The Letter to the Colossians and the Letter to PhilemonSample

In addition to the letter to the church in Colossae, Paul takes along a second, personal letter—to Philemon. Philemon was a wealthy member of the church whose slave, Onesimus, had run away. Somehow, Onesimus and Paul came into contact, and Onesimus got to know Jesus. During their conversations, it became clear: Onesimus should return to Philemon—because under Roman law, he belonged to him. To us today, this sounds strange, but Onesimus and Paul apparently felt this was the right step.

At the same time, the return was an enormous risk for Onesimus. Runaway slaves in the Roman Empire had it extremely difficult, as the punishments were at the owner's discretion. Legally, slaves were considered "property" and had no rights—the owner had unlimited power over them, including the right of life and death. Possible punishments included:

• Physical punishments: Flogging, torture, or chains were common methods.
• Branding: Runaway slaves were often branded with an "F" for fugitivus on their forehead.
• Collars: Some slaves had to wear metal collars with an engraved inscription: "I have run away. Catch me. Bring me back to my master, and you will be rewarded".
• Sale to mines or gladiatorial schools: Brutal work that often meant an early death.
• Crucifixion: The harshest punishment for particularly rebellious slaves, often used as a deterrent for others. A famous example is the mass crucifixion of 6,000 followers of Spartacus after the slave revolt in 71 BC.

After more than 2,000 years of Christian ethics, this may be shocking to us, but to the people of antiquity, slaves were not people but "things." The old principle of dehumanization. That's why Onesimus's decision was so brave. No wonder Paul wrote the letter to Philemon with such passion.

Faith in Jesus changes everything.