The book of Philemon has several different meanings which can be distinguished by the reader. I believe the book of Philemon is about authority, and specifically how Paul is able to harness his authority and still achieve his objectives. In the dictionary, authority is defined as, "The right and power to command, enforce laws, exact obedience, determine, or judge." In the book of Philemon, authority is used in a more subtle way. The Apostle Paul has authority over Philemon and uses this authority brilliantly to convince Philemon to do as Paul wishes.
             The book of Philemon is not a book at all, but a letter written by Paul during his first Roman imprisonment. The story involves three main characters, the Apostle Paul, Philemon, and Onesimus. Never afraid to face an issue head-on, Paul writes his friend, Philemon, regarding one of his slaves who fled his estate. Philemon was a wealthy member of the Colossian church in Colossae. In fact, the church in Colossae met in Philemon's home. He owned many slaves, one of which was Onesimus, who fled Philemon's estate for some unstated reason and evidently sought Paul for assistance. During the time that Onesimus was with Paul, Onesimus came to faith in Christ and began to minister to Paul. Paul and Philemon were friends and fellow workers for Christ. In the letter, Paul writes to Philemon and reintroduces Onesimus to him, explaining that he is sending him back, not just as a slave, but as a brother. He uses his authority along with tact and grace to convince Philemon to accept Onesimus and send him back to Paul. That is the gist of the story, but in order to truly understand the whole story, one needs to see the big picture, including the world behind the text.
             It is believed that the letter was written around 60 AD, at the same time Ephesians and Colossians were written. During this time of Roman domination, slavery was very common, and evidently even some Chris...