Philemon:

The Apostle Paul wrote the letter to Philemon and sent the letter along with Onesimous back to Philemon from Rome. Let's learn some more about Paul, shall we?

 

 Using the Easton's Bible Dictionary, we can learn the following about Paul's family heritage, his education, occupation, Cultural advantages, and Religious Experiences:

• He has a Hebrew name (Saul)

• Native of Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia.

  • Tarsus a wealthy and well educated city which played into Paul's upbringing

• His father was a Pharisee, of the tribe of Benjamin, and had pure Jewish blood (Acts 23:6 and Phil. 3:5)

• He had a sister and nephew (Acts 23:6)

• He was also a Roman citizen

• At age 13 he was sent to Jerusalem as a student of Rabbi Gamaliel studying Torah and the Talmud

• After his education was completed, he travelled back to Tarsus, only to return to Jerusalem to begin persecuting those who followed "The Way"

• On the road to Damascus in Acts 9, he was blinded by light and encountered the Jesus he had been persecuting. 

• It was here that he gave his life over to Jesus and became a follower of "The Way."

 

Paul would then go on many missionary journies. While on these journies he would experience shipwreck, imprisonment, and persecution. His goal and purpose was to take the Gospel to the Gentiles and thus continue the fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise to bring all of the nations and people back to God.

 

Paul writes this letter to Philemon while imprisoned in Rome around 60-62 AD

 

 

Easton, M. G. Easton’s Bible Dictionary. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1893.

 

Niv Archaeological Study Bible (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005), 1977-80