Philemon
New Testament · translated from the Greek
A short letter: Paul asks Philemon to welcome back Onesimus, his slave, who came to faith through Paul, no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother.
How it is laid out
Key verses
- Philemon 1:16 — No longer as a slave, but a beloved brother
- Philemon 1:18 — If he owes you anything, charge this to me
Who wrote it
Paul, a prisoner of the Messiah Jesus, with Timothy our brother (1:1). Christian tradition attributes it to the apostle Paul.
When it was written
Probably AD 55–62; it depends on which imprisonment he writes from, which is debated.
For whom, and in what situation
Philemon, with Apphia, Archippus and the assembly that meets in his house (1:1-2). Paul sends Onesimus back to him, calling him his child, whom he fathered in his chains (1:10-12).
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