Philemon 1, new international version niv the bible app. The epistle is addressed to philemon, with the church in his house, and to sister apphia and archippus. The broadman bible commentary download ebook pdf, epub. Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book 12. Philemon is one of the five onechapter books of the bible, the other four being obadiah, 2 and 3 john, and jude. It also seems probable that philemon was one of pauls converts from the time he spent in ephesus. Paul and philemon may have had what is known as a patronclient relationship. Second principle the second principle is to identify the literary units. Reading this epistle is like looking over the shoulder of philemon and reading his personal mail.
Jerome in his commentary on the epistle, mentions the. It takes up less space than the original fiftyvolume set. Book 1 philip and pat juler book 2 chun kertyoo book 3 reg and marjorie vines book 4 david clines book 5 john and grace robertson book 6 bob and vic mccallum book 7 chue petnamngern book 8 vic and jean fleming in the present book, as in my other books, my aim is to provide biblical reference material that bridges two gaps at the same time. This summary of the book of philemon provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the book of philemon. He mentions this also in his other prison epistles ephesians. In pauls day, slavery had virtually eclipsed free labor. The letter to philemon is the shortest of the pauline epistles. This letter is longer than letters usually were at that time. His commentary on colossians and philemon in the wbc series is less technical than his commentary on philippians in the nigtc series, but it is made unnecessarily difficult by the wbc format. Alister mcgrath phd, university of oxford is the andreas idreos professor of science and religion at the university of oxford, president of the oxford centre for christian apologetics, and senior.
The book of philemon was written in approximately a. To the beloved apphia, archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house. Paul wrote this letter to a certain person called philemon. Most of the people mentioned in this letter for example, apphia, archipus, and others, including philemon and onesimus, are also mentioned in colossians, a fact which implies a close relationship between the two letters. In spite of the cumbersome format, all students of colossians and philemon should consult obrien on these two epistles.
Colossians, ephesians and philemon, paul bound, the. Read philemon commentary using john gills exposition of the bible. Philemon with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. Philemon was the master of onesimus, a runaway slave. Philemon bible commentaries free online downloadable pdf. Philemon is a perfect example of what ancient letters were typically like in the grecoroman world. Philemon bible study lesson 1 historical backgrounds of. They are not typical of the letters that people wrote at that time. Its written to philemon whose slave onesimus ran away and became a believer under pauls teaching. Colossians and philemon exegetical guide to the greek new testament pdf. A reservoir of means god spoke, and his words created his works in the natural world. Philemon, the recipient of this letter, was a prominent member of the church at colosse vv. Paul employs psychological tact, while at the same time not sacrificing his apostles authority.
Ephesians philippians colossians philemon is pauls only one chapter book. What are the main lessons for us today from this short book of philemon. The book of philemon demonstrates the gospel in action. Pauls convert and fellowworker who lived in colossae and ministered to the saints. For this reason, this study guide commentary is designed to provide an introduction to each book of the bible. Colossians and philemon is the first book in a projected series of twenty volumes that seeks to bring together classroom, study, and pulpit by providing the student or pastor with the information needed to understand and expound the greek. Philemon provides valuable historical insights into the early churchs relationship to the institution of slavery. There were millions of people in asia minor, and philemon was just one of the men who came to know the lord jesus. Expositors bible commentary philemon commentary alexander maclaren. Study the bible online using commentary on philemon and more. Colossians, philemon the niv application commentary book. Paul mentions his own name three times in this his shortest epistle verses 1.
The commentary on colossians and philemon by peter obrien number 44 in the word biblical commentary series is a worthy endeavor, suitable for the biblical scholar and the layperson alike. Pauls salutation to philemon, and the church at his house, philemon 1. Paul also reminds philemon that philemon was a sinner. The book was written around 62 ad during paul first imprisonment in rome. Such anonymity makes the document suspect in the minds of some for it provides no specificity of its intended meaning within a given context. Paul says this to persuade philemon to do the right thing. Bynum 2009 tabernacle baptist church the doctrine of imputation applied memory verse. It follows that this commentary, like all commentaries, was written by an uninspired, fallible human. This is the only place in the new testament where philemon is mentioned by name, but we do know that he was a beloved friend to paul.
The letter was for him, his family, and the church. Grace to you and peace from god our father and the lord jesus christ. Its canonicity was widely recognized in the early church, particularly by ignatius, tertullian, origen, eusebius, marcion, and in the muratorian canon. Twice he speaks of being a prisoner of jesus christ.
Pauls friendship with philemon is shown by something significantly missing in his greeting. Now philemon owned slaves, and he had a slave named onesimus. Most of the new testament letters are longer than usual. Please contact the publisher to obtain copies of this resource. This article is also available and sold as a booklet. The letter to philemon is the shortest of all pauls writings and deals with the practice of slavery. Only the most radical and skeptical scholars have questioned its genuineness. The book of philemon illustrates that principles like these can and should profoundly affect the lives of believers. To win philemons willing acceptance of onesimus, paul writes very tactfully and in a lighthearted tone, which he creates with a wordplay see note on v. That book is pauls epistle to philemon, the shortest of all of pauls letters 3.
One of pauls shortest and the most explosive letters, the book of philemon demonstrates the gospel through action. As philemon forgave onesimus on pauls request, it was as if he was giving a drink of cold water in the name of a disciple and he shall be rewarded for it matthew 10. Onesimus, a slave belonging to philemon, had fled from his master, possibly stealing money in the process vv. The style is stimulating to read and will be helpful for any pastor or teaching preparing a sermon on colossians. Entreats forgiveness for his servant onesimus, philemon 1. The epistle to philemon a model of christian courtesy 1. Paul and onesimus both knew the danger the slave faced in returning, since slave owners had absolute authority over their slaves, and often treated them as property rather than as people. God used law, history, poetry, prophecy, and the gospels heretofore, but in the epistles he adopted a more personal and direct method. Interpreters have no right to isolate one aspect of truth by excluding others. There is anonymity of both author and recipients because these details are not included in the text of the letter. Philemon commentary john gills exposition of the bible. The epistle shows that he was a believing christian and an esteemed acquaintance of the apostle. He may have written down the apostles words as he dictated them to him. The tyndale series has been around for many years, wrights little commentary replaces 1960 tyndale commentary by herbert carson.
The key personalities of philemon are paul, philemon, and onesimus. His introductory material, which covers approximately 28 pages, is thorough yet concise. The epistle to the hebrews has suffered from anonymity. Participant handouts for colossians and philemon if youre working with a class or small group, feel free to duplicate the following handouts in this appendix at no additional charge. The epistle of philemon was written by the apostle paul while imprisoned in rome. Urges motives to induce philemon to forgive him, philemon 1. Philemon 125 this letter seems to be a personal letter, but of its divine inspiration there can be no doubt.
Book of philemon overview insight for living ministries. Apphia was probably the wife of philemon, and archippus was probably his son. Apparently philemon was welltodo, for his home was large enough to accommodate the church assemblies, and he was a slave owner. Philemon stands as one piece of strong evidence to the contrary, revealing that lofty doctrines such as the love of god, forgiveness in christ, or the inherent dignity of humanity have real and pertinent impact in everyday life. In the first century, letters were often very short. The letter suggests that paul was in prison at the time of the writing. There are three main characters paul, philemon, and onesimus that paul himself used to focus on the important doctrine of the believer in christ. This site is like a library, use search box in the widget to get ebook that you want. So, he feels sure that philemon will do the right thing. Paul mentions his own name three times in this his shortest. Though paul was a prisoner of rome, he considered his bonds to be a means of furthering christs cause philemon 1, 9, 10, 2223. Paul wrote to philemon, a christian brother living in colosse. It is directed to philemon, which means kisses or one that is affectionate, in behalf of onesimus, which means profitable or usefulness.
Harry ironside closed his sermon on philemon by quoting the words from a wellknown hymn. The style is stimulating to read and will be helpful for any pastor or. Onesimus took a chance one day, as any slave would have done, and made a run for it. Wiersbe if you can locate the sixvolume edition of the expositors bible, buy it immediately. Along with his philippians, his commentaries on galatians and colossiansphilemon are still considered landmarks of biblical study and exposition. Colossians and philemon is the first book in a projected series of twenty volumes that seeks to bring together classroom, study, and pulpit by. Exegesis of philemon presented at the chicago conference at st. He extols his faith, love, and christian charity, philemon 1. He took the disciples with him and had discussion daily in the lecture hall of tyrannus. To philemon our dear friend and fellow worker 2also to apphia our sister and archippus our fellow soldierand to the church that meets in your home.
Paul helps his friend philemon to reconcile with his escaped former slave onesimus, and shows that they are equals because of jesus. Such anonymity makes the document suspect in the minds of some for it provides no specificity of. Click download or read online button to get the broadman bible commentary book now. Colossians, philemon plagiarism acknowledged by peter t. Commentary on the book of acts bible study lessons. He did what most runaway slaves apparently didhe moved into a great metropolis. Bible commentary seventhday adventistegw vol 18 pdf. Activity read the parts of the letter and let them identify it in the letter 1. The author of the book of philemon was the apostle paul philemon 1. Frankly, i believe that paul had no idea his letter to philemon would be included in the canon of scripture, and i think he would be a little embarrassed. At only 192 pages, wrights commentary is brief, yet extremely helpful. Gods creation is but a reservoir of means made ready for him to employ instantly to do his pleasure letter 1, 1897.
The book of philemon is a prison epistle letter written while in prison, which paul wrote circa 61 a. The epistles present a different style in revelation. Pauls epistle to philemon is one of the few books in the nt whose authenticity has hardly ever been doubted. There is a book in the new testament which has been described as. As such it differs greatly from the epistles paul must have written approximately at the same time, philippians, ephesians and colossians. Gordon fee in his book how to read the ible for all its worth lays out the form of ancient letters as follows with examples from philemon added. There is little doubt that paul wrote this epistle, since he refers to himself at least three times in verses 1, 9 and 19. It was written to philemon as a plea to request forgiveness for his runaway servant onesimus, who was a new believer in jesus christ. Top 5 commentaries on the books of colossians and philemon. The title of this letter is the name of the addressee, taken from verse 1. It is addressed, not to a church, although a church is mentioned, but to a person, philemon. Slavery was widespread in the roman empire according to some estimates, slaves constituted one third, perhaps more, of the population and an accepted part of life. In spite of the cumbersome format, all students of colossians and philemon should consult obrien on. Promises to repair any wrong he had done to his master, philemon 1.
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