A Christian call for the rights of a slave
A SCEPTICAL BIBLE READING OF THE BOOK OF
PHILEMON
If I have to choose a favourite New
Testament text it would be this one, radical, subversive, political and
humanitarian, but sadly, probably not as true as it purports to be.
It’s an epistle letter, addressed from
Paul, of Tarsus to a powerful and wealthy slave trader called Philemon.
Paul introduces himself as a ‘prisoner of
Christ’, (Verse 1) an ambiguous phrase in that while referring to one of Paul’s
many periods of incarceration over his beliefs. As well as a more poetic
reference to the ties of faith binding him to his religious belief in Christ.
While imprisoned, Paul has met a runaway
slave, Onesimus, and converted the desperate man to Christianity. As Philemon
owned Onesimus, who is now also a Christian believer, Paul is beseeching
Philemon to be merciful and forgiving to the slave, who Paul has instructed to
return to his estranged master. Normally, a captured or returning runaway slave
would face severe punishments, and possibly execution. Paul is effectively
challenging Philemon about the moral right to inflict such retribution on a
fellow Christian. Onesimus is “no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a
beloved brother.” (Verse 16)
The essay seems to be a condemnation of
all forms of slavery, a bold move by the Christians given the value of the
slave trade in Roman commerce. Their own executions and persecutions may well
have been provoked by such political subversion.
Paul effectively wants Onesimus to give
himself up, presumably personally carrying a copy of the epistle to Philemon,
rather than trying to continue in his escape attempt, which will presumably
result in his capture and torturous retribution.
We are not told what the outcome of these
events is. Whether the slave goes to his master, if Philemon punishes or
forgives him, or if things go badly. Paul’s moral request is sent and that is
all we get from this intriguing document.
Authentic? Probably not. Onesimus seems to
play a very calculating game between his Master and Paul here. He gets the
conversion to Christ worship as a potential safe passport home. How had he
learned of Paul if their meeting was not sheer chance? Has Paul already
established spies in Philemon’s house? Has Paul ever directly met Philemon?
Onesimus seems to have escaped with a meeting with Paul in mind from the
outset..
The least likely element of the story is
that of Onesimus getting to meet Paul at the prison. Visiting undisguised or
being arrested himself would certainly have got him identified as a runaway
slave.
Another factor here is the nature of the
epistle. It was never a private discreet letter between Paul and Philemon. The
slave trader would be receiving a letter that had mass circulation, and got
read out in many Christian church gatherings. Philemon is going to look
extremely mean to 1,000’s of Christians if he mistreats Onesimus after the
letter is circulated. It is a statement of emotional blackmail.
Paul may well have been ambitious enough
to want to convert all the slaves in the Roman Empire to Christianity, gaining
protection in Christian brotherhood, protection bother temporal and, if God
plays his part, divine.
Not that God does much in this book.
A call to slave masters to be kind to
Christian slaves was an extremely dangerous gambit. It gives the slaves
solidarity and almost a union. Philamon is Christian Socialism. It reads like a
trade union manifesto. However Paul is not telling Philemon to make his slave a
free man – only to ease his harsh regime over him.
Of all texts in the Bible, this deserves
wider attention. Little is written on the Christian impact on slave trafficking
or ownership. Philemon goes some way to challenging the practice.
Arthur
Chappell
© Copyright. Arthur Chappell
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