New Testament Study Helps:
    Paul's Letter to Philemon

Letter to Philemon

1. Occasion

It has traditionally been supposed that Philemon was a member of the Colossian church, who had in some way been converted to Christianity through the ministry of Paul (cf v 19). His slave Onesimus, after robbing his master, fled to Rome, where he came into touch with Paul. Through the apostle's influence he became a Christian (v 10) and proved very useful in ministering to Paul's needs. But the apostle, having persuaded him that his duty was to return, writes this delicate letter appealing to Philemon to reinstate him as a "dear brother". There is no means of knowing how or why Onesimus visited the imprisoned apostle. It has been suggested, not improbably, that Epaphras may have met him either accidentally or through the mediation of some other Christian, and, being pastor of the church to which his master Philemon belonged, took him to Paul to seek his advice. But on this we can only conjecture.

2. Authenticity

None but the most extreme negative critics have disputed the Pauline authorship of this epistle. We may safely conclude that in this brief epistle we are listening to the authentic tones of Paul's own pleading.

3. Date

Its close connection with the epistle to the Colossians makes it virtually certain that the two epistles belong to the same period and the most probable theory is that Tychicus accompanied by Onesimus took them both to Colossae at the same time (ie: during the first Roman imprisonment).

4. Outline

In progress