In Paul’s Letter to Philemon, I have outlined the letter and addressed some of the literary structures, devices and genre that Paul has used. I have also explored Paul’s attitude toward slavery using some of his other letters as well.

Paul writes this letter from prison to a Christian living in Colossae in Asia Minor. The letter does not say where he was imprisoned. Ronald Hock says, ". . . Paul writes cautiously, speaking deferentially to Philemon and indirectly about Onesimus. The result is a masterpiece of church diplomacy. . ."(HarperCollins Study Bible).

The letter to Philemon is the shortest of the Pauline letters and in format, closest to the hellenistic style of letter writing, especially to those making requests or intercessions. According to Raymond Brown, "one should be careful, however, not to evaluate it simply as a letter from one individual to another asking for a favour. . . Paul is writing to the head of a Christian house-church, or even to a church in the person of its host"(Brown, p 502). Pheme Perkins tells us that this is a personal letter from Paul to Philemon, and because it concludes with further greetings from others with Paul, "the letter is not just a private affair, but a public letter directed to the whole church" (Perkins, p148). Most scholars agree. This letter was written to a community, not to an individual.

Some scholars make a distinction between "letter" and "epistle". "A letter is . . . written for an individual or particular audience, whereas an epistle is regarded as literary and written for posterity or the public . . . These scholars feel that the most distinctive aspect [letters] . . . is their occasional nature . . . intended to address the particular and actual situation of the audience." (Tate, pp 134-135). Tate is of the opinion that letters fall somewhere between occasional responses to local situations and, "theological treatises intended to express Christian theological ideologies that extend beyond historical situations" (Tate, p 135).

The letter to Philemon was written for a particular reason, that of freeing the slave, Onesimus. This was not unheard of as it is similar in character to that written by Pliny the Younger interceding on behalf of a young freedman (Perkins, p 148). The difference in tone is that Paul’s intercession is not of a "worldly" nature, but rather based upon "Christian" virtue.

Standard Greek salutations contained the word chairein (greeting) followed by a formulaic wish for well-being. Paul changed the word to charis (grace) and included his status as an apostle, his fellow-workers and the Jewish shalom (peace) to his salutation. He thus modified the traditional hellenistic salutation to include both heritages, Jewish and Christian (Tate, pp 135-136). "Grace [charis] to you and peace [shalom] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 3).

Typical of ancient letter writers, Paul begins with identifying the sender and the recipient at the beginning of the letter. Timothy, who is the co-sender, is also one of Paul’s closest associates in his missionary work and is called "our brother". Philemon is considered to be a dear friend and co-worker as we read in the salutation. "To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker. . ." (1b). Apphia and Archippus may be his wife and son. Apphia is referred to as the sister. The characterisation "our fellow soldier" is figurative and means co-worker. If Apphia and Archippus are not family members, they are at least leaders along with Philemon in the church that meets in his house. Using domestic structures for church meetings was typical in the New Testament period. We find all of this in the first three verses (vv. 1-3).

In these next three verses (4-7), we read of Paul’s gratitude to God for something commendable, in this case, the love and faith Philemon has in the Lord Jesus. Paul’s gratitude is aimed specifically at Philemon (vv. 4-21) because the pronoun "you" is singular in the original Greek.

The purpose of the thanksgiving (Tate, p 136) is to terminate the salutation, to state the purpose of the letter and to perhaps offer a primer of the letter’s topics. Paul seems to follow the hellenistic tradition, but he adds praise and a prayer, "I hear of your love for all the saints and your faith toward the Lord Jesus. I pray that the sharing of your faith . . ." (vv. 5-6). Paul’s style is syncretistic; he uses whatever style helps him to convey his message (as was noted earlier with grace and peace found in the salutation).

There seems to be a lack of general consensus as to how the Body of the letter is to be divided. Perkins (p 148) breaks the Body of the letter into two sections: Plea for Onesimus who is being returned as a beloved brother in Christ (vv. 8-16) and a settling of accounts (vv. 17-22). Brown (p 503) considers the following as part of the Body-Closing or part of the conclusion: "Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. One thing more – prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you" (vv. 21-22). And, according to Tate, there are other sections in the Body that merit mentioning. For the purposes of this paper, let us use Tate’s comprehensive look at the body of this Pauline letter.

In the Body, Tate posits that although the material is diverse, there is a recurring pattern of normal features. He includes the features of request, disclosure formula, joy formula, autobiographical notes, and travelogue.

There is the request feature: "For this reason, though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do your duty, yet I would rather appeal to you . . ."(8-9). Paul asks Philemon to receive the runaway slave well – "no longer as a slave, but . . . as a beloved brother"(16). In other words, the request to Philemon is to not inflict the severe penalties permitted by the law. Philemon may have lost a slave, but he has gained a brother (v.17f); surely a hint that Onesimus should be set free. He further invites him to ". . . welcome him as you would welcome me . . . If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account" (vv. 17-18).

There is also the disclosure formula which introduces new material. In this letter we learn that Onesimus has been converted. "I am appealing to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I have become during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful both to you and to me" (vv. 10-11). This use of the child-father metaphor is one Paul uses elsewhere of his converts and himself. The name Onesimus was common among slaves as it means beneficial or useful. According to Joseph Fitzmyer, Onēsimos means "Profitable One," and stands in contrast to the adjective "useless" (achrēstos) (Fitzmyer, p 333).

Paul seems to use this play on words to make his point. Onesimus has become valuable to Paul, and a spiritual son. He only sends him back to Philemon because of a sense of justice, and a desire to fulfill and perhaps transcend the law. Paul suggests a sense of providence in his explanation: "Perhaps this is the reason he was separated from you for a while, so that you might have him back forever, no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother – especially to me but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord" (vv. 15-16).

Another feature is that of joy: For this reason . . . I would rather appeal to you on the basis of love . . . I am appealing to you . . ."(vv. 8-10a). Paul was joyful over Philemon’s Christian progress. The word love in verse nine (9) has an article in the Greek, which suggests specific acts of love, rather than just love in general.

Autobiographical notes are also a feature found in the Body. " . . . I, Paul, do this as an old man, and now also as a prisoner of Jesus Christ. . ." (v. 9b). Tate asserts that these details have integral meanings within the context of his arguments and reinforce his requests.

Another feature is the travelogue. Paul often alludes to a possible future visit by himself or an emissary near the end of the letter. In this one, we read of him telling Philemon to " . . . prepare a guest room for me, for I am hoping through your prayers to be restored to you" (v. 22).

Paul uses a deliberative rhetoric which was used in his day to demonstrate love or friendship and to induce sympathy or goodwill (Patzia, p 704). This was done in order to dispose the hearer favourably to the merit’s of one’s case. Broken down into rhetorical categories (Soulen, p 168), Philemon would be divided into the exhordium or the prooemium (vv. 4-7), the argumentatio or the proof (vv. 8-16) and the peroratio or short conclusion (vv. 17-22). This common rhetorical device was used to hide the main idea, so that people may discover it for themselves, which may account for the strange way Paul actually makes his request to Philemon (Patzia, p 704).

There is a special tone in this letter. Paul seems to begin the argument, not as a case of "free the slave", but rather a case of how do we live out this new relationship with God and one another as "Christians". Philemon is given a reminder of Paul’s apostolic authority to command (v. 8), yet Paul would rather appeal to his [Philemon] goodness and says that he will do nothing without Philemon’s consent. Paul actually hinges the future of his relationship with Philemon upon the way in which Onesimus will be received. Since Onesimus is now a "brother" in the Lord Jesus, Paul vouches for him and even offers to make restitution for any monetary loss suffered by Philemon. He appeals to Philemon’s "Christian" love. What Paul is asking is not merely to free the slave, or not punish the slave, but to embrace the slave as a beloved brother - within the context of a Christian relationship.

Paul even offers to make financial restitution, but he also emphasises that Philemon owes him for his very own Christian life. The two-fold rhetoric revealed by Paul leaves Philemon with very little choice: "Confident of your obedience, I am writing to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say" (v. 21).

Paul’s request to , "receive him as you would receive me" (v. 17) certainly puts things into a different perspective. Through this request, we see a shift or change in values that is brought about by Christ. There is not only an opposition to the law of slave and free here, but also between slave and being a new creation in Christ.

According to Brown, . . . [H]e [Paul] challenges a Christian slave owner to defy the conventions: To forgive and receive back into the household a runaway slave; to refuse financial reparation when it is offered, mindful of what one owes to Christ as proclaimed by Paul; to go farther in generosity by freeing the servant; and most important of all from a theological viewpoint to recognize in Onesimus a beloved brother and thus acknowledge his Christian transformation (Brown, p 506).

In another of his letters, we see Paul expressing this antinomian attitude: "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Ga 3.28). We also read that one should treat another with love: "For in the one Spirit, we were all baptised into one body – Jews or Greeks, slaves or free – and we were all made to drink of one Spirit" (1Co 12.13). According to Paul there is only one slavery that remains, that of slavery to Christ and any other slavery is moot because of the imminence of Christ’s return. "Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. Even if you can gain your freedom, make use of your present condition now, more than ever" (1Co 7.21). The slave, in other words, should consider him/herself as belonging to the Lord first and equal to the free: "For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord, just as whoever was free when called is a slave of Christ" (1Cor 7.22).

Paul’s argument closes with an assumption that the situation will be settled as he directs and would Philemon please be so kind as to prepare a room for his visit (v. 22). The argument is over, and Paul has decided its outcome. According to Paul, Philemon is a rational human being and a Christian filled with love, and he will therefore, not only release Onesimus, not punish him, and set him free, but he will also release him to work with Paul.

In conclusion, the Letter to Philemon presents a picture of equality within the early church. Paul’s converts are to be examples of love and goodness for others and as a community live out their lives as slaves to a "Divine Master". Onesimus, the runaway (perhaps) slave, should be treated by the whole community as a fellow Christian. The categories of the world no longer apply to Christians and in this, the shortest of the letters, the church receives an important message about how Christians must love one another.

Brown, Raymond Edward.  An Introduction to the New Testament. The Anchor Bible Reference Library. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Fitzmyer, Joseph A., S.J. "The Letter to Philemon." The Jerome Biblical Commentary. Ed. Raymond E. Brown, S.S. et al. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 1968.

Meeks, Wayne A., et. al. The HarperCollins Study Bible - Student Edition - NRSV. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.

Patzia, A. "Philemon, Letter to." Dictionary of Paul and His Letters. Ed. Hawthorne, G. F, et al. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993.

Perkins, Pheme. Reading the New Testament: An Introduction. Rev. ed. New York: Paulist Press, 1988.

Soulen, Richard N. Handbook of Biblical Criticism. 2nd ed. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1981.

Tate, W. Randolph. Biblical Interpretation: An Integrated Approach. Rev. ed. Mass: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 2000.