The Epistle to Philemon A guideline of forgiveness.

Letters from Paul Paul the Apostle wrote many letters to early churches in the first century.

Functions of Paul Paul was considered an authority in the early church due to the duality of his life as both a Jewish man and a Christian, providing a bridge many in the early church needed. Due to this, Paul was considered one of the greatest authorities of his time. His interpretations of the Old and New Testament were given great weight by many.

Paul’s Career Paul spent much of his life after converting to Christianity either founding new churches or writing letters to existing churches to provide guidance.

Philemon’s Situation Onesimus’s status as a slave has been a debated topic for quite some time, as there is not a great deal of evidence to prove that he is a slave. Any usage of the term may be metaphorical in nature rather than an apt description of him, though most scholars lean towards a literal interpretation of Onesimus’s title of slave. Based upon what we know, Philemon was a wealthy leader within his church, and possibly a slave owner.

Onesimus’s Despair Most scholars agree that Paul and Onesimus met in prison, as the book of Philemon is one of Paul’s prison letters. Based upon the slave interpretation of Onesimus’s title, it would seem that he was on the run from Philemon for some reason. Paul wrote this letter to accompany Onesimus back to Philemon in an attempt to convince Philemon to forgive and embrace Onesimus as a brother.

The Message behind the Text From what we can see in the book of Philemon, the message seems to be one of forgiveness and reconciliation. Looking beyond the specific story of Philemon and Onesimus, we can see what the message may have been to early Christians.

How to Treat those who Return Paul's entire mission was one of conversion. He sought out those who had strayed from the path of the church and attempted to bring them back into the fold. Paul may have been trying to show other Christians how a person who had strayed, but then returned, should be treated by the church.

Paul’s Intent Paul was not simply writing his letter to Philemon, but to the entirety of the church. Paul clearly wanted this message to be heard by a large audience that could learn from its message.

Works Cited Callahan, Allen Dwight (1993). "Paul's Epistle to Philemon: Toward an Alternative Argumentum". Harvard Theological Review 86: 357–376. Mitchell, M. M. (1995). "John Chrysostom on Philemon: A Second Look". Harvard Theological Review 88: 135–148. Witherington, Ben (2007). The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on the Captivity Epistles. Eerdmans.