Titus3:15 All that are with me salute thee. Greet them that love us in the faith. Grace be with you all. Amen.
Philemon
Paul wrote this short letter (see vv. 1,9,19) probably at the same time as Colossians (c. a.d. 60; see Introduction to Colossians: Author, Date and Place of Writing) and sent it to Colosse with the same travelers, Onesimus and Tychicus. He apparently wrote both letters from prison in Rome, though possibly from Ephesus (see Introduction to Philippians: Author, Date and Place of Writing; see also chart, p. 2261).
Paul wrote this letter to Philemon, a believer in Colosse who, along with others, was a slave owner (cf. Col 4:1; for slavery in the NT see note on Eph 6:5). One of his slaves, Onesimus, had apparently stolen from him (cf. v. 18) and then run away, which under Roman law was punishable by death. But Onesimus met Paul and through his ministry became a Christian (see v. 10). Now he was willing to return to his master, and Paul writes this personal appeal to ask that he be accepted as a Christian brother (see v. 16).
To win Philemon's willing acceptance of Onesimus, Paul writes very tactfully and in a lighthearted tone, which he creates with a wordplay (see note on v. 11). The appeal (vv. 4-21) is organized in a way prescribed by ancient Greek and Roman teachers: to build rapport (vv. 4-10), to persuade the mind (vv. 11-19) and to move the emotions (vv. 20-21). The name Onesimus is not mentioned until the rapport has been built (v. 10), and the appeal itself is stated only near the end of the section to persuade the mind (v. 17).
Greetings (1-3)
Thanksgiving and Prayer (4-7)
Paul's Plea for Onesimus (8-21)
Final Request, Greetings and Benediction (22-25)
Phmn1:1 Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer,
Phmn1:2 And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellowsoldier, and to the church in thy house:
Phmn1:3 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Phmn1:4 I thank my God, making mention of thee always in my prayers,
Phmn1:5 Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints;
Phmn1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
Phmn1:7 For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother.
Phmn1:8 Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient,
Phmn1:9 Yet for love's sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
Phmn1:10 I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds:
Phmn1:11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:
Phmn1:12 Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels:
Phmn1:13 Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel:
Phmn1:14 But without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly.
Phmn1:15 For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever;
Phmn1:16 Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord?
Phmn1:17 If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.
Phmn1:18 If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account;
Phmn1:19 I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides.
Phmn1:20 Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
Phmn1:21 Having confidence in thy obedience I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say.
Phmn1:22 But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I trust that through your prayers I shall be given unto you.
Phmn1:23 There salute thee Epaphras, my fellowprisoner in Christ Jesus;
Phmn1:24 Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.
Phmn1:25 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.
Hebrews
The writer of this letter does not identify himself, but he was obviously well known to the original recipients. Though for some 1,200 years (from c. a.d. 400 to 1600) the book was commonly called 'The Epistle of Paul to the Hebrews,' there was no agreement in the earliest centuries regarding its authorship. Since the Reformation it has been widely recognized that Paul could not have been the writer. There is no disharmony between the teaching of Hebrews and that of Paul's letters, but the specific emphases and writing styles are markedly different. Contrary to Paul's usual practice, the author of Hebrews nowhere identifies himself in the letter -- except to indicate that he was a man (see note on 11:32). Moreover, the statement 'This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him' (2:3), indicates that the author had neither been with Jesus during his earthly ministry nor received special revelation directly from the risen Lord, as had Paul (Gal 1:11-12).
The earliest suggestion of authorship is found in Tertullian's De Pudicitia, 20 (c. 200), in which he quotes from 'an epistle to the Hebrews under the name of Barnabas.' From the letter itself it is clear that the writer must have had authority in the apostolic church and was an intellectual Hebrew Christian well versed in the OT. Barnabas meets these requirements. He was a Jew of the priestly tribe of Levi (Ac 4:36) who became a close friend of Paul after the latter's conversion. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church at Antioch commissioned Barnabas and Paul for the work of evangelism and sent them off on the first missionary journey (Ac 13:1-4).
The other leading candidate for authorship is Apollos, whose name was first suggested by Martin Luther and who is favored by many interpreters today. Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, was also a Jewish Christian with notable intellectual and oratorical abilities. Luke tells us that 'he was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures' (Ac 18:24). We also know that Apollos was associated with Paul in the early years of the church in Corinth (1Co 1:12; 3:4-6,22).
One thing is evident: The author was a master of the Greek language of his day, and he was thoroughly
