Philemon (; grc-gre,
Φιλήμων; ''Philḗmōn'') was an early Christian in
Asia Minor
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
who was the recipient of a private letter from
Paul of Tarsus
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
. This letter is known as
Epistle to Philemon
The Epistle to Philemon is one of the books of the Christian New Testament. It is a prison letter, co-authored by Paul the Apostle with Timothy, to Philemon, a leader in the Colossian church. It deals with the themes of forgiveness and re ...
in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
. He is known as a saint by several Christian churches along with his wife Apphia (or Appia). Philemon was a wealthy Christian and a minister (possibly a bishop) of the
house church
A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...
that met in his home.
The
Menaia
The Menaion ( el, Μηναῖον; Church Slavonic language, Slavonic: Минїѧ, ''Miniya'', "of the month") is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox Churchand those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite containi ...
of 22 November speak of Philemon as a holy apostle who, in company with Apphia,
Archippus
Archippus (; Ancient Greek: Ἄρχιππος, "master of the horse") was an early Christian believer mentioned briefly in the New Testament epistles of Philemon and Colossians.
Role in the New Testament
In Paul's letter to Philemon (), Archipp ...
, and
Onesimus
Onesimus ( grc-gre, Ὀνήσιμος, Onēsimos, meaning "useful"; died , according to Catholic tradition), also called Onesimus of Byzantium and The Holy Apostle Onesimus in the Eastern Orthodox Church, was probably a slave to Philemon of Col ...
had been martyred at
Colossae
Colossae (; grc-gre, Κολοσσαί) was an ancient city of Phrygia in Asia Minor, and one of the most celebrated cities of southern Anatolia (modern Turkey). The Epistle to the Colossians, an early Christian text which identifies its author ...
during the first general persecution in the reign of
Nero
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 un ...
.
In the list of the
Seventy Apostles
The seventy disciples or seventy-two disciples, known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles or seventy-two apostles, were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The correct Greek terminology is evdomikont ...
, attributed to
Dorotheus of Tyre
Saint Dorotheus bishop of Tyre (Lebanon), Tyre (present-day Lebanon; c. 255 – 362) is traditionally credited with an ''Acts'' of the Seventy Apostles (which may be the same work as the lost ''Gospel of the Seventy''), who were sent out accordin ...
, Philemon is described as bishop of
Gaza.
Notes
External links
Santiebeati: Saint Philemon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Philemon
Seventy disciples
1st-century deaths
People in the Pauline epistles
Saints from Roman Anatolia
Christian saints from the New Testament
1st-century bishops in Roman Anatolia
1st-century Romans
Year of birth unknown
People from Colossae
Epistle to Philemon
Slave owners