К Филимону послание Апостола Павла

Written probably from a prison in Rome about 61 A.D. Onesimus, who was sent with this message, was a slave of Philemon. He fled from his master, taking away various things, but, coming to Rome, he met the Apostle, by whom he was converted to Christianity. Philemon, who, according to legend, lived in Laodicea, in Asia Minor, was also a Christian, converted by the Apostle, and St. Paul sends Onesimus to him and asks Philemon to forgive him and accept him as a brother in Christ. Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy the brother, Philemon, our beloved and fellow worker, and Apphia, our beloved sister, and Archippus, our companion, and your home church. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God, always remembering you in my prayers, hearing about your love and faith that you show towards the Lord Jesus and to all the saints. I pray that the fellowship of your faith may result in every good work. - to the revelation of all the good things you have in Christ Jesus. And I have great joy and consolation in your love, knowing that the hearts of the saints, brother, were comforted by you. So, having great boldness in Christ to command you what you should do, out of love, I wish to ask you better, none other than I, Paul the Elder, and now a prisoner of Jesus Christ. I pray to you for my son Onesimus, whom I gave birth to in my bonds. It was once of no use to you, but now it is of great use to both you and me, and I return it to you; You accept it as my heart. And I wanted to keep him with me, so that instead of you he would serve me in my bonds, which he took for the gospel. But I didn’t want to do anything without your consent, so that your good deed would not be forced, but voluntary. Maybe that’s why he was separated from you for a while, so that later you would receive him forever, but no longer as a slave, but above a slave, as a beloved brother, especially to me, and even more so to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord. So, if you have fellowship with me, then accept him as me. If he caused you any harm or owes you, consider it on me. I Paul wrote with my own hand: I will pay you. Not to mention the fact that you owe me yourself. So, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord: calm my heart in the Lord. Hoping for your obedience, I wrote to you, knowing that you will do more than what I ask. And together prepare a room for me, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you. Greetings to you from Epaphras, a prisoner with me for the sake of Christ Jesus; from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow servants. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. You might be interested in: