HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON
Although Onesimus is the reason for Paul’s Letter to Philemon, he is only mentioned by name for the first time nearly halfway through the letter (v. 10). He also remains voiceless throughout the letter. This contribution focuses on the history of interpretation of the letter, and, in particular, th...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
University of the Free State
2019-07-01
|
| Series: | Acta Theologica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3913 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1823858956004491264 |
|---|---|
| author | D.F. Tolmie |
| author_facet | D.F. Tolmie |
| author_sort | D.F. Tolmie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Although Onesimus is the reason for Paul’s Letter to Philemon, he is only mentioned by name for the first time nearly halfway through the letter (v. 10). He also remains voiceless throughout the letter. This contribution focuses on the history of interpretation of the letter, and, in particular, the way in which the role of Onesimus has been interpreted through the centuries. Several examples of the way in which scholars interpreted the role of Onesimus are discussed, and it is argued that four broad trends may be discerned: Onesimus as a culprit who was saved by Paul; Onesimus as a pawn in the abolitionism debate; Onesimus’ status disputed, and Onesimus as a victim, with the letter being read in a resistant way.
|
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffa43acd86ab44ba93e84739b058e7b2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1015-8758 2309-9089 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | University of the Free State |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Acta Theologica |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffa43acd86ab44ba93e84739b058e7b22025-02-11T09:47:26ZengUniversity of the Free StateActa Theologica1015-87582309-90892019-07-0127201910.38140/at.v27i2019.3913HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMOND.F. Tolmie0University of the Free State Although Onesimus is the reason for Paul’s Letter to Philemon, he is only mentioned by name for the first time nearly halfway through the letter (v. 10). He also remains voiceless throughout the letter. This contribution focuses on the history of interpretation of the letter, and, in particular, the way in which the role of Onesimus has been interpreted through the centuries. Several examples of the way in which scholars interpreted the role of Onesimus are discussed, and it is argued that four broad trends may be discerned: Onesimus as a culprit who was saved by Paul; Onesimus as a pawn in the abolitionism debate; Onesimus’ status disputed, and Onesimus as a victim, with the letter being read in a resistant way. https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3913OnesimusPhilemonInterpretation |
| spellingShingle | D.F. Tolmie HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON Acta Theologica Onesimus Philemon Interpretation |
| title | HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON |
| title_full | HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON |
| title_fullStr | HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON |
| title_full_unstemmed | HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON |
| title_short | HOW ONESIMUS WAS HEARD – EVENTUALLY. SOME INSIGHTS FROM THE HISTORY OF INTERPRETATION OF PAUL’S LETTER TO PHILEMON |
| title_sort | how onesimus was heard eventually some insights from the history of interpretation of paul s letter to philemon |
| topic | Onesimus Philemon Interpretation |
| url | https://journals.ufs.ac.za/index.php/at/article/view/3913 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT dftolmie howonesimuswasheardeventuallysomeinsightsfromthehistoryofinterpretationofpaulslettertophilemon |