Philemon, Onesimus, & the rest of the story

For those who were unable to attend the final class on Philemon this past Sunday, I wanted to post the details behind the “Paul Harvey ‘Rest of the Story’” finish to our study.

The million dollar question regarding the letter of Philemon is: what was Philemon’s response? Paul is somewhat short on specifics regarding his ‘request.’ He urges Philemon to take Onesimus back; he urges him to receive Onesimus as a brother, etc. etc, but Paul never comes right out and urges freedom for Onesimus. How does the story end?

It’s impossible to say with certainty, but history has left us some interesting clues. For the sake of argument we can accept that the letter of Philemon was written around 60AD. We can also assume that Onesimus was roughly 20yrs old at that time.

Fast forwarding to the year 117AD, we find the Church Father Ignatius of Antioch on his way to Rome to be martyred in the coliseum. On his way to Rome Ignatius wrote letters to the churches—letters that have been preserved to this day. The following excerpt is from his letter to the church at Ephesus:

CHAPTER I.--PRAISE OF THE EPHESIANS.

I have become acquainted with your name, much-beloved in God, which ye have acquired by the habit of righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you. For, on hearing that I came bound from Syria for the common name and hope, trusting through your prayers to be permitted to fight with beasts at Rome, that so by martyrdom I may indeed become the disciple of Him "who gave Himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God,"[ye hastened to see me]. I received, therefore, your whole multitude in the name of God, through Onesimus, a man of inexpressible love, and your bishop in the flesh, whom I pray you by Jesus Christ to love, and that you would all seek to be like him. And blessed be He who has granted unto you, being worthy, to obtain such an excellent bishop.

Bishop Onesimus?? That part seems incontrovertible. THE QUESTION is whether or not this is the same Onesimus from Paul’s letter to Philemon. Of course there’s no real way to know. However, whoever Bishop Onesimus was, he must’ve had a similar story. “Onesimus” wasn’t a common name that Mr. & Mrs. Roman citizen would give to their baby boy. It was, rather, a slave market name; a ‘sticker on the merchandise,’ if you will… saying ‘buy this one…he’s a useful worker.’ [the very definition of the word onesimus]

Putting two and two together, the tradition of the Church has it that Philemon did indeed welcome back Onesimus as per St. Paul’s plea, and not only that, Onesimus was freed by Philemon and became a leader in the movement, following Timothy as the Bishop of Ephesus. As far as the math, Bishop Onesimus, the former slave of Philemon, would've been in his late 70s or early 80s at the time Ignatius wrote his letter. It's certainly POSSIBLE.

And THAT, as Paul Harvey would say, is the rest of the story.

Cheers,

TM