Philemon 1:1-2

Commentary.

The letter opens with Paul’s usual introduction except that instead of pointing to his apostleship he underlines the fact that he is a prisoner of Jesus Christ. Note that he does not just address Philemon. His message is for the whole church. He saw the whole church as involved in how Onesimus is to be treated. For the behaviour of the one would reflect on them all.

‘Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon our beloved and fellow-worker, and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in your (S) house.’

‘A prisoner of Christ Jesus.’ It is only in this letter that Paul commences by describing himself as ‘a prisoner of Christ Jesus’. Elsewhere he always expresses himself as ‘an Apostle of Jesus Christ’, or something similar. And here he could well have done the same in order to demonstrate to Philemon his need to obey him. But Paul would not use the term ‘Apostle’ in order to enforce his own will except when combating false teaching. He uses his claim to Apostleship at the commencement of his letters in order to emphasis his right to be heard on matters of doctrine, not in order to give himself status. Here therefore he uses the term ‘prisoner’ because it gave him a moral right to speak as one who was suffering for Jesus Christ and therefore had moral authority. What true Christian could resist the appeal of someone in such a situation?

Note that he saw himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus. He was there in the will of God and as far as he was concerned it was Jesus Christ who held him captive. Rome were just His instrument.

The incorporating of Timothy in the introduction may well indicate that he too was well known to Philemon, or alternatively that Paul was seeking to boost Timothy’s credentials for the future. The former would seem more likely.

He describes Philemon as ‘our beloved one and our fellow-worker’. Philemon had seemingly worked alongside Paul although we are given no further information. It was possibly when he visited Colossae. But Paul clearly had close bonds with him.

Included with Philemon as addressees are Apphia, (the name is Phrygian), who was probably Philemon’s wife, and Archippus who may well have been his son. Alternately Archippus may have been one of the main overseers in the church at Colossae who was known to Paul and had worked alongside Epaphras, and possibly even Paul himself. Compare how in Colossians 4:17 Paul tells Archippus to ‘see that you fulfil the ministry which you have received of the Lord’, and here describes him as ‘our fellow soldier’. In other words he was one who was dedicated in his service for Christ (2 Timothy 2:3). He would almost certainly have been known to Paul when Paul was labouring in Colossae.

Finally he included in his greeting ‘the church in your house’. It was quite commonplace for Christians with large houses and sufficient facilities to allow their homes to be used for the gathering of Christians in worship. Here it is especially significant that he addressed them in that it means that Paul wanted what he said to Philemon to be public knowledge. He wanted the church to be in on the decision. It would both be a spur to Philemon to think carefully about his response, as it would be made in the open before his fellow-believers, and a preparation for when Onesimus finally returned. All would then greet him with brotherly affection being aware of the full circumstances of his return.