PHILEMON, Epistle to. That this Epistle was written by the apostle Paul is the constant tradition of the ancient church. It is expressly cited as such by Origen (Homil. XIX. in Jerom., tom. i., p. 185, ed. Huet.); it is referred to as such by Tertullian (Nor. Marc. v. 21); and both Eusebius (Hist. Eccles. iii. 25) and Jerome (Proem. in Ep. ad Philem., tom. iv., p. 442) attest its universal reception as such in the Christian world. It was most probably written during the apostle's two years' imprisonment at Rome. It was occasioned by his sending back to Philemon his runaway slave Onesimus, who, having found his way to Rome, was there, through the instrumentality of the apostle, converted to Christianity; and after serving Paul for a season, was by him restored to his former master, without whose consent the apostle did not feel at liberty to retain him. This Epistle has been universally admired as a model of graceful, delicate, and manly writing.
Of separate commentaries on this Epistle, the following is nearly a complete list:—Eichhorn's Einfleit. ins N. T. iii. 300; Henr. Hummel, Explanatio Ep. Ap. Pauli ad Philem., Tiguri, 1670, fol.; Lehr. Ch. Gottlieb Schmid, Pauli Ap. ad Philem. Ep. Gr. et Lat. Illustr. et ut Exemplum Humanitatis Pauli Proposita, Lips. 1786, 8vo; Konrad Rudolph Hagenbach, Pauli Ep. ad Philem. Interpretatus est, Basil, 1829, 4to; W. Attersol, Commentary upon the Ep. to Philem., Lond. 1633, 4to; and Davidson's Introduction to the New Testament, London, 1848.