Onesimus, the Useful One The focus of Paul’s letter to Philemon is Onesimus, the runaway slave. Ironically, Onesimus means “useful.” After Onesimus flees, he encounters Jesus through Paul. Paul mentors the escaped slave and the...
Philemon and His Friends The short, often overlooked book of Philemon is tucked towards the end of the New Testament, nestled between letters to Titus and to the Hebrews. Philemon and Onesimus Philemon is a letter written by Paul to his friend...
Doctor Luke: A Quiet Man with a Lasting Influence Doctor Luke was another companion of Paul. He wrote the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles. Despite having penned two major books in the Bible—comprising about 25 percent of the content...
Paul the Reconciler While Philemon is the recipient of the letter that bears his name, Paul is the author. We know a great deal about Paul, as he is mentioned over 250 times in the Bible, mostly in the book of Acts, but also in the letters that...
Jesus is the Reason In studying the short letter to Philemon, we’ve looked at the central players of Paul (the author), Philemon (the recipient), and Onesimus (the subject). There are also brief mentions of eight others: Timothy, Apphia...
Demas, the Deserter Whereas John-Mark had an early collapse and then made a comeback, Demas started strong but ended in failure. Demas began well. In Paul’s letter to Philemon, Demas is called a co-worker and in Paul’s letter to the...
Aristarchus Suffers for His Faith Another of Paul’s friends, mentioned in his letter to Philemon, is Aristarchus. We first hear of Aristarchus in Acts. We learn that he is a Macedonian from Thessalonica who is traveling with Paul on one of...
Epaphras Wrestles in Prayer The letter to Philemon ends with a list of supporting players who send their greetings and implicitly endorse Paul’s missive of reconciliation. First up is Epaphras, who by being singled out, stands alone in...
Archippus is Encouraged to Complete His Work Archippus is mentioned twice in the Bible, both times in letters from Paul. First, in the letter to Philemon, Archippus is one of the addressees and is called “a fellow soldier.” Then in...
Apphia the Unknown In the second verse of the letter to Philemon, Paul mentions two obscure people, Apphia and Archippus. Some people speculate that because they are listed together they are marriage partners or ministry partners. While we...
