The book of Philemon, explained simply

Who wrote it

Paul, an early Christian leader and teacher, with his younger coworker Timothy named alongside him in the opening line. Nearly all scholars, including those who doubt Paul wrote some other letters under his name, agree that Paul wrote this one.

When

Around the mid 50s to early 60s AD, while Paul was in prison. Where he was held is uncertain. The traditional view is Rome around AD 60 to 62. Many scholars suggest Ephesus, in what is now western Turkey, in the mid 50s, and a few suggest Caesarea.

Who it was written to

Philemon, a believer who hosted a church in his home, along with a woman named Apphia, a man named Archippus, and the whole group that gathered there. Because Onesimus and Archippus are also named in the letter to the Colossians, Philemon most likely lived in the town of Colossae, in what is now Turkey.

Why it was written

Onesimus had been enslaved in Philemon's household. He somehow ended up with Paul and became a Christian, and Paul now sends him back with this letter, asking Philemon to receive him "no longer as a slave but more than a slave, as a beloved brother." It is the Bible's clearest close look at how faith in Jesus was meant to reshape relationships between people the wider world ranked as above and below each other.

Big themes

Reconciliation between people who have been at odds · Faith turning a master and a slave into brothers · Love that persuades rather than commands · Someone stepping in to cover another's debt

How it is laid out

Greeting to Philemon and his house church (1:1-3)

Thanks for Philemon's love and faith (1:4-7)

Paul's request for Onesimus (1:8-16)

Paul offers to pay anything owed (1:17-21)

Travel plans and final greetings (1:22-25)

A tip for reading it

Read it in one sitting, as you would a real letter, and notice how gently and cleverly Paul makes his case. The name Onesimus means "useful," which is why Paul jokes that he was once useless but is now useful. The letter never tells us exactly why Onesimus left. The traditional view is that he ran away, but many scholars think he went to Paul for help after a dispute. Paul also does not directly condemn slavery, and scholars still debate whether he is asking for Onesimus to be freed. Over the centuries this letter was used both to defend slavery and to argue against it, so it is worth reading with those questions in mind.