New Testament · Letter · book 57 of 66 · 1 min read
The book of Philemon
A single-chapter personal letter about a runaway slave, which never demands anything and makes refusal almost impossible.
“no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much rather to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.”
At a glance
- Chapters
- 1
- Author
- Paul
- Written
- Around 60 to 62 AD, from prison
- Written for
- One man, and the church that met in his house
- Themes
- reconciliation, slavery, persuasion, brotherhood
What it is about
Philemon is twenty-five verses long and concerns one situation: Onesimus, a slave, has left Philemon's household and has since become a Christian while with Paul. Paul is sending him back with this letter.
The letter's method is its argument. Paul says explicitly that he could command and will not, offers to pay any debt himself, mentions that Philemon owes him his own life, and asks him to receive Onesimus as a brother rather than a slave.
It does not abolish slavery and it is not a treatise. It applies a relationship to a specific case, in a way that would be very difficult to live with and keep the institution intact.
Where to start
The whole letter. It is twenty-five verses and takes four minutes.
The chapters worth knowing
- Philemon 1 — The whole letter — twenty-five verses that never command and make refusal almost impossible.
What people get wrong about it
That Paul endorses slavery by returning Onesimus. The letter asks for him to be received as a brother and hints at more, while carefully leaving the decision with Philemon rather than commanding it.
Questions
What is the book of Philemon about?
Paul writing to a slave owner about Onesimus, a slave who had left and become a Christian, asking that he be received back as a brother rather than as property.
Does Philemon support slavery?
It does not attack the institution directly, and it asks for a relationship — brother rather than slave — that is very hard to combine with owning someone. Christians have argued about that gap for centuries.