The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown (141 page)

At the conclusion of his letter, Paul had one more personal request that he saved for last: “But meanwhile, also prepare a guest room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be restored to you” (v. 22). At the time of writing, Paul was still in prison, but he was hopeful that he would be released soon, so hopeful, in fact, that he had already begun to make preparations to visit Philemon and Onesimus
—
including reserving a guest room! That's faith.

THEOLOGY

Theological Themes

Mutual Love and Brotherhood in the Body of Christ
Paul not only asked for Philemon's brotherly acceptance of Onesimus in the gospel; he also modeled brotherly love in the act of asking for it. The aged apostle could command Philemon and easily attain forced or feigned obedience, but Paul opted for a fatherly approach in the form of a series of tender appeals. Paul also highlighted the mutuality of Christian relationships. Philemon had refreshed the believers in the past (v. 7), and now he had a chance to refresh the heart of another fellow believer (Paul) by accepting Onesimus as a fellow Christian (v. 20). Paul willingly assumed all of Onesimus's possible debts to Philemon (v. 18), but he also asked Philemon to remember his own indebtedness to Paul (v. 19). The family ethos of the letter stems from the fact that the author saw Onesimus not only as his child (v. 10) but also as a
part of himself—“his very heart” (v. 12 NASB). Patzia rightly called Paul's overall request a “masterpiece of pastoral diplomacy.”
²⁵⁵

A Christian Approach to Slavery and Other Social Issues
Though Paul did not
directly
tackle social issues such as slavery in Philemon, he did suggest that the gospel had important implications for issues such as slavery. Paul asked Philemon to accept Onesimus as a fellow brother in Christ.
²⁵⁶
Equality before God through the gospel challenges the very heart and soul of slavery as the ownership of one human by another.
²⁵⁷

This approach closely coheres with Paul's teaching in Colossians. Colossians 4:1 urges Christian masters to pay their slaves that which was right and fair and to treat their slaves as they wished to be treated by their master, Jesus Christ. If masters heeded Paul's words, the institution of slavery within the church would have been transformed from a master-slave relationship to an employer-employee relationship or, even better, to a brother-brother relationship.

Relationships at the social level (masters and slaves) look much different in the redefining light of relationships enjoyed at the spiritual level (fellow brothers and slaves of Christ). The social convention can only wilt and die when the gospel uproots the concept that grounds it and establishes its growth. Carson and Moo said it well: “That it took so long for this to happen is a sad chapter in Christian blindness to the implications of the gospel.”
²⁵⁸

CONTRIBUTION TO THE CANON
²⁵⁹

• The centrality of the gospel of Christ and partnership in the gospel (Phil 1:5; 4:15)
  
• Christ's self-humiliation
  (kenosis)
  and subsequent exaltation (Phil 2:5—12)
  
• The supremacy of Christ, the cosmic reconciling work of Christ, and spiritual warfare (Eph 1:10,20-23; 6:10-18; Col 1:15-20)
  
• The subjection of all things to Christ's lordship and the present implications of Christ's victory for believers (Eph 1:10; 4:1-6:9; Col 3:1-4:1)
  
• The unity of the church as the body of Christ consisting of Jews and Gentiles (Eph 2:11-22; 3:1-13; 4:1-6; Col 1:24-2:3; 3:12-17)
  
• Christian joy and thanksgiving (Phil 1:12-20;
  4:4;
  Col 1:9-12; 2:6-7; 3:17; 4:2)
  
• The Christian transformation of socioeconomic structures such as slavery (Philemon)
  
• Social relationships (Eph 5:22-6:9; Col 3:18-4:1)
  

STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What five evidences are usually used to dismiss Paul's authorship of Ephesians?
   
2. What are the probable date, provenance, destination, occasion, and purpose of each of the four Prison Epistles?
   
3. What is the central theological theme in Ephesians?
   
4. Why is the question of provenance one of the most contested issues in Philippians?
   
5. What is the occasion and purpose of Ephesians?
   
6. What is the foremost contribution of Ephesians to the canon?
   
7. What is the “Colossian heresy” and how does it relate to the occasion of Colossians?
   
8. What are the three main points that Paul made in Colossians?
   
9. What are three major contributions that Colossians makes to the canon?
   
10. Why is Philemon included with the discussions of Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians when it is canonically separated from them?
    
11. What are five possible occasions for Philemon?
    
12. What are two theological themes in Philemon?
    

FOR FURTHER STUDY

Abbott, T. K.
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International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1897.

Alexander, L. C. A. “Hellenistic Letter-Forms and the Structure of Philippians.”
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
37 (1989): 87-110.

Arnold, C. E.
The Colossian Syncretism: The Interface Between Christianity and Folk Belief in Colosse.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 77. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 1995. Repr. ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996. __________. “Ephesians, Letter to the.” Pages 238—49 in
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters.
Edited by G. F. Hawthorne, R. P. Martin, and D. G. Reid. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993.

__________
.Ephesians: Power and Magic. The Concept of Power in Ephesians in Light of Its Historical Setting.
Society for New Testament Studies Monograph Series 63. Cambridge: University Press, 1989.

Barth, M.
Ephesians: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary. 2
vols. Anchor Bible 34—34A. Garden City: Doubleday, 1974.

__________.
Colossians.
Anchor Bible Commentary 34B. Garden City: Doubleday, 1994.

Best, E.
A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Ephesians.
International Critical Commentary. Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1998.

Bevere, A. R.
Sharing in the Inheritance: Identity and the Moral Life in Colossians.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement 226. London: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003.

Black, D. A. “The Discourse Structure of Philippians: A Study in Textlinguistics.”
Novum Testamentum
37 (1995): 16-49.

Bockmuehl, M.
The Epistle to the Philippians.
Black's New Testament Commentaries 11. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1998. Paperback ed. New York: Continuum, 2006.

Bruce, F. F.
The Epistles to the Colossians, to Philemon, and to the Ephesians.
New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.

___________.
Philippians.
New International Bible Commentary. Peabody: Hendrickson, 1989.

Caragounis, C. C.
The Ephesian Mysterion: Meaning and Content.
Lund: Gleerup, 1977.

Carson, D. A.
Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians.
Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996.

Dahl, N. A.
Studies in Ephesians: Introductory Questions, Text- and Edition-Critical Issues, Interpretation of Texts and Themes.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 131. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2000.

Dübbers, M.
Christologie und Existenz im Kolosserbrief: Exegetische und semantische Untersuchungen zur Intention des Kolosserbriefes.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2/191. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005.

Dunn, J. D. G.
The Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon.
The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996.

Fee, G. D.
Paul's Letter to the Philippians.
New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995.

_________. “Philippians 2:5-11: Hymn or Exalted Pauline Prose?”
Bulletin of Biblical Research
2 (1992): 29-46.

Fitzmyer, J. A.
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Anchor Bible 34C. New York: Doubleday, 2000.

Furnish, V. P. “Ephesians, Epistle to the.” Pages 536-37 in
The Anchor Bible Dictionary.
Edited by D. N. Freedman. New York: Doubleday, 1992.

Garland, D. E.
Colossians and Philemon.
NIV Application Commentary. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1998.

_________. “The Composition and Unity of Philippians: Some Neglected Literary Factors.”
Novum Testamentum 27 (1985):
141-73.

_________. Pages 175—261 in
The Expositor's Bible Commentary.
Rev. ed. Vol. 12:
Ephesians—Philemon.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

Harris, M. J.
Colossians and Philemon.
Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1991.

Hawthorne, G. F.
Philippians.
Word Biblical Commentary 43. Rev. and exp. by R. P. Martin. Nashville: Nelson, 2004.

Heil, J. P.
Ephesians: Empowerment to Walk in Love for the Unity of All in Christ.
Studies in Biblical Literature 13. Leiden: Brill, 2007.

Hoehner, H. W.
Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary.
Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003.

Klein, W. W. “Ephesians.” Pages 19—173 in
The Expositor's Bible Commentary.
Rev. ed. Vol. 12:
Ephesians—Philemon.
Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005.

Lightfoot, J. B.
Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon.
9th ed. London: Macmillan, 1890.

Lincoln, A. T.
Ephesians.
Word Biblical Commentary 42. Dallas: Word, 1990.

_________.
Paradise Now and Not Yet: Studies in the Role of the Heavenly Dimension in Paul's Thought with

Special Reference to His Theology.
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__________. “The Use of the OT in Ephesians.”
Journal for the Study of the New Testament
14 (1982): 16—57.

Lincoln, A. T., and A. J. M. Wedderburn.
The Theology of the Later Pauline Letters.
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Lohse, E.
Colossians and Philemon.
Hermeneia. Edited by W. R. Poehlmann and R. J. Karris. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1971.

Marshall, I. H. “Philippians.” Pages 319-22 in
New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
Edited by T. D. Alexander, B. S. Rosner, D. A. Carson, and G. Goldsworthy. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.

Martin, R. P.
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_________.
A Hymn of Christ: Philippians 2:5—11 in Recent Interpretation and in the Setting of Early Christian Worship.
Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1983.

_________.
Philippians.
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Mayer, A. C.
Sprache der Einheit in Epheserbrief.
Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 150. Tübingen: Mohr-Siebeck, 2002.

Melick, R. R.
Philippians, Colossians, Philemon.
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Moo, D. J.
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Moritz, T. “Ephesians.” Pages 315—19 in
New Dictionary of Biblical Theology.
Edited by T. D. Alexander, B. S. Rosner, D. A. Carson, and G. Goldsworthy. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2000.

__________.
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Oakes, P.
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O'Brien, P. T.
Colossians, Philemon.
Word Biblical Commentary 44. Dallas: Word, 1982.

__________.
The Epistle to the Ephesians.
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__________.
Philippians.
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Patzia, A. G. “Philemon, Letter to.” In
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Edited by G. F. Hawthorne, R. P. Martin, and D. G. Reid. Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 1993, 703-7.

Peterman, G. W.
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Reed, J. T.
A Discourse Analysis of Philippians: Method and Rhetoric in the Debate over Literary Integrity.
Journal for the Study of the New Testament Supplement 136. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997.

Roon, A. van.
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Translated by S. Prescod-Jokel. Novum Testamentum Supplement 39. Leiden: Brill, 1974.

Sampley, J. P. “
And the Two Shall Become One Flesh.”A Study of Traditions in Ephesians.
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Schnackenburg, R.
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Silva, M.
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Smith, I. K.
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Thielman, F. “Ephesus and the Literary Setting of Philippians.” Pages 205—23 in
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_________.
Philippians.
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