Letter From Paul Philemon: A Letter From Paul - 717 Words.
The Epistle of Paul to Philemon, known simply as Philemon, is one of the books of the Christian New Testament. It is a prison letter, co-authored by Paul the Apostle with Timothy, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and reconciliation.
A Hermeneutical Analysis of Philemon By Jonathan A. Watson Introduction I have read various books on Theological Hermeneutics, and one, whose title has slipped my mind, had once suggested the Hermeneutics isn’t only about picking up the Bible, analyzing it, and putting it back down, but also making an application through it.
Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, a believer in Colosse who, along with others, was a slave owner (cf.Col 4:1; for slavery in the NT see note on Eph 6:5).One of his slaves, Onesimus, had apparently stolen from him (cf. v. 18) and then run away, which under Roman law was punishable by death.But Onesimus met Paul and through his ministry became a Christian (see v. 10).
Paul, however, beseeches Philemon to receive Onesimus the same as Paul would be received. In this way, Paul is calling upon the good relationship he has with Philemon. Paul clearly assumes Christian authority over Philemon, and expects Philemon to obey; nevertheless Paul chooses to use love and friendly beseeching to persuade Philemon rather than to order him.
Place of Writing: A Roman prison; see verses in the previous item. Recipients: Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and the church, which was in their house (vv. 1-2). Subject: An Illustration of the Believers’ Equal Status in the New Man I. Introduction vv. 1-3 1 Paul, a aprisoner of Christ Jesus, and bTimothy the brother, to Philemon our beloved.
In Paul's letter to Philemon, we encounter his shortest letter. But don't let that fool you into thinking there isn't much there. In this course Prof. N.T. Wright will present abundant material from this little epistle to comprehend and ponder about those who became followers of King Jesus and how they were to live.
The book of Philemon is a Prison Epistle (letter written while in prison), which Paul wrote circa 61 A.D. The key personalities of Philemon are Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus. It was written to Philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant Onesimus, who was a new believer in Jesus Christ.