BLOG

Philemon, part 2, Paul's Greetings

Paul’s letter to Philemon is one of the shortest in the New Testament. Written during his first trial in Rome, it comes within the context of his final “prison” years. After two years, Paul finally had his hearing before Nero, where he was defended by the Seneca, the famous lawyer-philosopher who had also been young Nero’s tutor.

Letters Between Paul and Seneca

There are eight letters in existence that were written by Seneca to Paul, and another six letters that Paul wrote to Seneca. Some scholars doubt their authenticity, calling them apocryphal, or “doubtful,” but early church historians gave them credibility.

“The letters between Seneca and Paul were extant from the Tertullian 100’s through the 200’s with Lactantius until the 300’s and 400’s with Jerome. The fact that those three ancient men who are regarded as sane and reliable all saw and read these communications between Paul and Seneca is persuasive as to their genuineness.”

https://earlychurchhistory.org/daily-life/saint-paul-seneca-letters/

It is likely that Seneca’s influence had some bearing on Paul’s release in 63 A.D., allowing him to make the journey to Spain and Britain, preaching the gospel “far away to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:21). That account is recorded in the Sonnini Manuscript, a copy of the book of Acts that was gifted to Ambassador C. S. Sonnini by Abdoul Achmet, the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. It was first mentioned in a publication in 1801.

The book of Acts in the Sonnini manuscript contains a 29^th chapter of Acts that is not included in the New Testament’s book of Acts. It tells how Paul went to Spain and Britain by ship and how he returned to Macedonia by land, passing through Helvetia (now Switzerland). Eventually, Paul was arrested again and sent to Rome for trial. By this time, Seneca had fallen out of favor and had been ordered to commit suicide, leaving Paul with no one of influence to defend him. He was condemned by Nero and beheaded in 67.

Christianity Outlawed in 67 A.D.

Prior to Paul’s defense before Nero, Rome had considered Christianity to be a sect of Judaism. Paul argued, however, that Christianity was distinct from Judaism, being under the New Covenant. The political ramifications of this were significant, because it meant that in order for Christianity to be a religio licita (licensed, or legal religion in the empire), Christians had to offer sacrifices to the emperors, who were considered by law to be gods.

The priests in Jerusalem, of course, offered prayers for all the nations, including Rome, through the 70 bulls sacrificed during the feast of Tabernacles (Numbers 29:12-34). But Christians had forsaken animal sacrifices without finding a substitute that would satisfy Rome. Hence, Paul’s death marked the start of the Roman persecution, which lasted until the time of Constantine.

Paul’s Understanding of Himself and His Mission

Philemon 1 says,

¹ Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother to Philemon our beloved brother and fellow worker ² and to Apphia our sister, and to Archippus our fellow soldier, and to the church in your house.

Paul’s understanding of himself developed and deepened over time.

1. Early Years – Identity as a divinely commissioned apostle (1 Corinthians 1:1) and servant/slave of Christ (Romans 1:1).
2. Middle Period – Emphasis on spiritual fatherhood (1 Corinthians 4:15), suffering, and grace.
3. Prison Period – Identity as “prisoner of Christ” (Philemon 1) and “ambassador in chains” (Ephesians 6:20).
4. Final Years – Self-understanding deepens into humility and sacrifice: chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15) and a poured-out offering (2 Timothy 4:6).

Paul’s self-descriptions trace a spiritual arc: from authority to humility, from calling to surrender. His life becomes the message — that true apostleship is measured not by power but by love, endurance, and identification with the crucified Christ. His understanding of himself deepens over time from authority to humility and from calling to self-offering.

Grace and Peace

Philemon 3 says,

³ Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Both grace and peace from Christ were conveyed to the church in Colosse. Both find their source in Christ Himself, as indicated by the terms of the New Covenant. The New Covenant was based on the promise (or vow) of God (Romans 4:21; Galatians 4:28), rather than the promises of men seen in the establishment of the Old Covenant (Exodus 19:8).

Peace, of course, must be defined by the Hebrew word shalom, which is far more than the absence of war and conflict but the presence of wholeness and harmony — the state of everything being in right order, complete, and at rest. The root word means “to be whole, healthy, complete, sound, finished, restored.” This is best expressed in 1 Thessalonians 5:23,

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace and peace are foundational to all successful and productive Christian relationships, but it is important to know that the biblical standard can be met only by an act of God. We see this illustrated in Mark 4:39-41,

³⁹ And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Shalom, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm… ⁴¹ They became very much afraid and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

This shows Christ’s authority to establish peace among the turbulent nations by the power of His word, shalom. Paul invokes such peace from the Prince of Peace in his greeting to Philemon and the church as a whole.