| Evangelical Exegetical Commentary |
Philemon
by Seth M. Ehorn
General Editor: H. Wayne House
New Testament Editor: W. Hall Harris
Philemon: Evangelical Exegetical Commentary
Copyright 2011 Seth M. Ehorn. All rights reserved. Published in the United States of America.
Published by Lexham Press, 1313 Commercial St., Bellingham, WA 98225
You may use brief quotations from this commentary in presentations, articles, and books. For all other uses, please write Lexham Press for permission. E-mail us at permissions@lexhampress.com.
Author: Seth M. Ehorn
General Editor: H. Wayne House
New Testament Editor: Hall Harris
Copy Editor: Daniel Johnson
Acquisitions and Project Support: Bill Nienhuis, Anisa Lampton, and Jessi Gering
Publisher: John D. Barry
English quotations from Philemon for this commentary are the author’s own translation.
Unless otherwise indicated, Bible quotations in English from books other than Philemon are from the New Revised Standard Version. Copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
For Rachel,
that is, τὰ ἐμὰ σπλάγχνα (“my very heart”).
Acknowledgments
The writing of this commentary took place within my first year of doctoral studies at the University of Edinburgh, New College. This environment proved to be an excellent place to research and write. I am grateful to my colleagues in the Department of New Testament Language, Literature, and Theology who graciously listened to various facets of my work and provided feedback that helped to clarify my thinking on certain issues.
I wish to thank the general editor, H. Wayne House, for extending the invitation to contribute to this series. His careful editorial oversight made the present work better than it would have been otherwise. I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ will be glorified and that Christ’s Church will be served not only through the labors of the present volume, but also through the entire Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series.
Finally, my wife, Rachel, has been a constant source of joy throughout the research and writing process. From the most mundane of grammatical details to the theological import of Philemon, she has listened with patience and loving interest. It is to her that this work is dedicated.
Editors’ Preface
We are happy to present the Evangelical Exegetical Commentary (eec) series on the Bible. Though there are many excellent commentaries that have been produced in recent years, the eec is a needed addition for scholars, pastors, and students of the Bible. As the title of the series indicates, the authors of this series are committed to both the evangelical faith and a careful exegesis of the biblical text. Each of the authors affirms historic, orthodox Christianity and the inspiration and inerrancy of the Holy Scriptures. In this series, the biblical books are studied with the tested tools of biblical scholarship, keeping in ...
|
About PhilemonIn this volume, Seth M. Ehorn takes the uncommon stance that slavery is not the central issue of Philemon; instead, God’s providential work is. According to Ehorn, this is seen in the themes that Paul addresses throughout his letter: reconciliation, forgiveness, love, and faithfulness—attributes that Christ exhibited. Ehorn adopts the view that Paul wrote to his friend, Philemon, on behalf of Onesimus, Philemon’s runaway slave. As a “friend of the master,” Paul reminded Philemon of his Christian character, suggesting that he should continue to act accordingly. By using and interacting with various interpretive approaches (such as discourse, rhetorical, epistolary, and sociological), Ehorn shows how Paul embodied Christ’s actions and how we can do the same. The 44-volume Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series incorporates the latest in biblical scholarship and is written from an evangelical perspective. It combines historical, literary, and theological explanations with ideas for applying the Bible to everyday life. |
| Support Info | eec78phm |