Mga Komentaryo sa Bibliya

ΠΡΟΣ ΦΙΛΗΜΟΝΑ[1]

[1] επιστολη πρ. φιλ. KL.

Philemon 1:1. δέσμιος Χρ. Ἰησ.: to St. Paul an even more precious title than the usual official ἀπόστολος Χρ. Ἰησ.; cf. Philemon 1:13, 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 heart.—Τιμόθεος: associated with St. Paul in Acts 19:22, 2 Corinthians 1:1, Php 1:1, Colossians 1:1; his mention here points to his personal friendship with Philemon.—ὁ ἀδελφός: often used by the Apostle when he desires to be especially sympathetic; here, therefore, the emphasis is intended to be upon the thought of the brotherhood of all Christians; this is significant in view of the object of the Epistle.—Φιλήμονι: See Intr., § II.—συνεργῷ: when they had worked together cannot be said with certainty; perhaps in Ephesus or Colossae. Probably what is meant is the idea of all Christians being fellow-workers.

Philemon 1:2. Ἀπφίᾳ τῇ ἀδελφῆ: A Phrygian name, often occurring on Phrygian inscriptions. It is most natural to suppose that she was the wife of Philemon: but she must have occupied also, most likely, a quasi-official position in the Church; τῆ ἀδελφῇ, 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 used (see 1 Thessalonians 5:12, 1 Timothy 5:17, 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 f. (1908).—Ἀρχίππῳ: 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 inclusion 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 responsibility with regard to Onesimus. Archippus occupied, apparently, a more important position than Philemon (see Colossians 4:17, βλέπε τὴν διακονίαν ἤν παρέλαβες ἐν Κυρίῳ, ἵνα αὐτὴν πληροῖς,—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 natural to regard him as the head of the local Church, who lived in the house where the members met for worship (cf. Theodoret’s words, quoted by Lightfoot: ὁ δὲ Ἄρχιππος τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτῶν ἐπεπίστευτο).—συνστρατιώτῃ: only elsewhere in N.T., Php 2:25, but for the metaphor cf. 2 Corinthians 10:3-4, 1 Timothy 1:18, 2 Timothy 2:3-4,—καὶ τῇ κατʼ οἶκον …: Cf. Acts 12:12, Romans 16:5, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Colossians 4:15. Up to the third century we have no certain evidence of the existence of church buildings for the purposes of worship; all references point to private houses for this. In Rome several of the oldest churches appear to have been built on the sites of houses used for Christian worship; see Sanday and Headlam, Romans, p. 421, who quote this interesting passage from the Acta Justini Martyris, § 2 (Ruinart): “Quaesivit Praefectus, quem in locum Christiani convenient. Cui respondit Justinus, eo unumquemque convenire quo vellet ac posset. An, inquit, existimas omnes nos in eundem locum convenire solitos? Minime res ita se habet … Tunc Praefectus: Age, inquit, dicas, quem in locum conveniatis, et discipulos tuos congreges. Respondit Justinus: Ego prope domum Martini cuiusdam, ad balneum cognomento Timiotinum, hactenus mansi.”

Philemon 1:3. χάρις … εἰρήνη: Cf. Romans 1:7, the usual Pauline greeting (exc. I. 2 Tim.); it is a combination of the Greek salutation, χαίρειν, and the Hebrew one, שׁלום. In the N.T. the word εἰρήνη expresses the spiritual state, which is the result of a right relationship between God and man. According to Jewish belief, the establishment of peace, in this sense, was one of the main functions of the Messiah (cf. Luke 2:14), it was herein that His mediatorial work was to be accomplished.—πατρὸς: see note on Jam 3:9. The phrase ἀπὸ Θεοῦ … Χριστοῦ expresses the essence of Judaism and Christianity.

Philemon 1:4. πάντοτε: belongs to εὐχαριστῶ, cf. Ephesians 1:16, Php 1:3, Colossians 1:3-4.

Philemon 1:5. ἀκούων: probably from Epaphras, see Colossians 1:7-8; Colossians 4:12 (Lightfoot).—τὴν ἀγάπην …: i.e., the faith which thou hast towards the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love which thou showest to all the saints. “The logical order,” says Lightfoot, “is violated, and the clauses are inverted in the second part of the sentence, thus producing an example of the figure called chiasm; see Galatians 4:4-5. This results here from the apostle’s setting down the thoughts in the sequence in which they occur to him, without paying regard to symmetrical arrangement. The first and prominent thought is Philemon’s love. This suggests the mention of his faith, as the source from which it springs. This again requires a reference to the object of faith. And then, at length, comes the deferred sequel to the first thought—the range and comprehensiveness of his love.”—πίστιν: not “faithfulness,” but “faith” (belief), cf. 1 Corinthians 13:13, Galatians 5:6, 1 Thessalonians 1:3.—πρὸς … εἰς: the difference in these propositions is noteworthy, πρὸς refers to the “faith” to Christ-ward (cf. 1 Thessalonians 1:8), εἰς to the love to the saints: both are developed in Philemon 1:6-7.—τοὺς ἁγίους: St. Paul intends Onesimus to be thought of here. The original significance of the title ἅγιος, as applied to men, may be seen in such a phrase as, “Ye shall be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy” (Leviticus 19:2). To the Jew, like St. Paul, the corresponding root in Hebrew connoted the idea of something set apart, i.e., consecrated to the service of God (cf. e.g., Exodus 22:31 [29]). The ἁγίοι constituted originally the ἐκκλησία; and just as, according to the meaning underlying the Hebrew equivalent of the word ἅγιος, separation for God’s service was the main conception, so, according to the root-meaning of ἐκκλησία, it connoted the idea of the body of those “called out,” and thus separated from the world.

Philemon 1:6. ὅπως: belongs to μνείαν σον ποιούμενος … Philemon 1:5 is, as it were, in brackets. It would be more usual to have ἴνα here.—κοινωνία: the reference is to identity of faith; the fellowship among the saints, cf. Php 1:5. The word is used of a collection of money in Romans 15:26, 2 Corinthians 8:4; 2 Corinthians 9:13; cf. Hebrews 13:16.—ἐν: see 2 Corinthians 1:6, Colossians 1:29.—ἐπιγνώσει: the force of this word is seen in Php 1:9.—παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ: cf. Romans 12:2; Romans 16:19, Colossians 1:9.—ἐν ἡμ. εἰς Χρ.: it is not only a question of men who benefit by “every good thing,” but also of the relationship to Christ; cf. Colossians 3:23.

Philemon 1:7. ἔσχον: the aorist expresses forcibly the moment of joy which St. Paul experienced when he heard this good news about Philemon.—τὰ σπλάγχνα: regarded as the seat of the emotions.—ἀν. πέπαυται: the compound “expresses a temporary relief, the simple παύεσθαι expresses a final cessation” (Lightfoot).—ἀδελφέ: the place of the word here makes it emphatic, cf. Galatians 6:18, Php 4:1.