Philemon 1-3 1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker,2and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house, 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the last canonical letter of Paul but was probably not the last he wrote. He wrote this at the same time he also wrote the letter to the Colossians. Some of the same names are mentioned in both letters. Paul wrote this letter as a prisoner, probably from Rome. He often includes some description of himself in each of his letters. He opens the letter acknowledging his imprisonment, but he was not a prisoner to the Romans but to Christ Jesus. The Romans may have thought they had Paul imprisoned, but he was actually free because he served a higher Master.
Timothy is listed as the co-author with Paul, but Paul is obviously the primary person behind the letter. Timothy is mentioned as the co-author in a number of Paul’s letters (2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians), particularly the so-called “Prison Epistles,” of which Philemon is one. Timothy and Paul had a close relationship. Paul met Timothy on his second missionary trip through Lystra, a Lycaonian town in the Roman province of Galatia (Acts 16:1-2). Paul saw potential in Timothy and invited him to join his travels. From that point on, Timothy was mentored by Paul. Paul sent him on several difficult assignments, such as to Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:17) and Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3).
This is a personal letter addressed to three people. Philemon is the primary person, with the letter bearing his name in the canon of Scripture. Paul describes him as our beloved brother, indicating that Philemon was a believer. He was Paul’s fellow worker and served the Lord Jesus in ministry, just as Paul. These descriptions build a positive relationship between Paul and Philemon. Philemon was the leader of a church in his house. This is a significant factor considering the church was young, and it took great commitment as first-generation Christians to accept this new religion and all it entailed.
Apphia is the second in the list. She is simply called our sister. It is possible that this was Philemon’s wife because Paul seems to be listing people who are part of the church that met in Philemon’s home, but there is not way to know based on the passage itself. Minimally, she had an important role in the church to be mentioned in this letter.
The third person is Archippus who is called our fellow soldier. He is mentioned also in the letter to the Colossians in the closing greetings (Colossians 4:17). This description does not necessarily mean he was a Roman soldier but that he served the Lord Jesus in the battle against the forces of evil.
Fourth, Paul sends greetings to everyone who was part of the church that met in Philemon’s house. There is no evidence that Paul had visited Philemon’s house, but it is a strong possibility since Paul speaks so frankly and personally with Philemon in this letter. Paul knew of the situation. He may have visited the area during his long stay in Ephesus. The circles of relationships among early Christians are remarkable considering the difficult methods of travel and communication.
Paul gives his typical greetings in this short letter of grace and peace. The typical Greek greeting was a form of “grace” (charein, “may it all be well”), and the typical Jewish greeting was peace (Greek eirērēn; Hebrew shalom). These are both important theological concepts in the Bible. People need grace and they seek peace. The sources for both of these are God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who are the only ones who can provide lasting and eternal grace and peace.
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