Philemon Images and
NotesThe Book of Philemon
Philemon 1:4-5 - I thank my God, making mention of thee
always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou
hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
Philemon 1:9-10 - Yet for love's sake I rather beseech
[thee], being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a
prisoner of Jesus Christ. I beseech thee for my son Onesimus,
whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Philemon in The New Testament - A Brief Overview
Painting of Paul the Apostle by Rembrandt - 1657
Introduction to The
Book of Philemon
Brief Summary. The Apostle Paul was in Rome preaching
in "his own hired house." Onesimus was a runaway slave from
Colossae in Asia Minor, and he met Paul who led him to Jesus
Christ. There is a chance he could have known Paul previously
for his master Philemon was a disciple of Christ. the crime of a
slave running away from his master was punishable by death. The
epistle to Philemon is a plea from the apostle Paul to receive
his slave as a brother, as Christ had received Philemon.
Summary of The Book of Philemon
Epistle. The book of Philemon is considered by most
scholars to be a companion letter to his epistle to the
Colossians. This is because of the information in the book
concerning Onesimus who had comforted Paul while he was in
prison ( Philemon 1:11). Onesimus is mentioned in the book of
Colossians as "one of you." He was being sent with both letters,
along with Tychichus.
Author. Philemon and Colossians were both written by Paul
the apostle.
Date. The book of Philemon as well as the book of
Colossians were written by Paul and delivered at the same time.
Since Colossians was written from Rome during Paul's first
imprisonment 62 AD., the same must be believed about Philemon.
Philemon. The epistle was intended for Philemon, who
may have been an elder in the church at Colossae. There is no
doubt that he was a leader in the church, the church met at his
home ( Philemon 1:2). Paul was familiar not only with Philemon
but Apphia
and Archippus who were members of his family, and he send
greetings to them. Philemon appears to be a kind man,
hospitable, and possibly wealthy. He seems to of been a good
friend of the apostle Paul, he was with Paul as a worker, and
did much for the church in Paul's absence.
Onesimus. Onesimus had been a slave of Philemon who
had escaped, probably with some money. (Philemon1:18). He showed
up in Rome to find refuge and came in contact with the apostle
Paul who led him to Christ. Once Onesimus became a Christian he
became close to Paul and also a great source of help. Paul
appreciated Onesimus but believed that he should return to his
master and encouraged him to do so. When Onesimus returned
Philemon had the legal right to slay his disobedient slave, for
this crime was punishable by death in the Roman Empire. It is
clearly seen that Paul becomes an advocate of Onesimus in this
letter to Philemon.
Paul. The epistle to Philemon shows a lot about the
apostle Paul, for he cared much about each circumstance that God
led him into. He cared as much about the situation with Onesimus
as he did with the heresies that brought so much trouble to the
church at Colossae. It is interesting that Paul even wrote this
letter with his own hand to show how important it was to him.
Outline of the Book of Philemon
Paul Commends Philemon - Chapter 1:1-7
Paul Intercedes for Onesimus - Chapter 1:8-21
Final Words - Chapter 1:22-25
The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus"
would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or
consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A).
Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means
"The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".
Philemon Maps and Resources
Map of the Roman Empire (14 A.D.) - This map reveals the
Roman Empire during the time shortly after the birth of Jesus,
in 14 AD at the time of the death of Augustus. The order which
prevailed in this extensive empire, the good military roads, and
the use of Koine Greek as the general language of culture
throughout the area were among the factors which multiplied the
rapid spread of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's First Missionary Journey (48 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia Minor where Paul visited in his first
missionary journey. Around 48 AD, in the springtime, Paul and
his companions Barnabas and Mark were sent on a mission from the
church in Antioch. This would be the first of Paul's Missionary
Journey's. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Second Missionary Journey (51 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his
second missionary journey. Paul re-visits a couple cities in
Asia, one of which was Lystra where he was stoned and left for
dead a few years earlier. He later has a vision that leads him
over to Greece and Paul and his companions travel and minister
in various cities in Greece (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea,
Athens and Corinth. Later Paul returns to Ephesus and finally to
Caesarea and Antioch. (Color Map)
Map of Paul's Third Missionary Journey (54 A.D.) - This map
reveals the areas in Asia and Greece where Paul visited in his
third missionary journey. On Paul's third missionary journey he
returned to the cities he had first visited on his first
missionary journey. During this time he decided to remain in
Ephesus for about 3 years, and this city was the main focus of
his activities and an important Christian community (Acts 19).
(Color Map)
Map of the New Testament World - This map reveals the
"Nations" within the ancient world during the first century
A.D., the time of the New Testament. The map includes the areas
of Israel, Asia, Greece, and Italy. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Greece This map reveals the cities
within Greece in the ancient world during the first century
A.D.,The map includes the principal cities of Greece like:
Athens, Corinth, and Thessalonica, and provinces like Macedonia
and Achaia. (Color Map)
Map of New Testament Asia - This map shows the cities within
Asia Minor during the first century A.D., the time of the New
Testament. The map includes the principal cities of Asia
including Tarsus, Ephesus, and Colossae, and provinces like
Galatia and Pamphilia. (Color Map)
