Paul also wrote the book of colossians to the christians at the church that met in philemons house. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word. How do i know pauls epistles are relevant for my life. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. Paul then appeals to philemon throughout the rest of letter by employing language and ideas that are given their significance from the old testament and its. Philemon is book number 57 of the bible and number 18 of the new testament.
Philemon, a wealthy christian at colossae, and all future readers of the bible. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in. Hes heard all about it and its warmed his little heart just thinking about all the christians that have been inspired by philemon s goodness. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. We know from this letter, that philemon was probably a man who had some wealth. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or. One of pauls shortest and the most explosive letters, the book of philemon demonstrates the gospel through action.
The letter from paul to philemon was of a very personal nature. This section identifies comparable situations to those faced in the bible and explores relevant application of the biblical messages. Biblical literature the letter of paul to the colossians. Paul reminded philemon of that as he urged him to accept the newly converted onesimus back, not as a lawbreaker or his slave, but as a fellow brother in christ. This message is an overview of the book of philemon and part of a 2year study of the bible. She has been featured by npr and national geographic for her ancient history expertise. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. Read more about paul and his letters in the section epistles of paul.
Minister, woodland heights christian church, crawfordsville, in no. During the time of pauls ministry in ephesus, philemon had likely journeyed to the city, heard pauls preaching and became a christian. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. It is significant to note that paul claims that in christ the useless person has.
And yet paul, in writing to philemon to try to get him to take back onesimus, who had been converted under pauls ministry in prison, he says, though i am bold enough in christ to command you to do what is required, yet for loves sake i. In the letter to philemon paul does not directly take up the issue of slavery. Biblical literature biblical literature the letter of paul to the colossians. Meaning, origin and history of the name philemon behind. Whatever onesimus took from philemon, paul says he will repay verses 1819.
Paul was a prisoner at the time verses 1 and 9, so this is one of the four prison epistles, along with ephesians, philippians, and colossians, which paul wrote during his first roman imprisonment. Activity read the parts of the letter and let them identify it in the letter 1. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. Slavery was widespread in the roman empire according to some estimates, slaves constituted one third, perhaps more, of the population, and an accepted.
Though pauls letter to philemon is very brief, it is packed with rich nuggets of truth that truly reward the serious bible student. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. In one of the rooms at bollingen, he painted a huge mural of the winged philemon, essentially reproducing the painting from the red book. He took the disciples with him and had discussion daily in the lecture hall of tyrannus. Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of philemon. It also seems probable that philemon was one of pauls converts from the time he spent in ephesus. Philemon helps show us that the way to peace for every conflict is for all sides to unite in practicing the way of life expounded in the pages of this very remarkable book, the bible. Philemon king james version kjv 1 paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and timothy our brother, unto philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, 2 and to our beloved apphia, and archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation.
If you go by the number of verses the third smallest book of the bible is obadiah with 21, preceded by 2 john with and 3 john with 14, and followed by philemon with 25. Paul knows how super loving and faithful philemon is. Paul does not insist that philemon free onesimus 21. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in. Philemon stands as one piece of strong evidence to the contrary, revealing that lofty doctrines such as the love of god, forgiveness in christ, or the inherent dignity of humanity have real and pertinent impact in everyday life. Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. Apparently philemon had become a christian through pauls ministry either directly or indirectly. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. This time, paul is writing his friends philemon, apphia, and archippus. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle with authority. You can find the best commentary on philemon for you using the tools on the right side. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world.
The author alerts the readers of problems they may encounter when seeking to apply the passage and helps them think through the issues involved. Literary analysis of pauls letter to philemon an analysis. David guzik commentary on pauls letter to philemon, which is a plea to his friend. He was a native probably of colosse, or at all events lived in that city when the apostle wrote to him. Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book 12. Literary analysis of pauls letter to philemon an analysis of. Instead of a masterslave relationship, it should now be a brotherly relationship. Philemon kjv paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and bible. That meant paul wanted philemon to change the relationship between him and onesimus from owner and slave to brother in christ. The warmth and tenderness with which paul writes to philemon is to be extended to onesimus. Brief summary of philemon the kjv bible scriptures the content of philemon according to the kjv bible scriptures contains a short overview of the main subjects, people, events and ancient topics in the following summary of the kjv bible scriptures.
The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. But the bulk of this is mostly addressed to philemon. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. The slave onesimus robbed his master, philemon, and ran away, making his way to rome and to paul. Nov 16, 2019 the meaning, origin and history of the given name philemon. Philemon kjv paul, a prisoner of jesus christ, and. In it a writer states that he is reluctant to say something that he does nevertheless say. Gill is a latinist, writer, and teacher of ancient history and latin. Lessons learned from philemon simple bible studies. Galatians, philippians, and philemon summary shmoop. Philemon is to welcome him back, and forgive him, and let paul pay back the equivalent of the stolen money. Apparently, he stole from philemon, to finance his trip.
This short letter is a masterpiece of tact and psychology. Philemon was the recipient of one of pauls epistles in the new testament. Paul and philemon, one that would serve a significant purpose in light of the. The epistle to philemon chapter one objectives in studying philemon 1 to be impressed with the loving hospitality which characterized the christians in the early church 2 to learn lessons in the use of tact in dealing with others summary in this very short and personal epistle, paul addresses it to philemon, apphia, archippus and to the. Gordon fee in his book how to read the ible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with examples from philemon added. In order to better appreciate the book of philemon, it is necessary to be aware of the situation of the early. Philemon was a slave owner who also hosted a church in his home.
Colossians presents the problem of having, on the one hand, numerous though superficial affinities with the circumstances of the letter of paul to philemon while, on the other hand, being addressed mainly to a different situation. Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book. Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner. Biblical literature biblical literature the letter of paul to philemon. Philemon n h s an inhabitant of colosse, and apparently a person of some note among the citizens colossians 4.
Paul was writing philemon as a brother in christ and now. The phrase in parentheses in this verse is a rhetorical device called paraleipsis. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon. Paul reminded philemon of his own debt to the apostle philemon 1. The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. Philemon was one of those people swayed by that gospel, in the church at colossae. Onesimus, whose name means useful, can only be of value to his master if he returns, and to paul if he stays. The central hope of the old testament is therefore brought to mind right from the start of philemon. When paul sits down to put pen to parchment to write to his friends in galatia, hes not exactly feeling the warm fuzzies for them. Now philemon is the most personal book in the bible. The main purpose of a summary is as a simplification highlighting the major points from the original and much longer version of the subject. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament.
Paul does deal with the issue of brotherly love in philemon vv. Stay connected amidst social distancing receive weekly bible studies to share with family and friends. Some point out that in the letters to timothy and titus, paul uses different vocabulary and even conceives of various aspects of theology soteriology, ecclesiology, eschatology differently than he does in his ten earlier letters romans, 12 corinthians, galatians, 12 thessalonians, ephesians, philippians, colossians, philemon. Paul was imprisoned in rome when he wrote this personal. Jul 25, 2016 now philemon is the most personal book in the bible. Philemon was a wealthy man he owned slaves of whom onesimus was one. Paul continues by saying that he is confident that philemon will do what is right and receive his former servant as a brother in the faith verses 2021. A biblical theology of the letters to timothy and titus. Onesimus was still the property of philemon, and paul wrote to smooth the way for his return to his master. Oct 09, 2004 paul also wrote the book of colossians to the christians at the church that met in philemons house. To philemon our dear friend and fellow worker 2also to apphia our sister and archippus our fellow soldierand to the church that meets in your home.
The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. The book of philemon is one of the most interesting, yet neglected books of the bible. Paul was writing philemon as a brother in christ about his slave, onesimus, and now that onesimus had trusted in christ, paul wanted philemon to consider him as a brother in christ. In this new situation he uses ideas and expressions that seem to be. Its written to philemon whose slave onesimus ran away and became a believer under pauls teaching. For one thing, slavery is not even in the context of the book of philemon. The book is a very personal letter sent from the apostle paul see philemon 1,9,19 to his friend and son in the faith philemon. We have detailed a brief summary of the book of philemon for bible study or sunday school lessons. Biblical literature the letter of paul to philemon britannica.
At least he had a nice home, and it was believed it was large enough that the church had been held in his home. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. Paul then appeals to philemon throughout the rest of letter by employing language and ideas that are given their significance from the old testament and its unfolding story of redemptionwords such as saints vv. Because believers in jesus are equal partners in the new humanity, paul asks philemon to forgive his runaway slave onesimus. According to ancient roman mythology and ovids metamorphoses 8. Onesimus went to rome, probably to get lost in this large city. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of metamorphoses and what it means. It appears that he was a slave holder before he was saved. Philemon s most important relationship to onesimus was no longer as owner but as brother. Among the converts of paul, perhaps while at ephesus, was one whom he calls a fellowworker, philemon philemon 1.
This book was written by paul while he was in prison around a. I have taken over faust as my heritage, and moreover as the advocate and avenger of philemon and baucis, who, unlike faust the superman, are the hosts of. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. Sadly, many misconstrue this to say that paul condones slavery but that is not even in the context of the book of philemon. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved. He was brought to a knowledge of the gospel through the instrumentality of paul 19, and held a prominent place in the christian community for his piety and beneficence 47. Even though paul founded the church there and explicitly told them everything they ever needed to know about jesus, the galatians havent exactly been toeing.