Difference between revisions of "Epistle to Philemon"

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The '''''Epistle to Philemon''''', often written as simply, '''''Philemon''''', is a letter canonized by nearly all Christian faiths.
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{{Book
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| Title            = Epistle to Philemon
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| SortTitle        = Philemon, Epistle to
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| Image            = Papyrus 87 - Back - Epistle of Philemon.jpg
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| ImageDescription = A fragment of a copy of Philemon, c. 250.
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| Author          = {{BookAuthor|Paul the Apostle}}
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| PublishedYear    =
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| PublishedMonth  =
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| PublishedDay    =
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| Type            = {{BookType|Ancient writing}}
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| Genre            = {{BookGenre|Epistle}}
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| Themes          = {{MediaTheme|Religion}}
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| AgeGroup        = Adult
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}}
  
==Authorship==
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The '''Epistle to Philemon''', often written as simply, '''Philemon''' is the eighteenth book of the [[New Testament]]. It is generally accepted to be the work of Paul the Apostle which would mean that it was written no later than 67 CE. It is written in ancient Greek to a man named Philemon. The letter is a personal correspondence where Paul asks Philemon to be less strict about his slave, Onesimus. This letter is in the public domain.
Philemon is generally accepted to be written by the Apostle Paul to a man named Philemon. Paul writes the letter on behalf of Philemon's slave Onesimus who is in trouble with Philemon, in hopes that Philemon will forgive his slave and treat him better than a slave in the future. Assuming the letter is authentic, it would have been written no later than 67 CE.
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==Personal==
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{{BookStatus
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| Own      = Several translations.
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| Read    = KJV and NIV translations.
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| Finished = 2016‎-04-27.
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}}
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I read this letter to better increase my understanding of Christianity.
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==Authorship and Dating==
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Philemon is generally accepted to be written by the Apostle Paul to a man named Philemon. Assuming the letter is authentic, it could have been written no later than 67 CE.
  
 
Despite this letter being generally accepted as being Paul's work, it seems to me to be noticeably different:
 
Despite this letter being generally accepted as being Paul's work, it seems to me to be noticeably different:
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* It's far shorter than his other works, which makes it harder to authenticate.
 
* It's far shorter than his other works, which makes it harder to authenticate.
  
==Status==
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There are no known original manuscripts. The oldest copy is a fragment from Papyrus 87 dated to around 200-300 CE.
I have several translations of this book from various bibles, and have read it.
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==Content==
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Paul writes the letter on behalf of Philemon's slave Onesimus who is in trouble with Philemon, in hopes that Philemon will forgive his slave and treat him better than a slave in the future.
  
 
==Review==
 
==Review==
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{{BookRating|1}}
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===Good===
 
===Good===
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* Nothing.
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===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* Paul asks to pay whatever debt the slave Onesimus may have caused to Philemon, which is quite generous, but then he reminds Philemon that he owes his life to Paul, which removes all generosity (1:18-19).
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* Paul asks to pay whatever debt the slave Onesimus may have caused to Philemon, which is quite generous, but then he reminds Philemon that he owes his life to Paul, which negates all generosity (1:18-19).
* Several times Paul explains that he is in chains as a result of his faith (1:9-13), indicating incarceration to a strong degree, yet his captors are allowing him to write and send letters, and he even requests Philemon prepare him a guest room, indicating he expects to be released soon (1:22). This isn't a very oppressive prison.
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* Several times Paul explains that he is in chains as a result of his faith (1:9-13), indicating incarceration to a strong degree. Yet, his captors allow Paul to write and send personal correspondences, and he even requests Philemon prepare him a guest room, indicating he expects to be released soon (1:22). This is hardly an oppressive prison.
  
 
===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
* While it's nice that Paul is suggesting a slave be treated like a brother, there is no indication from his other writings that he was against slavery as an institution, and several of his disputed works even demand slaves be obedient (Ephesians 6:5-9).
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* While it's nice that Paul is suggesting a slave be treated like a brother, there is no indication from this or his other writings that Paul was against slavery as an institution, and several of his disputed works even demand slaves be obedient (Ephesians 6:5-9).
  
 
==Links==
 
==Links==
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_Philemon en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_Philemon] - Wikipedia.
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{{Link|Wikipedia|https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epistle_to_Philemon}}
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{{Link|LibriVox|https://librivox.org/group/360}}
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* [https://librivox.org/group/220 librivox.org/group/220] - LibriVox - American Standard Version.
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* [https://librivox.org/group/383 librivox.org/group/383] - LibriVox - World English Translation.
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* [https://librivox.org/group/364 librivox.org/group/364] - LibriVox - Weymouth New Testament.
  
  
[[Category: Books|Philemon, Epistle to]]
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[[Category: Religion]]
[[Category: Ancient Writing|Philemon, Epistle to]]
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[[Category: Christianity]]
[[Category: Religion|Philemon, Epistle to]]
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[[Category: Public Domain]]
[[Category: Books I've Read|Philemon, Epistle to]]
 

Latest revision as of 10:34, 28 March 2024

Epistle to Philemon

Papyrus 87 - Back - Epistle of Philemon.jpg

A fragment of a copy of Philemon, c. 250.

Author Paul the Apostle
Type Ancient writing
Genre Epistle
Themes Religion
Age Group Adult

The Epistle to Philemon, often written as simply, Philemon is the eighteenth book of the New Testament. It is generally accepted to be the work of Paul the Apostle which would mean that it was written no later than 67 CE. It is written in ancient Greek to a man named Philemon. The letter is a personal correspondence where Paul asks Philemon to be less strict about his slave, Onesimus. This letter is in the public domain.

Personal

Own?Several translations.
Read?KJV and NIV translations.
Finished2016‎-04-27.

I read this letter to better increase my understanding of Christianity.

Authorship and Dating

Philemon is generally accepted to be written by the Apostle Paul to a man named Philemon. Assuming the letter is authentic, it could have been written no later than 67 CE.

Despite this letter being generally accepted as being Paul's work, it seems to me to be noticeably different:

  • It doesn't cover the varied topics of his genuine works.
  • It doesn't feature the zealous piety of his other works.
  • It's far shorter than his other works, which makes it harder to authenticate.

There are no known original manuscripts. The oldest copy is a fragment from Papyrus 87 dated to around 200-300 CE.

Content

Paul writes the letter on behalf of Philemon's slave Onesimus who is in trouble with Philemon, in hopes that Philemon will forgive his slave and treat him better than a slave in the future.

Review

Overall:

Rating-1.svg

Good

  • Nothing.

Bad

  • Paul asks to pay whatever debt the slave Onesimus may have caused to Philemon, which is quite generous, but then he reminds Philemon that he owes his life to Paul, which negates all generosity (1:18-19).
  • Several times Paul explains that he is in chains as a result of his faith (1:9-13), indicating incarceration to a strong degree. Yet, his captors allow Paul to write and send personal correspondences, and he even requests Philemon prepare him a guest room, indicating he expects to be released soon (1:22). This is hardly an oppressive prison.

Ugly

  • While it's nice that Paul is suggesting a slave be treated like a brother, there is no indication from this or his other writings that Paul was against slavery as an institution, and several of his disputed works even demand slaves be obedient (Ephesians 6:5-9).

Links

Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-LibriVox.png