Onesimus And Philemon: A Theoretical Analysis

The most likely reason that Onesimus was in trouble with his master Philemon was that he had run away, perhaps even embezzling money in the process (Cho, 2014). Cho also states that he may have been threatened with punishment before this action, which precipitated his flight to talk with Paul (2014). Cho also points out that Roman law allowed for a third party to act as an intermediary to settle disputes between owners and slaves, which it does appear Paul does in this instance (2014). Harris concludes similarly, that it is likely that Paul had been sought as some sort of intermediary, which he does do, after converting Onesimus to Christianity (2014). Paul ends up sending him back to Philemon, with careful instructions to treat him well,