by Martin Thorne.
Here is a ‘book’ that occupies only one page in the Bible, a private letter from Paul to his friend and partner Philemon in Colossae, sent from prison in Rome. I have only seen a few commentaries but started with the reliable William Barclay who shows its format is like other letters of the period and reminds us we are in a sense hearing only half a conversation, not knowing what is understood, but unsaid, by these two, and also not having any of Philemon’s letters.
The Story – Paul is in prison, with a number of others (Timothy, Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke are named). He opens by greeting and blessing Philemon (plus Apphia and Archippus) and thanks him for the love and help he has given Paul and ‘all the saints.’ Philemon’s slave – Onesimus – has been helping Paul and now he has become a brother in Christ, Paul regards him as a son. As such he is now useful to both Paul and Philemon. He is also ‘very dear’ to Paul but even so Paul is ready to send him back to Philemon. These initial pleasantries and praise are leading up to a favour.
He asks that Philemon free Onesimus and guarantees to pay any money owing. He puts this as a request rather than a command (but reminds Philemon that he is also indebted; to Paul for his ‘very self’). Paul asks for a room to be made ready for his return, confident that their prayers will see him released and concludes with greetings from his fellow workers and a blessing.
That’s the substance of the letter without any exegesis and although it’s an isolated letter it should at least be read alongside chapter 4 of Colossians where Onesimus also appears. He is returning to Philemon with Tychius (a brother, minister and servant v.7) with news and encouragement.
To this story, commentators have added two assumptions which bear scrutiny. The first is that Onesimus is a runaway slave (this seems to be a fairly general assumption) and the second is that he stole from his master (a common but not universal supposition).
Well, Onesimus is in prison – he must have done something wrong, right? Actually no, he goes back with Tychius and so likely came along with Tychius too. The alternative narrative is considerably less plausible. There are several reasons to conclude Onesimus is not a runaway slave. Of course, slaves did run away and had bad masters where they were badly treated – I’ve no doubt Androcles & the Lion, the fable by Aesop, draws on the prevailing culture; also Seneca in De Ira (On Anger). There were three Servile Wars in the previous century (culminating in the Spartacus Revolt) and the Empire dealt very harshly with any disobedience. Running away is a desperate measure, Onesimus may have run away but his master, Philemon was likely not a bad master (though he may have had subordinates/family who were).
Slaves did run away and it’s feasible Onesimus might have. If he did escape, why did he go to see Paul? If Rome is Slave Central it seems more likely you would run from it than to it. It’s a long dangerous journey of weeks to get there from Colossae for a lone slave and not particularly easy for a legitimate party. If you do get caught (Barclay & others tell us) you are probably going to be killed (either outright or in some entertaining way) or at best branded on the forehead with an ‘F’. To be conveniently placed in Paul’s cell is just a stretch too far. How much more likely is it that he was sent in a group and put with Paul through his partner Philemon to help his friend?
Most important; now as a fellow Christian Onesimus has become truly useful. As God was accepted by Paul, then Philemon and now Onesimus, so may the process continue if the slave is freed and recognised as a brother.
Some (including scholars who like to build straw men) have suggested Paul is tolerant, accepting or even tacitly approves of slavery. Others do not.[1] They might use Philemon for this or others passages like Col 3:22 but for Paul there are verses to deny this (Gal 3:28 and Col 3:11 for example) and really it goes against the whole Christian ethic. Look back, at the slaves who built the Egyptian pyramids, the Roman Empire, the British Empire and all the empires in between and then the ‘American Dream.’ From Elisha to Martin Luther King people have fought and taught against this and related oppression. What will future historians make of the current age? As slavery and oppression continue all around us, perhaps they will call it ‘The Age of the Underclass.’
[1] “When the critics assail Scripture, they often make confident assertions about things about which they know very little (1 Tim. 1:7). In this case, when they rail against the Bible’s alleged endorsement of slavery, they are misrepresenting what the Bible actually teaches.” George W. Knight III, The Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text. William B Eerdmans: 1992.
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Theology Everywhere 