I 6. LITERATURE ON PHil,EMON. William Alexander, D.D., Bishop of Derry and Raphoe, 'Philemon: Introduction, Commentary, and Critical Notes,' 'Speaker's Commentary,' vol. iii. (Lond.: 1881). William Attersoll, minister of the Word of God e.t lsfield, Sussex, • A Commentary of the Epistle to Philemon,' 2nd erlit., fol. (Lond.: 1633). John Calvin, • Com- mentarius in Epiet. ad Philem.,' • Opera.,' xii. (Gen.: 1617). St. Chrysostom, 'Com- mentarius et Homili111 in Epist. a.d Philem.,' 'Opera,' xi. J. L. Davies, Rector of Christ Church, Marylebone, ' Epistles of St. Paul to the Ephesians, the ColosRians, and Philemon, with Introductions anrl Notes' (Lond.: 18fl7). C. J. Ellicott, D.D., Bishop of GlouceHter and Bristol, • Critical '\nd Grammatical Commentary on St. Paul's Epiatlee to the Ephesians,Colossians, and Philemon, with a Revised Translation' (Lond.: 1857). Scipio Gentilis, professor of law at Altdurf, 'Commentarius in Epistolam ad Phile- wonem. Norimb.' (1610). Paton J. Gluag; D.D., 'Introduction to the Pauline Epistles: Philemon' (Edinb.: 1874). St. Hieronymus, 'Comment. in Epist. ad Philem.,' • Opera,' (vii. 741). William Jones, D.ll., • A Commer.tary on the Epistles to Philemon a.nd the Hebrews' (Lond. : 1635). Cornelius a. Lapide, 'Commentarius in Epistolam ad Phile- monem' (Antverpilfl: 1635). J. B. Lightfoot, D.D., Bishop of Durham, 'St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon: a Revised Text, with Introductions' (Lond.: 1875). H. A. W. Meyer, Th.D., Oberconsistorialrath, Hanover, 'Critical and Exege- tical Handbook to the Epistle to Philemon ' (1848), English edit. (Edinb. : 1880). J. J. va.n Oosterzee, professor of theology at Utrecht, • Die Pastoralbriefe und der Brief an Philemon,' La.age's '13ibelwerk,' xi. (Bielefeld: 1861). Bishop P1my, 'Exposition on Philemon' (Lond.: 1834). Matthew Poole, D.D., 'Synopsis Criticorum in Epist. ad Philem.,' voL v. (Francofurti: 1694). Bishop Sma.lridge, 'The Epistle to Philemon e.xplained,' • Sermons,' 399. Chr. Wordsworth, D.D., Bishop of Lincoln, • Epistle to Philemon, with Introduction and Notes,' Gr. Test., voL iii. (Lond. : 1875). THE EPISTLE OF
PAUL TO PHILEMON. EXPOSITION. Ver. 1.-A prllloner of Chrlllt leans. He have received a IJuurovCm, I.& • ministry or writes a private letter, RB friend to friend, service, in the Church. This word. when and therefore does not describe himself by used without a determining genitive, denotes his official title of apostle. Having to ,er,nce to others in e general and andefined plead the cause of a sla'!le, be begins by sense. But more commonly with some puttiDg himself into a similar position as limiting word; kB Bu2,co11tc& >.hou, office of the "bondman of Jesus Christ"-" to obtain teaching (Acts vi. 4); 5«u<ovlc. -roii 9avcfrou, thereby the more ready compliance" (Cbry- office or fur,ction of death (2 Cor. iii 7). 10stom ). By such a reverend bondage he be- The general view is that ArcbippllB was seeches Pbilemon, "and the bondage of Paul the presbyter who ministered to that con- was liberty to Onesimus" (Scipio Gentilis). gregation which assembled at the house of Timothy, etc. He was, then, with St. Paul Pbilemon, though Ambrose Blld Jerome, at the time of writing: therefore at Rome: with other commentators BDcientBlld modem, and this fixes the date of composition at all think that he was the bishop. Grotius, how- events before that of the Second Epistle to ever, takes him to have been a deacon. (It Timothy, when the apostle was again at is a very precarious inference that be was Bome (2 Tim. i. 17; iv. 6, 16). Fellow- a ,on of Pbilemon Blld Appia.) Probably worker with St. Paul in promoting the be was fulfilling a temporary mission only ■pread of the gospel, either by his wealth in Colossm, and that would be the Buurov(4 and influence, less probably by preaching. in the passage cited. Epaphras, a resident The time tDhen would be that of St. Paul's in Colossm (Col iv. 12). is spoken of 88 long sta;r at Ephesus and its neighbourhood having been the founder of the Church (Acts :u.x. 8-22). there (Col. i. 7, 8), and as still being reapon- Ver. 2.-0ur beloved Apphia. Codices sible for it (Col iv. 13). Primasius calls A, D•, E•, F, G, and ~ (Sinaitirus) rrad Epapbre.s bishop and Archippus deacon; and adelphi (sii,ter) for agapete (beloved), and also so Grotius. U may be that these theories err Jerome, Griesbach, Meyer; which also bas in ascribing too rigid and technical a meaning been adopted in the Revised Version. The to the terms of ecclesiastical servioe 1<t this name Appia, or Appbia, is either the Roman early stage of their employment. Epapbras Appia Helleni.vld, which was the conjecture was, however, et this time in Rome with St. of Grotius (Ree Introduction), or more pro- Paul (Col. iv. 12, 13), and it is possible that bably a native Pbrygiau name, from Appa or Arobippus was filling bis plaoe temporarily. .Appha,a term of endearment. The name does It will be safer to call him (with Bishop 111ot occur elsewhere in Scripture. The word Wordsworth) a presbyter. It is, 88 we have &3,>.,j>ij Is not unlikely to have been added said, an unsupported idea of some writers by way of explanation. St. Paul hRB used Bncicnt and modern (Tbeod. Mopsueet.. it in five other places, and always in the Michaelis, Rosenmiiller, Olsbausen, Liglit- same sense, viz. Rom. xvi. 1, 15; I Cor. vii. foot) that be was the eon of Philemon (but 15; i.x. 5 ; 1 Tim. v. 2. Most comment11tors, see below). Our fellow-soldier; i.e. of him• and particularly Chrysostom, Tbeodoret, and self end St. Timothy, as engaged in the Theophylaot, among the ancients, infer that same warfare for Christ (l Cor. ix. 7; 2 Cor. Appbia was the wife of Pbilemon. Other- x. 4; 1 Tim. i. 18). The same term is ap- wise, why mention her name here·? Arohip- pliPd in l'hil. ii. 25 to Ep,.phro,litns. a11d pu; oomp. OoL iv. 17. where he is said to also the rruv<p-yds of ver. I. And to tba 2 THE EPISTLE 1'0 PHILEMON. [l-25.