After reading this short epistle it would be well to read the last twelve verses of the Epistle to the Colossians, especially noting the various names that are mentioned by Paul. No less than eight of those mentioned in Philemon 1 are found in Colossians, and several of them in a way that throws light upon their history.
Philemon, a much loved friend and fellow-servant of the apostle, evidently lived at Colosse. Apphia would appear to have been his wife, and Archippus his son, who was also a gifted man with a very definite service committed to him from the Lord. Philemon’s house was a meeting place for God’s people, so that Paul could write of “the church in thy house.”
Onesimus, with whom the Epistle is mainly concerned, had formerly been a servant or bond-slave of Philemon, as verse 16 shows. He had wronged his Christian master and then had run away (verses 15, 18). In God’s great mercy however the runaway slave had been thrown into contact with Paul at Rome during his imprisonment and through his instrumentality converted (verse 10): converted so soundly that Paul could speak of him not long after as “a faithful and beloved brother” (Col. 4:9).
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Author: Frank Binford Hole
Keywords: Epistle of Philemon, Letter to Philemon, Onesimus, Philemon, Archippus, Apphia, Slavery, Runaway slave, Runaway servant, Bond slave, Bond servant
Bible reference(s): Philemon 1
Source: Frank Binford Hole
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