Paul Speaks on Slavery

Paul’s Letter to Philemon.

This is a very interesting letter. It is very short. It is a single chapter. Without footnotes it takes less than one page. Paul writes four personal letters, two to Timothy, one to Titus and this one to Philemon. I said earlier that there are only seven letters that are unequivocally written by Paul. The others may have been written by Paul or written in Paul’s name with or without his knowledge. This one was not only written by Paul but written in his hand. It says so in verse 19. This is surprising in itself because Paul had trouble with eyesight. Remember his eyes were covered with scales when he met Jesus on the road to Damascus? He was blind for several days until he met with Ananias, and he normally had a scribe write for him, first it was Mark, then Titus for a while, and finally Luke.

I could read the whole thing in three minutes, but I would rather take five and summarize it. Paul converted Philemon while at Ephesus some years earlier. Philemon was fairly well off and owned at least one slave, Onesimus. Onesimus stole some money from Philemon and ran away. Somehow, he gets to Rome and becomes acquainted with Paul. After he is converted to Christianity, Onesimus becomes Paul’s helper, and probably his scribe. Paul was sending Tychius to Colossae with Paul’s epistle to the Colossians. Ephesus is on the way from Rome to Colossae, so Paul has Tychicus escort Onesimus back to his master along with a letter from Paul to Philemon imploring him to accept Onesimus as a fellow Christian. Did everyone get all that? It is only one chapter and takes up less space than the footnotes. Do you want me to do it again? Are you all left with as many questions as I have?

Let me clear up some of your questions with some back ground on slavery – Roman style. The Romans were military conquerors. They supported themselves by defeating their neighbors and exacting tribute from the provinces. Wheat from Egypt fed Rome. The inhabitants of Rome got free food. That is probably why escaped slaves went there. They neither had to work nor steal in order to eat. Tribute included human slaves. Slaves were not just menial workers, they were skilled craftsmen, musicians, teachers, doctors, and almost anything else that Roman society needed. If there was a skilled tinsmith somewhere in Gaul, he could be scooped up and made to work as a slave for a Roman master.

Although this letter to Philemon appears to be a personal message, it was not private. It was also addressed to Appia, who is thought to be Philemon’s wife, to Archippus thought to be Philemon’s stable keeper who recently became an evangelist, and to the “church in your house.” I assume Philemon was affluent enough to command quite a number of servants who like Cornelius all turned to Christ. I can only assume that the letter contained a message applicable to new Christians.

Paul didn’t actually request Philemon free Onesimus from slavery, but almost. Under Roman law, slaves were property much the same as livestock. They could be sold, traded, loaned out, and bequeathed as part of an estate. The penalty for aiding a runaway slave was severe. So, Paul could have been motivated to protect himself and those around him from official wrath. Remember the movie Spartacus? He was a real person who led a slave revolt roughly 130 years before Paul. At one time he had a slave army the outnumbered the Roman legions. So, the Romans were very harsh on those who harbored runaways. The Roman attitude toward slavery was slowly changing. Until 40 years before this letter slaves could be punished or even executed at the whim of their masters. Spartacus and 6000 of his followers were crucified by order of Crassus, the Roman commander. It wasn’t until 20 ad that slaves gained the right to be tried for accused crimes. As Romans learned that contented slaves were more productive that those living in fear, slaves gradually gained more and more rights under the law. It would be several hundred years, however, before Pope Gregory I declared slaves be called peasants. Thus, Roman slavery was never abolished, it just faded away.

So, this letter seems to indicate Paul to be in the forefront of the emancipation movement. Most Bible experts disagree but I think Paul was actually one of the first abolitionists. That makes perfect sense to me. The logic was, and is, Christians cannot own other Christians. This new Christian theology teaches that all men are equal in the eyes of God. Note the words of Jesus in John 13:16 that were just read. “A slave is not greater than his master”, and Luke quotes Jesus as saying, those who are served are no greater than those who serve. The most compelling argument that early Christians opposed slavery is the Golden Rule. Christ said that “Treat others as you want them to treat you.” This is the most basic of all Christian beliefs. Treat others as you would like to be treated. No one wants to be treated as a slave.

Paul requests Philemon take Onesimus back as “more than a slave, a beloved brother...” (In my words) take him back as a brother in Christ. Treat him as you would treat a brother Christian. Which begs the question, how should Christians treat fellow Christians? How should we threat each other? How should we treat members of other churches? How should we treat members of other denominations? It is pretty human to fear or at least distrust that which we know little about. I once had a discussion with an Air Force Chaplin and I asked him his thoughts on some denominations that are significantly out of the protestant mainstream. He said he didn’t know anything about them except that they were wrong, and that’s all he wanted to know. How can anyone condemn something they don’t know anything about? That Chaplin’s reaction left a sour taste in my mouth. He wasn’t practicing the teachings of Jesus. How did Jesus say we should treat each other? I am pretty sure He said we should love each other. I have heard Brian in more than one children’s message to remark that the answer to anything he asks is Jesus. True; and Jesus said love each other. I wrote a song once titled, “No Matter What the Question, the Answer is Love.” Some times it isn’t even a question. My grandson didn’t learn to talk until he went to kindergarten. He didn’t need to; his sister did it for him. Actually, he began talking at age four. And when he did, he never said “good-by.” As he departed, he would give a little wave and say, “Love you Papa.” He still does that. His comment was more than a term of endearment, it was a statement of faith. He was one of the few college kids I know whose faith never wavered. “Love you Papa” is a statement of Christian faith. I learned more from kids than I did in all the classes I ever took.

Christianity has no rules. There are no laws that will get you into heaven if you follow them to the letter. There is only guidance; the guidance of Jesus Christ. You are free to disregard that guidance and take your chances with the hereafter. You are free to interpret that guidance in today’s world. You are free to apply that guidance any way you wish. But the guidance remains the same. Love each other. That is all there is to it. Paul told Philemon that he should love Onesimus even though he is a slave? ---Yes! Does that mean we should love those who look different and cross our borders illegally?---Yes! Does that mean we should love the homeless who camp under the freeway?---Yes! That is Christian guidance. It doesn’t tell us how to manifest that love. That is up to you. But Jesus says Christians should love our neighbors and treat others as we want to be treated.

Pray with me. Lord sometimes it is hard for me to reconcile my Christian theology with my politics and nationalism. I ask you to help me follow your guidance.

Amen