What is the context?
Paul introduces himself as a prisoner of Christ Jesus and names Timothy alongside him. He writes to Philemon as a beloved fellow worker, then includes Apphia, Archippus and the church meeting at Philemon’s house.
The letter will appeal for the welcome of Onesimus as a brother in Christ. Naming the gathered community gives that personal matter a setting within their shared faith. Paul’s request concerns how people who belong to Christ will treat one another.
He begins with grace and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. The appeal is made within that shared dependence on God, rather than simply as a private business settlement.
How is this passage commonly understood?
Wesley, Calvin and the USCCB note recognize that Paul’s identity as a prisoner gives a particular weight and personal tone to the appeal that follows. His words address fellow believers, with the gathering in the home included.
Wesley and Calvin understand Apphia as Philemon’s wife. That is a traditional identification, rather than a relationship expressly named in these verses. Archippus is called a fellow soldier; the letter does not identify him as their son. Those household relationships should not be treated as certain details of the story.
What is our position?
We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.