Exploring Philemon

A new, sociorhetorical interpretation of the Letter to Philemon Exploring Philemon shows how this letter entered the world of the ancient Mediterranean and the early church with a dramatic and powerful rhetorical force by analyzing the range of textures interwoven with each other to produce a profound effect on an early Christian (Philemon) and on the church that met in his home. It demonstrates that many striking and subtle features work together to present a rhetorical argument that the new Christian society must be one of freedom, brotherhood, and partnership not just for the powerful, but for all. Features: An analysis of the visual imagery of the letter Application of up-to-date rhetorical, sensory-aesthetic, and intertextual interpretive methods Use of Social and cultural, ideological, and theological strategies

"John Phillips writes with enthusiasm and clarity, . . . cutting through the confusion and heretical dangers associated with Bible interpretation." --Moody Magazine

Paul's letter to Philemon is one of the writings that seem likely as a common Hellenistic letter of the time. In the letter to Philemon, we find basic concepts of the author’s theology on the issues of the slavery and human relationships. What made Philemon a special letter is an appealing, refined and sophisticated (rhetorical) style. Another feature of Philemon is its originality and more remarkable is Paul's appeal to Philemon on behalf of Onesimus. Paul writes as a 'prisoner of Christ' but shows few details regarding the situation of his imprisonment. Paul distinguishes Philemon's love and faith because he sees them as indissoluble. Thus, Philemon is a revealing text because it is the one New Testament letter that deals with a case of slavery.

The material culture of Colossae is here for the first time given as full a collation as possible to the present day. 38 inscriptions, 88 coins and 49 testimonia are brought together in the context of a thorough overview of the site of Colossae. These include evidence that has been thought lost or has been overlooked or misinterpreted or has only recently been discovered. New readings, insights and analyses of the material evidence are brought into a highly creative exchange with the two letters of the Second Testament connected with the site. The texts thereby become additional evidence for an appreciation of the life of a city in the first two centuries of the Common Era. The fullest collation of evidence for the ancient Phrygian city in the Greco-Roman period was the coin catalogue assembled by Hans von Aulock (1987). The most recent catalogue of the inscriptions of Colossae was published by William Calder and William Buckler in 1939. There has never been a full inventory of ancient writings that bear witness to the site. Alan H. Cadwallader in his volume not only updates this material by subjecting it to thorough, critical analysis in the light of comparative evidence from across the Roman province of Asia and the Mediterranean world. New discoveries from the site and from museums and collections in the United Kingdom, Europe, Russia, Australia and the United States are introduced. Into this assemblage and interpretation are brought the letters to the Colossians and Philemon in the Second Testament writings of the Christian Church. For the first time, the letters are released to be players in the highly competitive environment of a city negotiating its way in the new realities of imperial Rome. Here the letters and their recipients become participants in the society of the day, contributing, critiquing and struggling to forge an identity for the Christ followers within that world. Echoes of the gymnasium, gladiatorial spectacles, cosmological speculations, religious devotion and sanction, family structures, commerce and industry, struggles for justice, intercity competition and legal negotiations are found in the letters, echoes that witness to their participation in the life of Colossae. This is a radical new approach, incorporating the turn to material culture as the embedding of literature and its consumers rather than an embellishing backdrop.

This guide explores and summarizes scholarship on Philemon, acquainting beginning students with what has been said about Philemon, and equipping them to understand the larger debates and conversations that surround it. It explores how different initial scholarly assumptions result in different interpretations and "meanings;" these meanings always have ethical implications. Reading Philemon challenges us to rethink the process of commentary and the communities interpretation creates. Though only one chapter long, Paul's Letter to Philemon has generated a remarkable amount of commentary and scholarship over the centuries, figuring in debates over textual reconstruction, the formation of biblical canon, the culture of ancient Rome, Greek language and its translation, and the role of the Bible in Western politics and economics. The focus of this short letter is labor, love and captivity. Tradition since Chrysostom has argued the letter is an appeal to Philemon on behalf of a fugitive slave Onesimus, now a convert to Christianity. Yet this interpretation depends upon several assumptions and reconstructions. Other equally plausible contexts could be -- and have been -- argued.

Professors and students will warm to this clearly written and well-informed introduction to the New Testament Letters and the Apocalypse. Exploring the New Testament, Volume Two introduces students of biblical studies and theology to Greco-Roman background ancient letter writing content and major themes Paul's life, mission and theology issues of authorship, date and setting methods in reading and interpreting the New Testament Letters and Revelation the intersection of New Testament criticism with contemporary issues of faith and culture This revised edition features updated text and bibliographies, and incorporates new material gleaned from the experience of classroom use.

Pairing depth of scholarship with contemporary application, the authors of From Pentecost to Patmos have produced a unique introductory New Testament textbook. Craig Blomberg and Darlene Seal provide the context and clarity that readers need to better understand Acts through Revelation, showcasing the historical, linguistic, and theological implications found in each book. This second edition includes expanded footnotes and a lengthier, up-to-date introduction to Paul. Newly added review questions, maps, and diagrams enhance the scholarship and make the resource truly user-friendly.

Leading biblical scholar Thomas Schreiner provides an easy-to-navigate resource for studying and understanding the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Letters. This accessibly written volume summarizes the content of each major section of the biblical text to help readers quickly grasp the sense of particular passages. This is the first volume in the Handbooks on the New Testament series, which is modeled after Baker Academic's successful Old Testament handbook series. Series volumes are neither introductions nor commentaries, as they focus primarily on the content of the biblical books without getting bogged down in historical-critical questions or detailed verse-by-verse exegesis. The series will contain three volumes that span the entirety of the New Testament, with future volumes covering the Gospels and Hebrews through Revelation. Written with classroom utility and pastoral application in mind, these books will appeal to students, pastors, and laypeople alike.