Paul and The Pauline Letters: Philemon

The apostle Paul's letter to his friend and fellow Christian Philemon, which focuses on the question of slavery, has long inspired debate. Onesimus, one of Philemon's slaves, has left his master's house and sought refuge with Paul, during which time he has converted to Christianity. In a letter to Philemon, Paul assures his friend that he is sending Onesimus back, but pleads for mercy on the slave's behalf, asking Philemon to treat him as a beloved brother and as he would treat the apostle himself. Examining Paul's letter within the context of the social, political, and economic realities of the time, Fitzmyer sheds light on the question of whether Paul was suggesting that Onesimus be granted freedom from slavery or whether he was simply advocating a lenient treatment of Onesimus. His insights not only clarify Paul's position but show why the letter is relevant in the Church today. Like his magisterial Anchor Bible commentaries on Romans, Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles, Fitzmyer's commentary on the Letter to Philemon represents the finest of modern biblical scholarship.

This volume presents "spiritual commentaries" on three of Paul's Letters:Philemon,Philippians,and Colossians.For each letter there is an introduction ,the text according to the New American Bible with as insightful exposition,and reflections on the letter's significance for Christian life today.These commenatries open up the spiritual riches contained in Paul's letters for non specialists.They will help you to integrate them into your daily life through meditation,prayer and action.

Foreword to Hermeneia -- Editor's note -- The Epistle to the Colossians. Introduction -- Introductory greeting (1:1-2) -- Excursus : Colossae -- Thanksgiving (1:3-8) -- Intercession (1:9-11) -- Theological instruction : the universal lordship of Christ -- Thanksgiving and hymn (1:12-20) -- Excursus : The Christ-hymn, 1:15-20 -- Assurance of the reconciliation and its demand (1:21-23) -- Office and commission of the Apostle (1:24-2:5) -- Excursus : The language and style of Colossians -- Christ Jesus the Lord (2:6-15) -- Excursus : "The elements of the universe" -- The end of the regulations (2:16-23) -- Excursus : The teaching of the "Philosophy" -- The hortatory section : the rule of Christ in the life of the believers -- Seek what is above! (3:1-4) -- Put on the new man! (3:5-17) -- Rules for the household (3:18-4:1) -- Excursus : The rules for the household -- Final admonitions (4:2-6) -- Excursus : The imprisonment of Paul -- Messages and greetings (4:7-18) -- Excursus : The lists of greetings in Philemon and Colossians -- Excursus : The letter to the Colossians and Pauline theology -- The Epistle to Philemon. Introduction -- Introductory greeting (1-3) -- Thanksgiving and petition (4-7) -- Intercession for Onesimus (8-20) -- Conclusion and greetings (21-25)

For over one hundred years International Critical Commenatries have had a special place among works in English on the Bible.They have sought to bring together all the relevant aids to exegesis,linguistic and textual no less than archaeological,historical ,literary and theological,to help the reader understand the meaning of the books of the Old and New Testament. The new commenatries continue this tradition. New evidence now available,as well as new methods of study, will be incorporated in the confident expectation that there will be an even greater need for such commentaries in the twenty-first century than there has been in the past.

Translations with commentary of Paul's Letter to the Philippians and his Letter to Philemon. The letters are approached methodologically, with attention to historical and cultural contexts.

In this groundbreaking work,Norman R.Petersen integrates contemporary literary critical, sociological, and anthropological insights into the traditional arena of historical- critical methods. He demonstrates how these new approaches can be used to interpret biblical texts,especially Paul's letters. The Letter to Philemon serves as a case study. Yet Petersen focuses on the narrative world of Paul as well,for one cannot be truly understood without the other. This work articulates a sociology of letters explores the social structures which underlie the social relations of the actors in Paul's world,and deals with the systems of belief ,knowledge,and value that define the identities of these actors and motivate their actions.Here is cutting-edge scholarship.

First published twenty-five years ago and now extensively rewritten,Philemon's Problem tracks across the spectrum of Christian thought-from doctrine to ethics to worship.Burtchaell's provocative theology of grace demonstrates the profound insight that the Father of Jesus is not an aggrieved God in need of sacrificial appeasement but a God we are unable to alienate.Burtchaell also argues that the church's mission today,just as it was in Philemon's day,is not to offer a priviledged avenue into God's favor, but to offer the priviledged insight that God can have no attitude but favor.

Text -- Greeting (vv. 1-3) -- Thanksgiving (vv. 4-7) -- Body (vv. 8-16) -- Excursus: "A Beloved Brother" -- Instructions (vv. 17-22) -- Excursus: "I Will Repay" -- Concluding Greetings (vv. 23-24) -- Benediction (v. 25)

Features the essays that deals with the interpretation of "Paul's Letter to Philemon". This book focuses on the tendencies in the interpretation of the letter since 1980, epistolography, rhetoric, ancient legal and documentary sources, slavery in early Christianity, contextual interpretation, and the reception of the letter by Church Fathers.

Philemon is the shortest letter in the Pauline collection, yet--because it has to do with a slave separated from his master--it has played an inordinate role in the toxic brew of slavery and racism in the United States. In Onesimus Our Brother, leading African American biblical scholars tease out the often unconscious assumptions about religion, race, and culture that permeate contemporary interpretation of the New Testament and of Paul in particular. The editors argue that Philemon is as important a letter from an African American perspective as Romans or Galatians have proven to be in Eurocentric interpretation. The essays gathered here continue to trouble scholarly waters, interacting with the legacies of Hegel, Freud, Habermas, Ricoeur, and James C. Scott, as well as the historical experience of African American communities.

In this volume, Gloer and Stepp interpret Paul’s letter to Philemon and the Pastoral Epistles—Titus and 1 & 2 Timothy. Philemon tells a simple and straight-forward story of Philemon and his escaped slave Onesimus. How can the story of an escaped slave returned to his master hold any meaning for believers today? Indeed, in Philemon we encounter a practical working out of Paul’s foundational theological ideas—grace, faith, atonement, reconciliation, freedom in Christ, new creation, and the ethical life that stems from these. In their study of the Pastoral Epistles, Gloer and Stepp describe the continuation of Paul’s missionary work, the internal and external conflicts, and Paul’s gradual withdrawal from the work that has defined his life. In Paul’s absence, how will the churches address the conflicts and persecution? They survive and thrive by trusting the successors that Paul provided for them. Like other volumes in this unique series, Reading Paul’s Letters to Individuals focuses on comprehending the major themes of the epistles and their relationship to the understanding of the early Christian communities. With the focus on the work in its entirety rather than a verse-by-verse methodology, this volume will appeal to the professional and nonprofessional alike, as well as to college and seminary students.