Paul's Prison Epistles: Paul and PhilemonSample

Who is Onesimus? Philemon 10-16

According to Philemon 16, Onesimus was Philemon’s slave, although it is unclear what kind of slave he was and in what specific capacity he served Philemon.

In the Roman Empire during the first century, slavery was extremely common. As much as one-third of the Empire’s population consisted of various sorts of slaves. Slaves were typically owned by wealthier individuals, and their status depended largely on that of their owners.

Some Roman slaves were uneducated and performed menial tasks, but others were educated — some highly so — and served in ways commensurate to their education. They could be household managers, accountants, tutors, or almost anything else that was needed. 

And although it was generally preferable to be free than enslaved, it is worth noting that more than a few poor individuals voluntarily sold themselves into slavery in order to obtain the security of daily food and shelter. And we know from historical records that in the early church, some Christians sold themselves into slavery in order to raise money for beneficences such as feeding the poor.

Generally speaking, the rights of masters over their slaves were not absolute. Roman law allowed slaves to earn money and own property, including other slaves, and even to purchase their own freedom from their masters. And beyond these rights, many slaves were manumitted, that is, given their freedom, when they turned thirty years old, even though this practice was not mandated by law.

Because Onesimus was Philemon’s slave, he was a member of Philemon’s household. But unlike his master, Onesimus was not a believer, at least not initially. But after Onesimus left Philemon’s household to seek Paul’s help, the apostle led him to faith in Christ and grew to love him greatly. Paul expressed his love for Onesimus in Philemon 10-16, writing:

I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains… [He] is my very heart … He is very dear to me (Philemon 10-16).

Paul referred to Onesimus as his “son” because he had brought him to faith in Christ and because he had developed a fatherly love for him.

In addition to these two main figures, Paul also mentioned a number of other Colossians in his letter to Philemon, including Apphia, Archippus and Epaphras. Each of these people also had a relationship with Philemon. Paul probably mentioned them with the expectation that they would serve as familiar witnesses and help him in his appeal to Philemon on Onesimus’ behalf.