Nexegesis on the book of philemon

The book of philemon is about a personal appeal to a prosperous christian slave owner to receive his slave back as a brother in christ. Philemon 1 commentary philemons relationship to onesimus. Pauls letter and gods instruction stand with or without the aid of the supreme court. Paul praises philemon for the love he has shown not just to him but to all the believers in that area. Can this short letter be viewed from different perspectives. The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. Timothy is the brother of both paul and of the recipient of this letter but not in the physical literal sense. As philemon forgave onesimus on pauls request, it was as if he was giving a drink of cold water in the name of a disciple and he shall be rewarded for it matthew 10. Philemon 125 friendship, forgiveness, reputation discussion questions 1. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Bible our library commentaries john gills exposition of the bible philemon. Philemon 1 commentary, one of over 110 bible commentaries freely available, this commentary, originally published in four parts, is a digest of vatious readings and marginal references. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner.

The apostles joy and praise for philemons steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Biblical commentary bible study philemon 121 exegesis. Paul does not identify himself as an apostle with authority, but as a prisoner of jesus christ, calling. I beseech thee for my son onesimus, whom i have begotten in my. The book of philemon was written in approximately a. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of philemon information useful to understand before a study of the letters contents slavery in the grecoroman world one of the most important things to understand about philemon is the background of slavery in the ancient world. The book is about bondage and love, forgiveness and joy. Christian love and forgiveness are given prominence in the book of philemon. What does paul mean by saying he is a prisoner of christ jesus. 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. This is unfortunate, since his works contain priceless gems of information that are found nowhere. Paul knows how super loving and faithful philemon is. Could the common view of onesimus as a runaway, thieving slave be wrong. Jupiter, the roman king of the gods, had heard of the virtuous couple, but based on all his previous experiences.

Paul tries to convince philemon to make the right decision. 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. Whatever onesimus took from philemon, paul says he will repay verses 1819. Study questions for the book of philemon flashcards quizlet. Philemon was a wealthy businessman, owner of slaves and member of the colossian church whom paul led to christ.

Read philemon commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. Use this topic or order a custom research paper, written exactly how you need it to be. The new testament contains a short book called philemon. Pauls letter to philemon is the eighteenth book in the new testament. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. There is no longer jew or greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female. Summary of the book of philemon story of the bible. You can find the best commentary on philemon for you using the tools on the right side. 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. Philemon commentary john gills exposition of the bible. Martin luther wrote, we are all the lords onesimi cited by h.

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. Philemon 2025 20 yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the lord. Read more about paul and his letters in the section epistles of paul. Paul now sends onesimus back to philemon with a letter which asks the master to forgive his former slave who is now his brother in christ. 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.

Old testament citations in hebrews than in any other new testament book. The book of philemon in the world wide study 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. Onesimus is a brother in gods family and philemon loves him very much.

Now from these general observations we come to the epistle of philemon itself. Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. In the bible book that bears philemons name, paul addressed his beloved brother as a fellow worker, a title given to those who served for a time alongside. In pauls day, slavery had virtually eclipsed free labor. Introduction to philemon bible exposition commentary. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world. Biblical literature the letter of paul to philemon britannica. Watch our overview video on the book of philemon, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought.

The book of philemon is commonly referred to the letter that paul the apostle wrote to his friend philemon, on behalf of a runaway slave by the name of. The book of philemon, in the bible, is a letter written by the apostle paul to philemon, a slave owner. Feb 12, 2012 the new testament contains a short book called philemon. The book of philemon is as several authors have said, like looking over the shoulder of philemon as he reads his personal mail. 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. Activity read the parts of the letter and let them identify it in the letter 1. Paul commends onesimus to philemon, no longer as a slave, but as a brother. Pauls basic claim in philemon is the same as it is in galatians 3. The word of god and the testimony of the prophets make clear that there is a time and place for christfollowers to address justice issues in our broader culture. The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. Yet when paul prayed for philemons compassion in verse 7, heart was. A summary, synopsis or recap is a shortened version of the original. Not only this, but because philemon has demonstrated love, the saints have been refreshed v.

The apostles joy and praise for philemon s steady faith in the lord jesus, and love to all the saints. Paul and timothy greet philemon as a dearly beloved fellowlaborer. This is a story that includes a more than likely runaway slave, onesimus, who has come to know paul in rome, was converted by paul to the christian faith by paul, and rendered voluntary service to paul in his roman imprisonment. Paul to philemon himself, on behalf of his runaway slave, onesimus. Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. The ending of the book of philemon in the king james version seems to indicate that onesimus, a servant wrote the book. As human beings, it is a natural tendency to perceive the eye for an eye mentality as fair and just, but god disagrees. But the bulk of this is mostly addressed to philemon. Also, paul asks philemon to accept onesimus as a fellow christian rather than as a slave. It is a prison letter, coauthored by paul the apostle with timothy, to philemon, a leader in the colossian church.

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. Study in philemon by edgar pierce exposing the word. Philemon was the master of onesimus, a runaway slave. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Moule, colossian and philemon studies christian literature crusade, pp.

The basis for pauls appeal to philemon is the supreme christian virtue of love. Ephesians philippians colossians philemon is pauls only one chapter book. Philemons slave onesimus came into contact with paul and became a. 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. As the shortest of pauls letters 335 words, it is situated at the end of the pauline corpus, which has been traditionally arranged not by date but from the longest to the shortest romans through philemon. Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse.

Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Galatians, philippians, and philemon summary galatians. The apostle paul introduces himself as a prisoner of jesus christ. Paul represents onesimus as a son, as my own heart, as a brother. Galatians, philippians, and philemon summary shmoop. Smith, atlantic baptist university, in religious studies 1023. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. 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. Slavery was widespread in the roman empire according to some estimates, slaves constituted one third, perhaps more, of the population and an accepted part of life. Paul, like christ, asks for any of the wrongs of onesimus to be put on pauls account verse 18. Onesimus fled to rome where he came in contact with paul and was saved.

We have detailed a brief summary of the book of philemon for bible study or sunday school lessons. This time, paul is writing his friends philemon, apphia, and archippus. Word meanings in the new testament, ralph earle, 1984, baker book house manners and customs in the bible, victor h. It is on the basis of this mutual love that paul entreats philemon now. Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. Paul has met with and converted a man named onesimus, probably a runaway slave, and he writes to philemon, onesimuss legal owner, to tell him that he is sending him back. Philemons slave onesimus came into contact with paul and became a christian in rome philemon 10. An argument of the book of philemon related media being encouraged by the reports of spiritual effectiveness in philemons life, paul requests of him to graciously receive his runaway slave, onesimus, as a fellow believer and partner in the gospel ministry in accordance with the love that he has shown to other believers and the grace which he. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action.

This is a book in applied christianity, a textbook of social service. Study the bible online using commentary on philemon and more. According to ancient roman mythology and ovids metamorphoses 8. 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. The power of the gospel in winning a runaway thief and slave and in changing a masters mind is clearly shown here. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. Yet most people today have never heard of john gill. Matthews, 1998, hendrickson publishers the divine outline of history, tapes on philemon, r. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or usefulness. Translation v1 paul, a prisoner for the sake of jesus christ, and timothy my brother unto philemon, my beloved friend and coworker. In fact, forgiveness might be the only path acceptable to take. Paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his escaped former slave onesimus, and shows that they are equals because of jesus. The book of philemon is about a slave onesimus who ran away from his master philemon. Start studying study questions for the book of philemon.

The letter of philemon speaks to that problem, because in the nature of the case segregation is slavery. What he meant is truethat this little book beautifully illustrates the salvation that every believer enjoys. The epistle of paul to philemon, known simply as philemon, is one of the books of the christian new testament. Read by leon mire while in prison, paul writes this letter to another christian, philemon. In this series, forgiveness a study in philemon, we are shown that there are higher paths than retaliation and holding grudges. Librivox recording of the book of philemon from the world english bible. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. As the shortest of pauls letters 335 words, it is situated at the end of the pauline corpus. Philemons slave onesimus escaped to rome absconding some of philemons property. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. 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. Now, paul sends him back to philemon, though he would really like to keep him verse. Before you attempt to answer the questions below you should read these chapters in the bible and answer the questions at the end of each chapter found at the website answer the questions below and then click ok to send your answers. Philemon, however, is not a purely personal letter, because it is addressed to a.