Greetings

Paul (see below) was a prisoner, "because the chains by which he was bound on account of the gospel, were the ornaments or badges of that embassy which he exercised for Christ" (Calvin). It is one of 5 letters Paul wrote while in prison.

Paul loved both Philemon (who lived in Colossae), a slave owner, and Onesimus, a slave. %%SBCol2.jpg%%Lower ruins of Colossae%% Paul's affection for Philemon ("our dear friend and fellow worker") allowed him to approach him openly about the delicate matter of Onesimus.

Note that Paul does not call himself an Apostle (see Phil.; 1 Thess; 2 Thess). Moo says, "In the former three epistles, Paul may drop the "apostle" title because he associates one or more of his co-workers with him in the writing of the letter. In Philemon, on the other hand, the absence is probably to be explained by the more personal nature of the letter." Paul is asking a favor of Philemon. Garland says, "Luther argued that Paul does not use force or compulsion "as lay within his rights; but he empties himself of his rights to compel Philemon also to waive his rights." He diminishes his own status and will boost Philemon's before asking something that can threaten his friends prestige in the community at large."

Hendriksen says, "Apphia may well have been Philemon's wife, and Archippus their son. Although this view of the matter cannot be demonstrated beyond possibility of contradition, deviating theories have failed to convince many apart from those who propose them." As Gill states, "The Alexandrian copy reads, "to sister Apphia"; and the Vulgate Latin version, "to the beloved sister Apphia"; for this is a woman's name; and it is thought that she was the wife of Philemon, since she is placed next to him, and before Archippus, a minister of the word." She may have been influential regarding how Onesimus would be treated upon his return.

Archippus (see below) was possibly a local pastor in Colosse, or at Laodicaea, which is close by. Rupprecht says, "As for Archippus and the church, Paul includes them in the salutation with good reason. Archippus, one of the leading figures in the community (perhaps a pastor), and the church will bring appropriate pressure to bear on Philemon should he fail to fulfill the great apostle's request." 2 Apphia. and Archippus are in all likelihood the wife and son of Philemon, respectively, since the singular second person pronoun is used to describe the church that meets in your home. In other words, Philemon is addressed as the head of household (pater familias) which is made up also of Apphia and Archippus. In the first century, churches often met in larger homes of wealthy believers as it developed an identity apart from the synagogue and pagan religions (see Introduction).

"You" is plural. The letter was addressed to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus. It is to the Church. The terms "grace and peace" have great significance at the beginning of this letter. They are of course part of the Gospel. Moo states:

Grace and peace both touch on a central gospel truth. While grace was of course hardly absent from God's dealings with his old covenant people, it especially marks the extraordinary free and unmerited gift of his Son that stands at the center of the gospel (e.g., John 1:16; Rom. 3:24; 4:4-5; 5:2; 2 Cor. 8:9; Gal. 5:4; Eph. 1:6-7). "Peace," on the other hand, has deeper Old Testament roots, used by the prophets as a way of summarizing the universal "well-being" (shalom) that God would establish in the last days (see esp. Isa. 52:7; 55:12; 66:12; Jer. 30:10; 33:6; 46:27; Ezek. 34:25; 37:26; Hag. 2:9; Zech. 9:10). This "peace" has been established by God through the word of his Son (cf. Eph. 2:14-17; Col. 1:20), and so it is appropriate that Paul traces the source of both this peace and grace to God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This, too, is the common pattern of Paul's salutations, and it implies that Paul puts Christ on the same level with God the Father.

Garland adds, "In this context, Paul's greeting, "Grace . . . and peace," are not meaningless words. They remind Philemon that he has already experienced God's grace through Jesus Christ. He is now expected to extend grace to a slave, now a brother, who has wronged him. If he does so, he will know more fully the peace of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."