Study 0 From the Book of
Philemon is: The Introduction of the book of Philemon
Introduction
The epistle to Philemon
contains no systematic presentation of doctrine. It has one avowed purpose—to
ask Philemon to receive back a runaway slave who had been in his service and
had absconded with his money. The man
had come into contact with Paul in Rome and had been converted and transformed
into a new man. It was not easy for Paul to let him go; it was harder still for
Onesimus to face his former master. But
it was hardest of all for Philemon to take him back. These men were Christians, however, and that
made all the difference. The letter is one of great charm, tact, graciousness
and love, and provides and unforgettable picture of Christianity in
action. Though no place-names are
mentioned, it is clear that the letter was written at the same time as that to
the Colossians.
