Onesimus was a slave from Colossae who ran away from his master, Philemon, and apparently took money or valuables with him. He encountered Paul during one of Paul's imprisonments — probably in Rome, around AD 60–62 — and was converted to Christ.
Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with a letter — the Letter to Philemon — asking Philemon to receive him “no longer as a slave but better than a slave, as a dear brother” (Philemon 16).
The Letter to Philemon
Paul's letter to Philemon is a masterpiece of persuasion. He does not command Philemon to free Onesimus; he appeals to him as a brother. He offers to repay any debt Onesimus owes (Philemon 18–19). He reminds Philemon that he owes Paul his very self (Philemon 19). And he expresses confidence that Philemon will do “even more than I say” (Philemon 21).
Whether Philemon freed Onesimus is not recorded. But the tradition preserved in the Apostolic Constitutions (c. AD 380) says that Philemon did forgive and emancipate him. The logic of the letter points in that direction.
Later Life
Ignatius of Antioch, writing around AD 110, mentions a bishop named Onesimus who led the church at Ephesus. Whether this is the same Onesimus is debated — the name was common — but the tradition that the runaway slave became a bishop is early and has been widely believed.
The Letter to the Colossians, written at the same time as Philemon, mentions Onesimus as a “faithful and beloved brother” who is traveling with Tychicus (Col. 4:9). This suggests that Paul did send him back to Colossae with a recommendation.
“ I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus, whose father I became during my imprisonment. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.”
Philemon 10–11“ So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me.”
Philemon 17Sources
- Philemon 10–21; Colossians 4:9.
- Ignatius, Ephesians 1:3.
- USCCB, The Letter to Philemon, Introduction.
- John Knox, Philemon Among the Letters of Paul (Abingdon, 1935).