Chapter 1

Exposition of the Epistle to Philemon

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Right from the opening words he teaches the master not to be ashamed of his slave, who has now become a fellow slave. For all things are good for Christ’s sake, even chains, in which Paul himself rejoices, so that he is even named from them. At the same time he presses his appeal, showing that it is only right to grant a favor to one who is bound for Christ’s sake.

² And Timothy our brother. As though he did not suffice by himself for the entreaty, he takes Timothy along with him as a fellow petitioner, so that Philemon may be won over by the entreaty of more than one.[1]

³ To Philemon the beloved, and our fellow worker. If beloved, he will grant the favor; if a fellow worker, he will not keep the slave back, but will send him out again for the service of the preaching, in which Philemon himself is a laborer. For Onesimus will then fill up the master’s own share of the task as well, if he is sent back to Paul once more.

⁴ And to Apphia the beloved, and to Archippus our fellow soldier. Perhaps Apphia was Philemon’s wife, and Archippus a friend. And if a fellow soldier, in this matter too he will join the contest. This is the man about whom Paul writes to the Colossians: Say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which you have received.[2]

⁵ And to the Church in your house. By “Church” he means all the faithful in the household, including even the slaves. And note his humility, how he calls upon these too to join with him in this intercession.

⁶ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And how will the grace of God be in us? If we too are gracious to our debtors. And how peace? If you too are reconciled to your slave.

⁷ I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers. As often as I remember you—and I remember you always, whenever I pray—so often do I give thanks to God for your virtue. And what this virtue is, he goes on to add.

⁸ Hearing of your love and the faith which you have toward the Lord and toward all the saints. Here he praises him as a merciful man. His love and faith would never have been heard of all the way from Phrygia to Rome, had they not been very great.[3] Since, then, you love all the saints—that is, the faithful—you ought to love Onesimus as well, for he is now one of the faithful, so that you may be shown to love the Lord too. Do you see the force of these considerations that press the appeal?

⁹ That the sharing of your faith may become effective in the full knowledge of every good thing that is in you. I give thanks to God for your love, he says, praying also for this: that your faith, which you hold in common with us, may become effective and active, and as it were alive, in your recognizing every good work—that is, in your loving it and taking it in hand. For faith is alive when we carry out every good work, just as it is dead when it is without works.[4] And he added “that is in you,” to show that even now Philemon has every good work within himself, as though saying: “of every good work that is even now among you all”—that is, in you, Philemon.[5] And by saying “the sharing of faith,” Paul joins Philemon to himself and makes them one. For the faith we hold in common is also a thing that unites; so that you ought to be of one mind with me. By “the sharing of faith” he means almsgiving, as something that springs from abundant faith. So he says: I make mention of you, praying that your generous and openhanded disposition may never cease, but that you may rather pour out upon those in need every good thing that is in you—that is, whatever is yours.

¹⁰ Unto Christ Jesus. Whatever good you do for the needy, and especially for the saints, he says, is referred to Christ Jesus; so that even now, if you receive Onesimus and lay up this favor for me, you are giving it to Christ.

¹¹ We have much thankfulness and comfort in your love. That is, we have joy; and not only joy, but also the greatest consolation amid my chains, in your love—that is, in your kindly and openhanded disposition.[6]

¹² Because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you, brother. Most wisely does he handle the matter, reminding Philemon of his benefactions toward others, so as to soften him the more, once he has considered: “If I give to others whom I do not even know, how much more to my teacher Paul.” And he did not simply say, “You give to the saints,” but “You refresh the hearts of the saints”—that is, with your whole soul. They welcome your kindness as something done toward them ungrudgingly and with loving care.

¹³ Therefore, though I have much boldness in Christ to command you what is fitting, for love’s sake I rather appeal to you. Since, he says, you are such toward all the saints that their hearts find rest in you, much more could I in Christ—that is, inasmuch as I begot you in Christ—have had boldness to command you, not as one lording it over you, but on account of the love which I too have toward you, and you toward me. As for “what is fitting,” it means either to command you what is fitting—that is, what has come to be my need, that you may fulfill it; or else: you tend to all the saints; I too, then, according to what is fitting—that is, the part that falls to me—had boldness to command you. But nevertheless I appeal to you. For I count the matter so necessary that I must even entreat.

¹⁴ Being such a one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Being such an ambassador, he says, and so worthy to be heard as Paul the aged would naturally be[7]—that is, having the dignity that comes both from the office of a teacher and from his years, and now having taken on something still greater, namely to be bound for Christ’s sake. See how many grounds he has for persuading.

¹⁵ I appeal to you, then, concerning my own child, whom I begot in my chains. He has not yet named the one for whom he intercedes. For he first smooths the way with Philemon, commending the servant by calling him his child. “And why do you call him so?” Because I begot him—that is, I instructed him in the faith and had him baptized—and this in hard circumstances, for it was in chains. So, having lulled Philemon’s anger to sleep by these words, he then mentions the name.

¹⁶ Onesimus, who was once useless to you. He knows that the confession of a fault quenches anger; therefore he speaks thus.

¹⁷ But now useful both to you and to me. Because he has become reverent and holy, he is useful to both, he says. For if he is useful to Paul, who demands such great strictness, then clearly to Philemon as well. And at the same time he hints at this: “Since he is useful to me, let him be sent back to me again.”

¹⁸ Whom I have sent back to you. That is: I hand this man over to you, to deal with him as you wish. And by handing him over, he soothes Philemon’s wrath all the more.

¹⁹ And you, receive him—that is, my own heart. This stands for: receive him with love—or rather, not him, but my own heart; for so do I love him, and carry him about in my soul.

²⁰ Whom I was wishing to keep with myself, that on your behalf he might serve me in the chains of the Gospel. See his skill, how little by little he has set Onesimus in the master’s place: “that on your behalf,” he says, “he might serve me.” And he shows also that he intends the master’s own advantage. For if you, he says, owe it to serve me, and this man does it in your stead, then you are the one who gains.

²¹ But without your consent I wished to do nothing. And by this above all he softens Philemon. For though the matter was so necessary—Onesimus was about to serve him in his chains, and these endured for God’s sake—yet Paul was unwilling to act against Philemon’s will. So how is it not fitting to grant the favor to one who could have enjoyed it even without him, yet was unwilling to take it so?

²² That your good deed might not be as of compulsion, but of free will. He did not say “of compulsion,” but “as of compulsion,” as though saying this: that even had I kept him against your will, I would not truly have grieved you; yet it would nonetheless have appeared to most people that it was done by compulsion and against your will. Now therefore I have chosen rather that it should not seem at all to anyone to be involuntary, but voluntary beyond all doubt.

²³ For perhaps it was for this reason that he was parted from you for a while. What wisdom! For since Onesimus had fled out of a criminal intent, Paul turns the flight around, treating it as something that came about for Philemon’s benefit. For perhaps, he says, he fled by divine dispensation. And he tactfully calls the flight a “parting,” so as not to provoke the master by the word “flight.” And by shortening the time, he allays the anger: “for a while,” he says, “was he parted.” At the same time he shows that for all the time Onesimus was with Paul, he was in effect with Philemon. The only time he was truly away, then, was as much as passed before he came to be with Paul; and this was little, like a single hour. So that from now on too, if he is with me, sent by you, count him as being with you.

²⁴ That you might have him back forever. That is, that you might enjoy him.

²⁵ 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. The flight, he says, did good in many ways: for in exchange for a single hour, you have him forever. For the whole life of a man, compared with eternity, is nothing—and much less the brief span of his flight. And in exchange for a slave you have a brother; in exchange for a useless man, a beloved one. “And in the flesh,” that is, one worthy to be loved even in worldly services, since he is so serviceable; “and in the Lord,” that is, in spiritual things as well.

²⁶ If, then, you hold me as a partner, receive him as you would me. That is: if you have agreed to be of one mind with me, receive him as you would receive me. Whom would such an appeal not have won over? For who would not have wished to receive Paul?

²⁷ But if he has wronged you in anything, or owes you anything, charge it to my account. He did not say “he stole,” but more delicately, “he has wronged you, or owes you.” For it was likely that Onesimus had used up what he had stolen. Therefore he says: “Reckon this as a debt to me; hold me as your debtor.”[8]

²⁸ I, Paul, have written this with my own hand; I will repay it. He says this graciously, writing with spiritual grace, and as though saying: “For your greater assurance that I will pay the debt, here is the bond in my own hand.”

²⁹ Not to say that you owe me your very self besides. Lest he should seem to insult Philemon—as though Paul had not the confidence to ask him outright over the theft of another, a household slave, but even drew up a bond against him, which would have shown Philemon to be somewhat harsh and unfeeling toward his teacher—he shows that he is in fact greatly confident in him. “For not only what is yours,” he says, “but besides these, you owe me your very self.”

³⁰ Yes, brother, let me have benefit of you in the Lord. He has come back again from the playful tone to the more earnest, and he appeals. “Let me have benefit of you,” he says[9]—that is, “may I enjoy your kind offices, not in worldly matters, but in the things that are according to the Lord.”

³¹ Refresh my heart in Christ. Refresh, he says, my love for you—or my heart—for Christ’s sake. For it is not to me that you grant the favor, but to Christ.

³² Confident of your obedience, I have written to you, knowing that you will do even beyond what I say. Not commanding you, he says, nor acting willfully, have I written to you, but trusting in your obedience. What iron would these words not have softened?

³³ And at the same time prepare a lodging for me. Philemon might perhaps have suspected, “If it were not for Onesimus, he would not even have thought me worth a word”; this Paul now remedies: “I did not write for his sake alone, but I wrote also for this reason, that you might prepare a lodging for me.” And at the same time he writes so that Philemon may be afraid—since the Apostle will come and find fault with him, if he does not receive Onesimus.

³⁴ For I hope that through your prayers I shall be granted to you. Two things we learn here: first, that great is the power of prayers, seeing that even so great a man as Paul needs the help that comes from them; and second, that we must be humble-minded, seeing that Paul has need of the prayers of his disciples.

³⁵ Epaphras, my fellow captive in Christ Jesus, greets you. This Epaphras had been sent to Paul from the Colossians, so that it is clear Philemon was from Colossae. And Paul calls him a “fellow captive,” showing that Epaphras too is in great affliction, and thereby putting Philemon to shame: for the one man even suffers hardship together with Paul, while Philemon will not grant Paul even this favor concerning Onesimus. And Epaphras is a fellow captive, he says, not for any human cause, but for the sake of Christ Jesus, suffering hardship together with Paul for the Gospel.

³⁶ Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers. Demas was at first of good repute, as indeed he is here attested to be a fellow worker of Paul; but later, growing slack, he deserted Paul, just as Paul also writes in the Epistle to Timothy, which is plainly later than this one: For Demas has forsaken me… Luke alone is with me.[10] So Luke, who is here ranked last, became first of all, when Demas had fallen away. Thus no one ought to be confident in himself; rather, let the one who stands take heed lest he fall.[11] And by saying “fellow workers,” he shows that “These too join with me in appealing to you, and you would be worthy to grant the favor to so many.” Do you see how much benefit we gain from this brief and seemingly plain Epistle? So then, none of the things of Scripture ought to be left unexamined; rather, from everything—since it was spoken by the Spirit—we should seek out some spiritual and profitable meaning. And surely the Paraclete who spoke these things will grant to those who seek rightly the finding of what is sought. By Him may we too be enlightened, and ever guided toward the truth of the word and the life that are according to God, neither led astray by false opinions nor enticed by the falsehood of the world’s pleasure; and may we who are slaves ennoble ourselves through faith and virtue, and may we who are masters, seeing slaves who are holy and apostles, be diligent not to be found far more dishonorable than they in the Kingdom of the Master—Christ our true God, who for our sake appeared as a slave.[12] To Him be the glory, and the might, and the honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.