King James Version · Under Rome
Philemon
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
, a prisoner of , and our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer, And to our beloved Apphia, and our fellowsoldier, and to in thy house: to you, and peace, from and . I thank my , making mention of thee always in my prayers, Hearing of thy love and , which thou hast toward , and toward all ; That the communication of thy may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ . For we have great joy and consolation in thy love, because the bowels of are refreshed by thee, brother. Wherefore, though I might be much bold in Christ to enjoin thee that which is convenient, Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as the aged, and now also a prisoner of . I beseech thee for my son , whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me: Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: Whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of : But without thy would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in , and in ? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it: albeit I do not say to thee how thou owest unto me even thine own self besides. Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in : refresh my bowels in . Having confidence in thy I wrote unto thee, knowing that thou wilt also do more than I say. But withal prepare me also a lodging: for I that through your prayers I shall be given unto you. There salute thee , my fellowprisoner in Christ ; Marcus, , , Lucas, my fellowlabourers. The of our be with your . . Written from to Philemon, by a servant.
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.
All of Philemon