ipl-logo

The Epistle To Philemon: The Early Christian Church

1598 Words7 Pages

Though the early Christian Church was opposed to slavery, it was rather very much philosophical and tentative around the issue as even seen in Philemon verse 13-21 when Paul addressing Philemon concerning the issue of Onesimus. Paul here does not appear to directly oppose Philemon however it is apparent that Paul bade to have Onesimus freed from the bondage of Philemon his master. Many scholars have argued that probably the reason that Paul or even the other early Church fathers might have been tentative around the issue of slavery because their primary concern was around the survival of the Christian Church.
Understanding the dynamics of the Roman civilization, the revenue that slavery had in the economics of Rome they might have seen that …show more content…

The more Christ was preached, His teachings and His life led to the decline of slavery and the later abolishment of slavery. Hence one of the foremost impacts that affected slavery was when the Roman Empire became fully Christianized during the times of Augustine.
The Impact of the Epistle to Philemon
In the light of this epistle, Philemon the slave owner was now faced with the decision of taking the counsel of Paul into consideration or following the Roman culture of dealing with runaway slaves. Since of the rich history that slavery had in Rome, Philemon was caught between two worlds. Philemon’s background had taught him that a slave was not considered as a person, rather they were only worthy of labour and his new adopted faith suggested the otherwise.
Philemon translated from Greek is “affectionate” or “one who is kind” and Paul’s appeal to Philemon actually appeals to his being as he was now expected to live fulfil his name the ‘affectionate’. Now one of the prominent themes that seems be apparent in the epistle is forgiveness and

Show More
Related
1216 Words | 5 Pages

If a child were born to a slave, that child then became a slave. The Book of Exodus explains that a father could sell his unmarried daughter into servitude with the understanding that his son could marry her when she became of age to do so. This was a form of sexual slavery. Reference to the Epistle to Philemon in the New Testament has been used by both those who support the slavery movement as well as by those who were against it.

Read More
446 Words | 2 Pages

Soldiers were gone for almost 20 years, and when they came back they had nothing and became homeless. Since slaves did most of the manual jobs, veterans lost respect and their rights. The rich Roman allies took advantage of the situation and later on caused the fall of the Roman Republic. Christian had a great impact on Rome. A brilliant writer and tireless advocate for Jesus named Paul of Tarsus travelled around the Mediterranean world and visited Christianity.

Read More
58 Words | 1 Pages

Onesimus steal money and other items from Philemon and this is what got him in trouble and put into prison. It is believed that Onesimus ended up with Paul because he has left his master, because his master was unpleased with him. It is believed that he ran into Paul by chance and Paul introduced him to Christ.

Read More
790 Words | 4 Pages

Slavery is traced back to 1792 B.C.E and was a common practice that is used in ways to benefit the owner so he could get more work done throughout their daily life but even when the beginning of civilization ended, people still used slaves, as they were easily forced to meet the demands of the people. Therefore, slavery during civilization times had limits which changed drastically once the era of exploration and discovery came due to economic and cultural expansion that caused their relationship, extent, and nature to have a an entirely different meaning. At the beginning civilization, slavery became present, and there was a relationship to be made between the slaves and owners. The author of document 2 states that the master must not threaten the slaves, who should obey and fear them, as they have the same Master up in heaven.

Read More
514 Words | 3 Pages

Religion played an important role in each of the British colonies. Many Christian groups tried to enforce religious observance through the colony's government and the local town's rules. Some laws stated that everyone must attend a house of worship and pay taxes that helped fund the pay of ministers. Out of the thirteen colonies, only eight had official churches. In the colony, those who practice a different version of Christianity or a non- Christian faith were sometimes killed (www.facinghistory.org 1).

Read More
552 Words | 3 Pages

I am writing to express my interest in the 25Live Analyst position at the College of Southern Nevada. My experience as an Operations Analyst, along with the completion of my Master’s in Business Administration in the weeks to come and general enthusiasm for the field of higher education will allow me to be a valuable contributor to the College of Southern Nevada. Working in the Office of the Registrar at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) for the past six years has granted me the opportunity to become familiar with the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE), state and local processes, policies and procedures. My experience in multiple registrar functions has given me rare insight and an appreciation in distinguishing how critical

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

Throughout his narrative, Douglass’s descriptions of the white slaveholders expose the Christian hypocrisy found in the American slave system. Douglass first does so by exposing how the lesson taught by Christians to help those in need is contradicted by the experiences Douglass has especially with hunger. Douglass reflects on these experiences when he states that for the “first time during a space of more than seven years” feeling the effects of the “painful gnawing’s of hunger…” (54). This event shows the Christians’ lessons of selflessness and kindness is hypocritical as they treat their fellow humans as subhuman. The Christians at the time rely on scripture to make a case for slavery in America.

Read More
1484 Words | 6 Pages

Frank Thielman points out that, “In his letter to Philemon, Paul urges the reconciliation of a master to his slave.” John MacArthur notes that, “Philemon also owned at least one slave, a man named Onesimus.” Even though contemporary biblical scholars appear to agree that Onesimus was a slave, this does not mean that the exact

Read More
1246 Words | 5 Pages

This introduced the principle that slavery was a sin and an abomination. Ministers in the North preached about the horrors of slavery, especially the slave trade, and that God would seek vengeance on any nation that committed such cruelties. In New York during the year 1810, Reverend William Miller gave a sermon on the abolition of the slave trade stating, “ According to the basis of the christian religion, we are bound to love God with all our soul, and our neighbor as ourselves: but this sacred injunction does not reach the heart of the oppressors of Africans” (Miller 11). This was the very premise for most of the Abolition Movement: thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Read More
602 Words | 3 Pages

They point to the Ten Charges, observing that "Thou shalt not pine for thy neighbor 's home, ... nor his steward, nor his maidservant." In the New Affirmation, Paul reestablished a runaway slave, Philemon, to his master, and, in spite of the way that bondage was fast all through the Roman world, Jesus never stood firm contrary to it. Shields of subjection battled that by connection with the poor of Europe and the workers in the Northern communicates, that slaves were better viewed over. They said that their proprietors would secure and help them when they were wiped out and developed, not at all like the people who, once let go from their work, were left to battle defenselessly for

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

Every four years Americans choose a President for the United States, it is difficult to decide a President when there are so many candidates to choose from. The candidates voice their opinions expressing what they feel is right for America and the American population. Americans vote for who they believe is the greatest fit to be decided the leader of America. Many people feel like Donald Trump should be president. Trump has great ideas and he wants to do so much for the people of America.

Read More
428 Words | 2 Pages

To understand the book of Philippians in the Bible, it’s necessary we look at the man whom God used to write this book of the Bible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As we conclude from the beginning of this Philippian epistle, Paul, one of the predominant men used in the writing of the New Testament, is writing to the Saints at Philippi. With this all said the question that lingers is how this Church at Philippi began and what is Paul’s connection to it? In the Sixteenth chapter of the Book of Acts we read how a vision appears to Paul of a man asking that he come to Macedonia and help them.

Read More
322 Words | 2 Pages

Slavery within the ancient world and in Rome was important to be each the economy and even the social cloth of the society. Whereas it absolutely was commonplace throughout the Mediterranean region and therefore the Hellenic regions within the east, it absolutely was not nearly therefore important to others because of it the dominance of Rome. As the Romans consolidated their form of government of European nation and Sicily followed by the systematic conquest of Europe, infinite countless slaves have transported to Rome the Italian country and Latin colonies everywhere Europe. However, slavery was current in households throughout the town itself. It absolutely was on the farms and plantations wherever it had its greatest impact.

Read More
927 Words | 4 Pages

Religion and its relationship to slavery is a contradictive subject, whether it was forced upon slaves or was a form of hope and freedom is still commonly debated about to this day. However, these individuals were devoted Christians in the abolitionist movement who all

Read More
139 Words | 1 Pages

Slavery, a system that encourages the practice of a man to own the life of another. Slavery has always been a popular concept in history. Most definitely, in the Roman Empire slaves were an important asset upon the Roman societal structure. Slavery was the accepted reality in Rome at a ratio of 1 to 3 in the overall population. Not only were slaves popular, but they were an essential advantage to fulfill the prospects of the empire.

Read More

More about The Epistle To Philemon: The Early Christian Church

Related Topics

Open Document