Lecture 2 — Freedom of Onesimus

^1:10^ I beseech you for my son, Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bands, [n. 15]

^1:11^ Who was at one time unprofitable to you but now is profitable both to me and you, [n. 17]

^1:12^ Whom I have sent back to you. And receive him as my own heart: [n. 18]

^1:13^ Whom I would have retained with me, that in your stead he might have ministered to me in the bands of the Gospel. [n. 20]

^1:14^ But without your counsel I would do nothing: that your good deed might not be as though out of necessity, but voluntary. [n. 22]

^1:15^ For perhaps he therefore departed from you for a season, that you might receive him again for ever: [n. 23]

^1:16^ Not now as a servant, but instead of a servant, a most dear brother, especially to me. But how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord?

^1:17^ If therefore you count me as a partner, receive him as myself. [n. 25]

^1:18^ And if he has wronged you in anything or is in your debt, charge that to me. [n. 27]

^1:19^ I Paul have written it with my own hand: I will repay it: not to say to you that you also owe me your own self.

^1:20^ Indeed, brother. May I enjoy you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in the Lord. [n. 28]

^1:21^ Trusting in your obedience, I have written to you: knowing that you will also do more than I say. [n. 29]

^1:22^ But furthermore, also prepare a lodging for me. For I hope that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

^1:23^ You are greeted by Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus: [n. 30]

^1:24^ Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow laborers.

^1:25^ The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

15. Having expressed his confidence in Philemon’s goodness, here he states his request.

And first he indicates the person on whose behalf he pleads;

second, he concludes the request, and receive him.

The first is subdivided into two, because

first, by describing the person, he shows that he has received him by a spiritual birth;

second, by a change of status.

16. Therefore he says: truly I must be heard, because the petition involves honorableness and kindness** for my son, Onesimus**, who is his present concern. And acquiring a son in default of time, he loves him more, as an old man loves sons born to him in his old age. Now Israel loved Joseph above all his sons, because he had him in his old age (Gen 37:3). This one, Onesimus, was begotten in bonds.

17. Second, there is the change in status. For if he had persevered in sin, he would not be worthy of leniency.

Note that Paul says little and means much. For as Cicero taught, one ought to make little of one’s own deed as much as possible. Thus the Apostle speaks lightly of his offense, saying, who was at one time unprofitable, that is, harmful in taking away your possession, but now, converted from evil to the state of virtue, is profitable for the service of God and man. If anyone, therefore, has cleansed himself from these, he will be a vessel for honorable use (2 Tim 2:21). Take away the rust from silver, and there shall come forth a most pure vessel (Prov 25:4).

18. Then when he says, and receive him, he makes his request.

First, he makes it,

then he answers a question, at whom I would have retained.

19. And so he says, and receive him as my own heart. And this because I have seen him changed, the sign of which is the fact that I have sent* him *back to you.

On the contrary, you shall not deliver to his master the servant that has fled to you (Deut 23:15).

I reply that this is true when the master seeks him in order to put him to death. Therefore, he says, and receive him. I have the right to feel so about you, because I have you in my heart, all of you, alike in my chains (Phil 1:7).

20. And he responds to a question, because it might be said: if he is useful to you, why do you not keep him unto death? And he gives the reason for sending him back.

First, he considers why he might keep him;

second, why he rejects that idea, at but without your counsel.

21. Therefore, he says to Philemon, who, although he is a great man, is accustomed to minister to the Apostle: on the contrary, whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant (Matt 10:26). Out of this confidence he proposed to keep him, so that in place of Philemon he might minister to him. Hence, he says, whom I would have retained with me, that in your stead he might have ministered to me. This was something especially needed since he was in bonds for the sake of Christ, for one is provided for when he suffers for his master.

22. The reason he rejected the idea was that he did not want to use another’s property without the owner’s knowledge. Hence, but without your counsel I would do nothing. As if he said: if I should keep him, it would please you who do not wish to resist, but it would be a kind of force. But I did not want that, indeed I wanted it to come about voluntarily. Of every man who offers of his own accord, you shall take them (Exod 25:2), that is, the first fruits. Let each one give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or from compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7).

23. Then when he says, for perhaps, he gives the reason why he ought to receive him kindly.

First, on the side of God,

second, on the side of the Apostle, at if therefore you count me as a partner;

third, on the part of Philemon himself, at trusting in your obedience.

24. On the side of God, because the providence of God often permits what is evil to come about, in order that good might follow from it, as is clear from the sale of Joseph, that he might free Egypt and the family of his father. For God sent me before you into Egypt for your preservation (Gen 45:5). He says, perhaps because the judgements of God are incomprehensible (Rom 11:33). And he says instead of a servant, that is, in place of a servant. For one is your master and all are your brothers (Matt 23:8). And not only to you, but to me in comparison to God, though he is a son to the ministry.

But how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord? This can be expounded in two ways. First, as referring to the first origin of the divine creation, and thus he is a brother. Is not he your Father, that has possessed you, and made you, and created you? (Deut 32:6). Have we not all one Father? Did not one God create us? (Mal 2:10). Again, by trust in God. Or it might rather be for the good of Philemon, because he is close to him in the flesh, since that is how he is his slave, because whatever he is bodily belongs to Philemon. Hence one is moved by charity for two reasons, namely, by love which has its origin in the flesh, or by spiritual love.

25. On the part of the Apostle,

he first declares his friendship, under which pretext he wants Philemon to take Onesimus back;

second, he offers to pay any damages;

third, he shows the function of receiving.

Second, at and if he has wronged. Third, at indeed, brother.

26. Therefore, he says, if therefore you count me as a partner, receive him. But if we walk in the light as he also is in the light, we have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7). And he says, as myself, because he is linked with me. He who receives you, receives me (Matt 10:40).

27. Second, he offers to make good any injury to Philemon, saying, and if he has wronged you in anything or is in your debt, namely by leaving his service, charge that to me. As if to say, I will make satisfaction. Bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2).

And more, because first he offers to make it good; second, he shows that Philemon is in his debt, not of necessity but of will. Therefore he says, I Paul, as if to say, that you might be certain of restitution, have written it with my own hand. And this not out of necessity, because you also owe me your own self, because I snatched you from eternal death, and thus he should do this for his liberator. If I should give myself to be your servant, I should not make a worthy return for your care (Tob 9:2).

28. And he adds, indeed, brother. May I enjoy you, as if to say, if you want me for a partner, take him back, and I will so enjoy you, brother; that is, if you do it, you will fill my wishes with joy. For to enjoy is to make use of the fruit, and thus as to use is to the useful, so is to enjoy to the fruit. It implies the sweetness of the fruit: and his fruit was sweet to my palate (Song 2:3), as well as the end, because the ultimate produce of the tree is its fruit. Therefore, to enjoy, properly speaking, is to have something that is pleasant and final. Hence Augustine says that we enjoy thinking of things in which the will delights because of their sweetness. Again, to enjoy is to adhere to something for its own sake. Sometimes ‘enjoy’ and ‘use’ are taken commonly as implying enjoyment without the contrary. And to serve great men without blame (Sir 8:10).

Therefore he says, may I enjoy you, because you are opposed to me in nothing. And if in this you please me, there will be nothing in my heart concerning you that saddens me, and thus you will delight me.

But if we take enjoyment as something final, then one does not enjoy man, but God alone. Contrary to this seems to be: come therefore, and let us enjoy the good things that are present: and let us speedily use the creatures as in youth (Wis 2:6). Hence he adds, in the Lord, that is, may I, too, make use of you in the delight of God, rejoicing in the divine good that is in you, because his action is love and the enjoyment of its effect, namely, charity. That is why he adds, refresh my heart. A man is consoled spiritually when the desires of his heart are fulfilled. As if he said: fulfill the deepest desires of my heart. And not with respect to evil, but in the Lord, and thus the fulfilment of desire is good.

29. Then when he says trusting in your obedience, he provides a reason on the side of Philemon, and a commendation of his obedience. First he shows how he is confident in his obeying; second he adds to it something similar.

Therefore he says, trusting in your obedience. I rejoice that in all things I can have confidence in you (2 Cor 7:16). For obedience is better than sacrifices (1 Sam 15:22). But he writes more cautiously because a man listens more closely to someone if he expects to see him again than if he despairs of this. Therefore he says, but furthermore, also prepare a lodging for me. For it was his custom when he was in Colossae to stay in his home.

Chrysostom states: these are delightful words, that a poor man should command a rich man by letter from across the expanse of the earth to prepare a lodging for him. What would have to be prepared for one content with bread and cheap victuals? It should be said that it was not for the sake of the preparation of lodging that he says this, but to insinuate familiarity and love; in this way he will be prompt to obey. The Apostle therefore does not say this on account of external trappings but out of his devotion. For I hope that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.

Against this is the fact that he never returned to them but died in Rome, and therefore his hope was dashed.

I reply that the hope of the just is of two kinds, the chief of which is for his own good, and this is never dashed; another secondary hope is the proof of others, and this is sometimes dashed, because their merits are contrary, as the just man is sometimes not heeded by others.

But was he deceived in his trust?

It should be said that God alone knows the future; that is not for human knowledge, except the prophetic. And no prophet knows all the future events that concern himself. Only Christ did, because he did not have the Holy Spirit in a limited way. Thus Isaac the great prophet was deceived in Jacob. So it is not to be wondered at in an apostle if he does not know.

30. Then he ends his letter with a greeting, and first on the part of others, second on his own.

He says, you are greeted by Epaphras . . . Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, and we read of them at the end of Colossians.

But this can be doubted since he mentions Demas. How can this be, since he said in 2 Timothy, for Demas has deserted me, loving this world? (2 Tim 3:8). How, then, can he use his name? It might be said that he returned to him.

But this does not seem to be the case, because this letter was written after that to Timothy and here he says, I hope that through your prayers, and there he foretells his death, saying, the time of my deliverance is at hand (2 Tim 4:6). Therefore it should be said that Paul was in Rome for nearly nine years, and this letter was written at the beginning, whereas the second letter to Timothy was written at the end of his life; and then Demas, weary of imprisonment, deserted him. The letters of Paul are not arranged chronologically, because the letters to the Corinthians were written before the letter to the Romans, and this before the last letter to Timothy. That is placed first because of its matter, which is worthier.

His own greeting here is the same one that ends the second letter to Timothy. Thanks be to God. Amen.