Philemon and Onesimus

Biblical Record

Philemon and Onesimus appear in the Epistle to Philemon. Onesimus is also named in Colossians 4:9. The Epistle to Philemon is a short letter that Paul, while imprisoned, sent to Philemon together with Timothy. Listed alongside Philemon as recipients are Apphia, Archippus, and the church that met in Philemon's house (Philemon 1:1–2). Paul calls Philemon "our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer" and commends him because through his love the hearts of the saints had been refreshed.

Onesimus was Philemon's slave. For reasons not stated, he had left his master, and during that time he met Paul and became a Christian. Paul calls him "my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds" (Philemon 1:10). Sending him back to Philemon, Paul asks that he be received "not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved" (Philemon 1:16). Paul also writes that if Onesimus has wronged Philemon or owes him anything, it should be charged to Paul's account, and he states in his own hand that he will repay it (Philemon 1:18–19). Colossians 4:9 introduces Onesimus as "a faithful and beloved brother" traveling to Colossae with Tychicus. On the basis of this verse, many hold that Philemon also lived in Colossae.

Significance Within Scripture

The name Onesimus means "useful" or "profitable" in Greek. Paul writes, "Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me" (Philemon 1:11), playing on the meaning of the name to describe how Onesimus had changed. Philemon is the shortest of the Pauline epistles. Through one concrete case, the letter illustrates the idea that within the church, master and slave transcend their social status and become brothers. For this reason it is often read together with Galatians 3:28.

Interpretation and Issues

• Why Onesimus left: The text says only that "he therefore departed for a season" (Philemon 1:15). Traditionally he has been understood as a runaway slave. Another view holds that he deliberately sought out Paul to mediate a conflict with his master. The claim that he stole from his master is likewise an inference drawn from Philemon 1:18 and is not stated directly in the text.
• Where Paul was imprisoned: Scholars variously propose Rome, Ephesus, or Caesarea.
• The question of slavery: In this letter Paul does not directly call for the abolition of slavery. In nineteenth-century America, the letter was cited by both proslavery and antislavery advocates. Many interpreters today hold that the letter focuses on the transformation of relationships within the church rather than on the institution itself.
• Later tradition: A bishop named Onesimus appears in the letter that Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the church at Ephesus in the early second century. Some identify him with the Onesimus of Philemon, but this has not been confirmed. Accounts such as that of Philemon's martyrdom are likewise extrabiblical traditions.
• Theological readings: In his preface to Philemon, Martin Luther is said to have written that just as Paul intervened on behalf of Onesimus, Christ intervenes on our behalf, so that we are all his Onesimi. In Protestant preaching, the phrase "put that on mine account" is sometimes read as a picture of atonement, in which Christ bears the penalty of sin in our place.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, Philemon serves as a text on forgiveness, reconciliation, and the restoration of broken relationships. It is also frequently cited in sermons on Paul as a mediator between parties in conflict and on conversion as becoming a new person in Christ. In particular, the wordplay on the name—"the unprofitable one became profitable"—is widely used in sermons.