Vincent, ‘‘ Philemon,” in the International Critical Commentary, 1897. The articles on Philemon in Hastings’ Dict. of the Bible and Cheyne’s Encycl. Biblica. For the abbreviations in the Apparatus Criticus see the Intro duction to St. James. The Greek text is that published by Nestle, 1907.
I. ΠΑΥΛΟΣ "δέσμιος ” Φιλήμονι τῷ “ ΑΝ 3 καὶ
Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀ συνεργῷ ἡμῶν, 2.
» ἀδελφὸς a Acts XXiii. 18, καὶ baa τῇ ΕΟ iii.
ἀδελφῇ ὁ καὶ ᾿᾿Αρχίππῳ τῷ ὃ συνστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν καὶ "τῇ κατ οι... κ ς Acts xv. 25, Rom. Xvi. 9. d Rom. xvi. 3, 9, 21, Phil ii. 25, Col. iv. 11, 3 John 8. e Rom. xvi. 1 Cor. vii. 15, ix. 5. f Col. iv. 9, 17,2 Tim. ii. 3. g Phil. ii. 25, οὐ. 2 Tim. ii. 3. ἢ Col. iv. 15.
Ἰεπιστολη πρ. φιλ. KL,
5 4+ αδελφω D*E.
4 αγαπήτη DKL, rec.; Dam.
Ver. 1. δέσμιος Xp. Ἴησ.: to St. Paul an even more precious title than the usual official ἀπόστολος Xp. Ἴησ.; cf. ν. 13, ἐν τοῖς δεσμοῖς τοῦ εὐαγγ., “they were not shackles which self had riveted, but a chain with which Christ had invested him; thus they were a badge of office. . . ” (Lightfoot) This title of honour is chosen, and placed in the forefront of the Epistle, not with the idea of touching the heart of Philemon, but rather to proclaim the bondage in which every true Christian must be, and therefore also the “ beloved fellow- worker” Philemon. The title is meant, in view of what follows in the Epistle, to touch the conscience rather than the πεατι.--Τιµόθεος: associated with St. Paul in Acts xix. 22, 2 Cor. i. 1, Phil. i. I, Col. i. 1; his mention here points to his personal friendship with Phile- mon.—6é ἀδελφός: often used by the Apostle when he desires to be especially sympathetic ; here, therefore, the empha- sis is intended to be upon the thought of the brotherhood of all Christians; this is significant in view of the object of the Epistle— try pove: See Intr., § II. π-συνεργῷ: when they had worked together cannot be said with certainty ; perhaps in Ephesus or Colossae. Prob- ably what is meant is the idea of all Christians being fellow-workers.
Ver. 2. ᾿Απφίᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῇ: Α Phrygian name, often occurring on Phry- gian inscriptions. It is most natural to
Ξαποστολος D*E*;
δουλος 332.
+ charissimae Vulg., Pesh., Syrhark, Chrys., Theod.,
suppose that she was the wife of Philemon; but she must have occupied also, most likely, a quasi-official position in the Church; τῇ ἀδελφῃ, coming between συνεργῷ and συνστρατιώτῃ; suggests this, especially when one remembers the important part the ministry of women played in the early Church, cf. the labours, e¢.g., of Mary, Tryphaena and Tryphosa, Persis, in connexion with whom the semi-technical term κοπιᾶν is sed (See Ἴ ὙΠΕΞΒ. ν. 12, 1 Mami.) ν. 17» for the use of this word), and Prisca; on the whole subject see Harnack, The Mission and Expansion of Christianity, i. pp. 122 f., 161 f., 363 {. (1908).— Αρχίππῳ: there is nothing to show that he was the son of Philemon, rather the contrary, for why should the son be addressed in a letter which dealt with one of his father’s slaves? The inclu- sion of his name must be due to the fact that he occupied an important position in the local church (cf. the words which follow in the text), which was thus, in a certain sense, included in the responsi- bility with regard to Onesimus. Archip- pus occupied, apparently, a more impor- tant position than Philemon (see Col. iv. 17, βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν ἣν παρέλαβες ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν wAnpots,—if Philemon had occupied any such official position mention would certainly have been made of it), but this would be most unlikely to have been the case if the latter had been the father of the former. It is more