The Apostle Paul's authorship of Philemon, the shortest book in the New Testament, is uncontested by most New Testament scholars.¹ The Tübingen School made the only occasion of an argument against Pauline authorship in the nineteenth century and has since been dismissed as irrelevant and untrue.²

Like Colossians, in which there are similar themes, Philemon is categorized as a Prison Epistle. The setting of the writing of Philemon hinges on the provenance of the Epistle to the Colossians. It has been determined that because Onesimus was a resident of Colossae, Paul sent these two Epistles together as one (Col. 4:9).³ Therefore, the time and place of writing are probably the same for the two Epistles. Scholars debate three places of writing, two of which are the most prominent proposals: Rome and Ephesus. The third location is Caesarea, but it does not have the support of the other locations. On the one hand, those who hold to Ephesian origin believe so because of the city's proximity to Colossae, Onesimus’ home.⁴ The proximity of the city is a key factor for these scholars because Paul requests a room from Philemon in the near future (Phlm. 22). On the other hand, advocates of Roman provenance suggest that “Onesimus would seek the anonymity found within the capital of the Roman Empire because a place like Ephesus was too close for comfort.”⁵ Furthermore, Paul could be in Colossae within five weeks from Rome, aligning with his message to Philemon to prepare a place for him.⁶

As for the date of authorship for the Epistle to Philemon, it was written at the same time as Colossians in either the AD 50s according to Ephesian or Cesarean provenance, or AD 58-60 according to Roman provenance.⁷ A later date is unlikely as Colossae was destroyed in AD 60-61 by a devastating earthquake.⁸

The occasion of writing yet again goes hand in hand with Colossians. The Epistle to Philemon “effectively takes Colossians’ concept of cosmic reconciliation through the cross of Christ and translates it into a specific setting of reconciliation between two individuals.”⁹ These two individuals are Philemon and his slave, Onesimus. Most likely, Onesimus fled from his master and later met Paul, where he converted to Christianity. Paul felt the need and saw an opportunity to reconcile these two individuals just as Christ reconciled to Himself the Church. He does so not out of a theological declaration but out of practice. In Philemon, “Paul doesn’t so much explain Christ’s work, he embodies it.”¹⁰

Paul begins the Epistle with an introduction to Philemon in verses 1-3, identifying himself as a prisoner and indicating his solidarity with the slave Onesimus.¹¹ He also identifies that the Gospel brings about a new social order by recognizing the saints in Colossae as brothers and sisters.¹² This identification of a new order will be crucial in his argument to Philemon: Onesimus and Philemon are brothers united by the Gospel of Christ and should be reconciled to each other out of brotherly love. He then encourages Philemon in verses 4-7, saying, “[he] thanks [his] God always when [he] remembers [Philemon] in [his] prayers because [he hears] of [Philemon’s] love and of the faith that [he has] toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints” (4-5).¹³ By encouraging Philemon, Paul is setting the stage to make the appeal for Philemon to conduct himself in a proper Christian way, just as he has with the rest of the saints.

In verses 8-14, Paul makes this appeal known. As an Apostle, Paul has authority over the matters of the church, but he chooses not to exercise it. Rather, he humbles himself, “lowering his position of privilege,” demonstrating his love for Philemon (8-9).¹⁴ Because of this, he does not command Philemon, but he appeals to him that because Christ has saved Onesimus, “the situation calls for a new response (10-14).”¹⁵ Paul, like Christ, serves as a mediator between Philemon and Onesimus in this regard. He is unbiased as to anything that happened in the past between the two individuals and desires for them to be reconciled. Furthermore, Paul calls Onesimus his son in the faith, demonstrating the new familial identity that the Gospel brings to Christians.¹⁶

Verses 15-16 demonstrate the Divine purpose and reality of Onesimus’ flight and future reconciliation with Philemon. Paul states, “For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, no longer as a bondservant but more than a bondservant, as a beloved brother (15-16). Onesimus ran away from his master as an unsaved slave, yet if accepted by Philemon, he would return not as a Christian slave but as a brother reconciled in Christ. Paul sees this dire situation of a slave in flight turned into a miracle of God’s redemption.¹⁷

Paul then specifies his requests in verses 17-20. His desires and requests for Philemon are threefold. He desires Philemon to welcome Onesimus (17), to charge any wrongs that Onesimus has committed to his own account (18-19), and that Philemon refreshes Paul's heart in Christ by accepting his brother back (20). Earlier in the Epistle, Paul titles Onesimus as his “very heart” (12).¹⁸ Paul's final request is that his heart be accepted, as “it is by welcoming his heart (Onesimus) that Paul’s heart will be at rest.”¹⁹ Paul feels strongly about this reconciliation because Onesimus has become part of the Christian family. He is both Paul’s brother and Philemon’s brother, so his relationship with Philemon “is no longer defined by master and slave, [but by their interaction] as brothers on the same sociological plane.”²⁰

There are two major applications to be made from the Epistle to Philemon in the Christian walk. The first is that Christians should practice reconciliation with one another. The reconciliation of Onesimus and Philemon points to the reconciliation of Christ and His Church.²¹ So, too, may the reconciliation of believers who actively practice the task point to Jesus. This reconciliation is achieved by the second application taken from the Epistle to Philemon: selfless sacrifice.  In verse 18, Paul tells Philemon, “If [Onesimus] has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” By his request, Paul demonstrates his identification with Christ’s sacrifice in that he is willing to receive the debts of Onesimus just as Christ received the debts of His people. In this situation and this statement, “Paul is a type of Christ, taking debts on himself so that people might be reconciled.”²² Therefore, it is wise for Christians worldwide to partake in this same mentality of self-sacrifice to bring about true familial reconciliation. Not only does such action bring about a good thing in reconciliation, but it ultimately demonstrates the character of Christ to the people around those who practice it.