Paul's "Love" Letter - Thoughts about Philemon

#eros #agape #onesimus #philemon #newtestamentgreek #oneesis ##khreeston #love #usefulness #benefit

PAUL'S "LOVE" LETTER

THOUGHTS ABOUT PHILEMON

Valentines Day has been and gone and while people are thinking about "LURV"
 I want to direct your attention to a different kind of LOVE 

It may seem like trivia to most people but the noun Eros and the related verb #eraoo are not used in the New Testament. The most popular words for LOVE are derived from either AGAPE or PHILIA.

Paul certainly uses AGAPE and related words a lot in his Letter to Philemon.

Philemons name suggests affection - phile as stem and Paul addresses him as beloved coworker - agapeetooi sunergooi - and praises him for his love - apageen and faith - pistin. He thanks Philemon for the joy and comfort provided by Philemons agape.

Then a twist he says he could command Philemon to do something necessary but he would prefer Philemon did it for love - dia teen agapeen mallon.

What he wants him to do is forgive Onesimus and treat him not as a slave but as a beloved brother adelphon agapeeton !

There's also a pun on Onesimus being formerly useless but now useful akhreeston  eukhreeston as Onesimus name is derived from either the verb oniveemi or the noun oneesis also meaning useful.

This also suggests Paul was aware of people confusing the title Christos with the Greek word khreestos and is referring to Onesimus' conversion.

Paul clearly refers to Onesimus as a slave. Possibly Onesimus had been raised as a younger brother and companion to Philemon as a child then reduced back to being treated like a slave as an adult and taken something he felt entitled to and so was accused of being a thief wrongly or rightly? Maybe he owed the family money towards buying his freedom ?

It would appear Onesimus was told he was "useless" and ran away and somehow met Paul in Rome.

How he got from Asia Minor to Rome is unknown but he could have been pretending to be a freedman or accompanied some other group visiting Paul.

Paul asks Philemon not only to take Onesimus back but not to punish him but forgive him and again treat him as a brother which suggests he also wants Onesimus to be freed?

"receive him as you would receive me" 

"If he has wronged you or owes you" suggests Paul didn't believe Onesimus was a thief and knew both men?

Note Paul asks Philemon in the flesh and not just in the Lord to treat Onesimus as a brother so I think this was a call to free him. Had Onesimus been promised his freedom and not received it?

What a GREAT LOVE LETTER THIS

He's calling on Philemon to let go of Onesimus as a slave and accept him as a brother as an act of love! Possibly justice as well?

I think Philemon did free Onesimus and treat him as a brother again. WHY?

This is not certain. It may have been another Onesimus not this one as two dates have been suggested for their deaths but some decades later we read of of a BISHOP of EPHESUS called Onesimus.

And Onesimus becoming a church leader could explain why their letter of request survived.
People telling stories about Philemon and Onesimus and saying see here is the letter Paul sent!

ROMANCE IS NOT THE ONLY KIND OF LOVE.