paul’s lengthy ministry there. Philemon was close to Paul, with Paul calling him beloved (v. 1, agapētos; the NRSV has “dear friend”). Paul also identifies Philemon as an active believer, who is Paul’s “co-worker”(v. 1) and “partner”(v. 17). He is almost certainly the leader of the house church that met in his home. THE PLoT Paul is somewhere in custody.Onesimus has left his owner,Philemon,and has made contact with Paul. Under Paul’s tutelage, Onesimus has come to believe in Jesus. Paul writes Philemon a letter that, apparently, Onesimus is to take to Philemon. Two major theories seek to explain how the plot fits together. In the first (or traditional) theory, Onesimus has stolen from Philemon (v. 18) and fled from him. Onesimus is thus a fugitive (Latin: fugitivus). Onesimus is arrested and thrown into the same facility as Paul, where Paul converts him. By Roman law, Paul must return Onesimus to his owner. Our letter of Philemon is a “cover”letter by Paul to Onesimus’s master to reintroduce Onesimus as now a believer. The second theory is that Onesimus is not a fugitive but a slave who experienced some form of disagreement with his master. Onesimus did something inappropriate or stupid or was perceived as having done something that caused Philemon financial loss (v. 18).Whether that loss was misappropriation of money, robbery, or simply the loss of Onesimus’s services is unclear. He has not been arrested but has sought out Paul on purpose as a third party; the technical Latin name is amicus domini (friend of the master).6 Onesimus’s hope is that Paul will intervene with Paul’s beloved friend Philemon on behalf of Onesimus, seeking to resolve the problem to Onesimus’s advantage.7 During the conversations between Paul and Onesimus, Onesimus comes to believe in Jesus as the Christ. Paul and he also grow very close (v. 12), and Onesimus, who is not in custody, helps Paul in his imprisonment (vv. 11, 13). Paul writes the letter, then, to accompany Onesimus when he returns to Philemon. As an amicus domini, Paul both intercedes for Onesimus and introduces him as a new believer. The second theory seems to fit better the content of the letter. It is difficult to imagine that Onesimus would have been arrested and happen to be held in the same facility as Paul—and remain there long enough to be converted. Usually, runaway slaves were returned to their owners as soon as possible. Paul as a prisoner had no authority to return any runaway slave to anyone. A runaway slave was liable to severe beating and even death, but Paul does not address such potential punishments. Nor, for that matter, does the letter explicitly say that Onesimus has run away. The extremely careful way Paul phrases his thoughts also points to the amicus domini interpretation.8 genre The Letter to Philemon has aspects of both a private letter and a more public communication. On the one hand, as Charles Puskas has emphasized, Philemon 280 | Paul: Apostle to the Nations shares more characteristics with ancient personal correspondence than any other New Testament letter...