3:4 TITU S 370

ignora nt, disobedient and misled and enslaved by different passions and luxu ries;
we lived then in wickedness and ill-will, ha ting each other and hateful ourse lves.
2: 11
L'Trn I t l -l- But when the kindness and love of God our saviour for mank ind were revealed, 4
2 T m 1: 10 +
Rm6:1 it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have
2Tm 1:9
I n 3:5 done ourselves; it was for no reaso n except his own compassion that he saved us,
R m 5:5:
6:4 + by means of the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with the Holy Spirit
2 Co 13:13 +
Ep 5:26 which he has so generously poured over us through Jesus Christ our saviour.
I Tml :l +
Rm 3:24: He did this so that we should be justified by his grace, to become heirs looking
8: 17.24
forward to inhe riting eternal life.« -This is doc trin e that you can rely on.

Personal advice to Titus PHILEMON

1 T m 1:15 +
I want you to be quite uncompromising in teachin g all this, so that those who
no w believe in G od may keep their mind s constantly occupied in do ing good
works. All th is is good. a nd will do nothing but good to everybody .• But avoid THE LETTER FROM PAUL TO PHILEMON
1 T m 1:4 +
po intless speculat ions, and those genealogies, and the quibb les and disput es abo ut
t he Law-these are useless and can do no good to anyone. -I f a man disp utes 10
M118:15- 17p Address R m l: 1+
what you teach, then after a first and a second warning, have no mo re to do with
him: b -yo u will know that a ny man of that sort has already lapsed and condemned 11 From Paul , a prisoner of Christ Jesus and from our brother Timothy ; to our Ac I6:1+

himself as a sinner. dear fellow worker Philemon, ' our sister - Apphia, our fellow soldier Archippus Co l 4:17
2 Tm2:3
and the church tha t meets in your ho use; -wishing you the grace and the peace Rm 16:5 +
Practical recommendations, farewells and good wishes of God our Fat her and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ac 20:4 +
2 Tm 4: 12 As soon as , have sent Arte mas or Tychicus to you, lose no time in jo ining 12
Thanksgiving and prayer IIEp 1:15-16
me at Nicopolis, where I have decided to spend the winter. •See to all the tra velling 13 IIColl: 3f
Ac 18:24 + I always mention you in my prayers and thank God for you, -because I hear
arrangements for Zenas the lawyer and Apoll os, and make sure they have every-
thi ng the y need. · AIl our people are to learn to occupy the mselves in doin g good 14 of the love and the faith which you have for the Lord Jesus and for all the saints. I Co 13:13 +
Ac 9:13+
works for their practical needs as well,' and not to be entire ly unpr oductiv e. I pray that this faith will give rise to a sense of fellowship that will show you all Ph 1:9-11
All tho se who arc with me send their greetings . Gree tings to those who love 15 the good things that we are able to do for Christ. b - I am so deligh ted, and com- Col 1:9- 11
2 I n 4-6
us in the faith . G race" be with you all. forted, to know of your love; they tell me, brother, how you have put new heart
into the saints.

The request about Onesimus

Now, although in Christ I can have no diffidence about telling you to do :;;
:r:
wha tever is your duty, . , am appeali ng to your love instead, reminding you that 11.

10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
3 a . T he effec ts of bu nt ism are: rebi rt h . free fo rgive - beli eve: gro u ps of peo p le who ag ree o n the sam e cho ice
ness by C hris t, recep tio n o f his Hol y Spi ri t, are ' sects ' (offs hoo ts of par ent bo die s).
c. Lit. ' for u rge n t need s' o r ' fo r t he nece ssities of
d . R m 5:5 -l-, a nd the im med ia te en joy me n t of a ll r igh ts
as heir to ete rnal life (the p re se nce of the Ho ly Sp ir it life' . T his is pe r hap s a pos tsc r ipt to 3:8: t hey mu st
bei ng a ple d ge of t his. cr. 2 C o 1:22). learn to do goo d wo rks not on ly for t he Rood of th eir
b. Lit. ' A vo id any hereti cal m an af ter one o r two so u ls but a lso for a livi ng: they a re not to be para si tes
wa rn ings' : Pau l uses a co nte mporary ph ilosoph ica l on soc iety .
ter m : c tv m ol o gtca lly a 'heret ic' is so meone who ins tea d d. Ad d . 'o f t he Lo rd ', o r (Y u la .) 'of God ' . v uta.
of being op en to a ll trut h cho oses what tru th s he will a dd s ' A m en ' a t th e e nd.
th is is Paul writing, an old man now and , what is more, still a prisoner of Christ Ep 3: 1: 4:1
Co1 4: 18
Jesus. · 1 am ap pealing to you for a child of mine, whose father I became- while I Co4:16
OJ
wearing these cha ins: I mean Onesimus. • He was of no lise to you before, but he Ga 4:19
Col 4:9 W
:r
will be useful" to you now, as he has been to me. ·1 am sending him back to you, I T h 2:11
and with him- I could say-a part of my own self.' . 1 should have liked to keep
him with me ; he cou ld have been a substit ute for you, to help me while I am in the
chains tha t the Good News has broug ht me. - However, I did not want to do .~,
anything without you r consent; it would have been forcing your act of kindness ,
which sho uld be spontaneous. · 1 know you have been deprived of Onesimus for
a time,! but it was only so that you could have him back for ever, -not as a slave Rm6:15-+
Ep 6:5-9 11.
any more , but some thing much better than a slave, a dea r bro ther; especia lly Co l 3:22-4:
~
dear to me, but how much more to you , as a blood-brother as well as a bro ther
in the Lord.« -So if all that we have in common means anything to you , welcome
him as you would me ; -but if he has wronged you in any way or owes Tt 2:10
you anything,' then let me pay for it. ·1 am writing this in my own handwriting: CoI4:18 + '7z
"I "
a . VaT. 'ou r bel o-...ed A p phi a ', or 'o ur be love d cr, I Co 4:15 ; Ga 4:19.
sister A pp hia ', d. A pu n : ' Onesim u s' means 'useful" cr , P h 4 :3.
b . Li t. ' tha t the fellowship of your fa ith m ay become e . 'And with h im . . . ": var. (V u tg.) 'an d I ask YOU
effec tual in a fu ll kno wledg e of eve ry good thing in us
to welcome h im as th o ugh he were my self' , cr. v, 17.
for C hris t' ; t.e . faith un ite s a person not o nly to C hr ist
b u t to all who a re hi s b r o the rs through the ir u nion
I, ' De p r ived ' of h im by God wh o allowed the sla ve
to esca pe on ly so that everyone mig ht su bsequently
.,::J
wit h C hr ist. Fa ith a nd lo ve go to geth er , v. 5. a nd Pa u l benefit.
expects tha t fa ith will p ro d uce practica l res ults . g . Lit . ' as a br o th er both in the fles h a nd in th e
'effec tua l': va r. (Yulg.) ' m a n ifest ' . 'we are ab le'; Lord' .
va r. (V u lg.) 'YOU are a b le ' . h, It seems th at Onesimus had n o t on ly run away
e, He became h is 'fa the r ' by co nverting him. b ut had stolen so me thing from Phil emon us well .
iii
It
 20 P HIL E MON 37 2
I, Paul , shall pay it back- I will not add any ment ion of your own debt to me,
which is yourself.' -Well then, brother, I am countin g on you, in the Lor d ; put 20
new heart into me, in Christ. •I am writing with complete confidence in your 21
compliance, sure that you will do even more than I ask.
A personal request. Good wishes
There is ano ther thing: will you get a place ready for me to stay in? I am hoping 22
Heb 13:19 through your prayers to be resto red to you. THE LETTER TO THE
Co14:10+ Epa phras, a prisoner with me in Christ Jesus, sends his greetings; ' so do my U
2 T m 4:10 colleagues Mar k, Aristar chus, Demas and Luke.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you r spirit.' 25 HEBREWS
A LETT ER ADD RESSED
TO A JEWI SH-CH RISTIA N COM MUNITY

PROLOG UE

The greatness of the incarnate Son of God

At various times in the past and in var ious d ifferent ways, Go d spok e to our 2 Ch 36:15

.1 ancestors through the prophets ; but -in our own time, the last days, he has
I n 1:3
Ga 4:4 +
] Tm 4:1+
MI 4:3 +
spoke n to us through his Son, the Son that he has appointed to inherit everythi ng> In 1:18 +:
3 and through whom he made everything there is. b • He is the radiant light of Go d's 10:34
Ws 7:22+
glory and the perfect copy of his nature," susta ining the universe by his powerful 2 Co 4:6,1 8
Col 1:15 + ,
co mmand; and now that he has destroyed the defilement of sin, he has gone to 17
Ep 1:7
4 tak e his place in heaven at the right hand of divine Majesty. -So he is now as far Col 1:14
Ac2:33+
above the angels as the title which he has inher ited is higher than their own name . Ph 2:9-11 +

I. TH E S ON IS GREATE R TH A N T HE A N G E L S

P roof from the scriptures

Ps 2:7
5 G od has never said to any angel: You are my Son, today I have become your A c 13:33 + rn
2 S 7:14
6 f ather; or: I will be a fathe r to him and he a son to me. 'Again, when he brings the w
J:
Col 1:15+
Fir st-born into the world ," he says: Let all the angels of God worship him. -A bout D t 32:43
8 the angels, he says: He makes his angels winds and his servants flames offire, e • but Ps 97:7
Ps 104:4
Ps 45:6-7
to his Son he says: God, your throne shall last fo r ever and ever; and: his! royal
sceptre is the sceptre of virtue; •virtue you love as much as you hate wickedness. ~
This is why God, your God, has anointed y ou with the oil ofgladness, above all your
10 rivals.v -And again: It is you, Lord, who laid earth's foundations in the beginning, Ps 102:25-27
II the heavens are the work of your hands; ' all will vanish, thoU/{h you remain, all Q.

12 wear out /ike a garment; . you will roll them up /ike a cloak , and like a garment- ~
they will be changed. But yourself, you never change and your years are unending.

t. Philemon must have been one of Paul's convert s.
i. Ad d . 'A men', cf. Ph 4:23.
1 a . To be a so n imp lies ha ving the ri ght to inherit. a seal on clay o r wax, cf. In 14:9.
cr. M t 2 1:38. Ga 4:7. Here. however. G od is credited d . Either at the parousla o r: m ore probably, a t the
"?Z
with t he ha nd ing o ver of th e wh ole cre ation because inc arnatio n . "I '"
th e inh er itance in Question is messi anic and eschat- e. T he author . thinkJng perh aps of the theophany
o logica l. o n Sina i, 2:2 +, ta kes this LXX text as a description
b. Li t. the 'aeo ns' . hebra ism fo r the who le of of the na ture of a ngels. subtle a nd cha ngea ble a nd
creatio n. the refo re inferior to that of the Son re ign ing fro m his
c. These two metaphors are borro wed fro m t"e eschatolo gical throne.
so phia and logos theolo gies of Ale xandr ia. Ws 7:25-26 :
the y expre ss both the identity of nature bet wee n Father
t. Var . 'your' , cf. Ps 45 LXX .
g . Fo llo wing Midd le Eas tern custom the psa lm
..,::>
a nd So n. a nd the distinction of pe rson . T he Son is the att ributes d ivinity to th e King-Messiah by h yperbole:
br ightness . the light shining fr om its so urce, which is here it is a tt ributed liter all y, cr. v, 3. The d ivine Messiah
th e bright glory. cf. Ex 24:16 +, of t he Fa ther (' Ught is to reign fo r ever.
from Light'). He is a lso the repli ca, cr. Co l 1:15 + . of the b. VUIR. o mits 'li ke a garm ent' ,
Fat her' s subs ta nce. like an exact im pression ma de by
.~
OC