The Epistle of Paul to Philemon, known simply as Philemon, is one of the books of the Christian New Testament.It is a prison letter, co-authored by Paul the Apostle with Timothy, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church.
If this letter was written around 60 A.D., then Colossae was in the midst of economic woes, due to the success of its neighboring cities.
Recipient: Philemon. How to Pronounce “Philemon” Let’s get something out of the way first. [David E Garland] -- Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from the twentieth century to the first century. He wrote to refute each of the theological errors the Colossians were tempted to embrace. Author of the Book of Philemon: Philemon is one of Paul's four Prison Epistles. Philemon 1:1 continues and tells us the recipient of this letter and what Paul and Timothy consider him to be to them. The Purpose Of The Letter. He is the author "Hope for Hurting Singles: A Christian Guide to Overcoming Life's Challenges." In the letter to the Colossians, Paul addresses how our relationship to God through Jesus Christ affects us in the workplace. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord." With your gift of any size, you’ll enable us to continue equipping Christians with high-quality biblically-based content. The short personal letter to Philemon extends our understanding of Paul’s command in Colossians 4:1.The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon are believed to have been written by Paul from prison sometime circa 60 to 62. It is likely that Epaphras founded the Colossian church (Col. 1:7), and from 1:21 we assume that the church was composed mainly of Gentiles.Philemon was a citizen of Colossae and an upright leader in that church. This debate has a negligible effect on understanding the letter’s application to the workplace.Cities grow as they develop commercial centers that provide jobs for their residents.
All rights reserved. He also was a slaveholder whose slave Onesimus had escaped, had later encountered the Apostle Paul, and had responded to the gospel message about Jesus. LearnReligions uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience and for our Jack Zavada is a writer who covers the Bible, theology, and other Christianity topics.
The letters to the Colossians and to Philemon are believed to have been written by Paul from prison sometime circa 60 to 62. The short personal letter to Philemon extends our understanding of Paul’s command in Colossians 4:1.
This 12-week practical study series from Crossway orients the student to the near and far context, key questions, gospel glimpses, whole-Bible connections, and theological and practical implications for every section of the books of Colossians and Philemon.
Colossians and Philemon. / There the Colossians manufactured a beautiful dark red wool cloth (The Apostle Paul had spent two years planting a church in Ephesus, and in Acts 19:10 we learn that, radiating from that center, “all the residents of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.” Whether Paul himself fanned out in missionary activity throughout the province or whether some of his converts did so, a church was planted in Colossae.
The ancient city of Colossae was built on a major trade route through the Lycus River Valley in the Roman province of Asia Minor (in the southwest corner of modern-day Turkey). Paul cared deeply that all of his readers (today as well as the Colossians two thousand years ago) understood the context of their lives within God’s story, and what that looks like in their relationships on the job.Every resource on our site was made possible through the financial support of people like you.
At that time, Nero was the cruel and insane emperor of the Roman Empire who could ignore the claims of Paul’s Roman citizenship.From prison, Paul had heard that the Colossian Christians, who had at one time been strong in their faith, were now vulnerable to deception about the faith (2:4, 8, 16, 18, 21–23). Date Written : Approximately 60-62 A.D. (Col. 3:17, 23–24)The authorship of the letter to the Colossians has been questioned by a number of scholars, but because it is not the purpose of this commentary to address authorship, the letter’s self-attribution to Paul will be accepted here. Bible Commentary Colossians was probably written about the same time as Ephesians and Philemon when Paul was first imprisoned in Rome. our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, So, Paul and Timothy are writing to a man named Philemon. "They were written by the apostle Paul during his first imprisonment in Rome.