The fifth reading is from Paul's letter to Philemon, carried by Onesimus, a runaway slave whom Paul is returning to his master, along with Paul's letter.
The church is a place of equality. In the ancient world, master and slave might worship alongside each other, as in the case of Philemon and Onesimus. In the modern world rich and poor, employer and employee share the same pew. However, it is the Christian's duty to make sure that the equality that exists within the walls of the church extends outside the church as well. Whether Philemon was a harsh master to Onesimus is unknown, but the mere fact that he was a master at all was too much for Onesimus, who ran away, eventually finding Paul in prison, where he understood for the first time what being a Christian was really about. It wasn't about playing at equality on Sunday and living out inequality the rest of the week. It wasn't about calling someone "brother" one day a week and "boy" the rest of the week. Christianity must permeate the entire church, the people of God, not just the church building. It must change our attitudes about our relationships with other people, regardless of what society says about classes and wealth and privilege.
The Greek text of Philemon offers several noteworthy plays on words that don't come across in translation. For example, the name Onesimus means "useful," so when Paul says in verse 11, "Formerly he was useless to you, but he is indeed useful both to you and to me," he is alluding to Onesimus' name. The word "useful" that Paul uses also carries another double meaning, because eu-chrestos, "useful," is similar in sound to eu-christos, which can be understood as "good in Christ." Slavery was an institution that permeated the ancient world. It has been estimated that as many as 35 to 40 percent of the total population of Rome consisted of slaves. The Bible contains no explicit condemnations of slavery, though it does limit its application in various Old Testament laws. Paul's "advice" to Philemon, which should probably be viewed as a command couched in softer language, was that he should free Onesimus. If he did, Paul said, Onesimus would be more useful to Philemon than he had ever been before. Christianity should make us challenge existing structures of injustice, regardless of how firmly entrenched in custom they have become.
Although the book of Philemon could obviously be read from the standpoint of slavery, which still persists around the world, I want to read it from the perspective of women in Saudi Arabia, who are treated as virtual slaves. My sister has a Saudi friend who finished her Master's degree here in the U.S. in 2004. Here she drove, wore what she wanted, and made her own decisions. When she returns home, she had to give up her driving privileges, wear clothing prescribed by men, and lose much control over her own life. Saudi Arabia has had a special relationship with the U.S. for many years because it is our largest oil supplier, but Christians should stand up for the rights of women (and others) in the country. It is wrong to prop up an unpopular hereditary dictator (i.e., a king) who keeps half of his population in virtual slavery because of their sex. If the U.S. stands for democracy in the Middle East, we need to start focusing our efforts on our best friends in the Arab world, the Saudis.
Paul's encouragement of Philemon to release his slave Onesimus needs to be read in the context of the Old Testament law regarding slaves and other relevant New Testament passages. The law allows Israelites to own slaves, and though it regulates their treatment, it remains a harsh law (e.g., Exod 21:20-21 excuses from punishment a slaveholder who beats his slave with a stick, as long as the slave doesn't die the same day). On the other hand, the New Testament offers a different perspective. Jesus teaches that we are all slaves of God (Luke 17:7-10), implying the we are all equal. Paul puts it more bluntly in Gal 3:28, stating that in Christ there is no longer any distinction between slave and free. Christians should continue to strive for equality in the name of Christ.
The book of Philemon may be read in the light of the movie Spartacus, about the largest Roman slave revolt in history, approximately one hundred years before Paul wrote his letter, and Harriett Beecher Stowe's classic anti-slavery book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. The slave Spartacus escaped from his master and led a slave revolt that included thousands of other slaves who kept the Roman army at bay for several months, before being defeated in battle. Spartacus himself was crucified, along with hundreds of other slaves. Uncle Tom's Cabin is a fictional portrayal of the evils of slavery in the American South prior to the Civil War. Although many today find the title character too accommodating and deferential to his white masters, the book touched a nerve when it was released, and it made thousands of white people in the north aware for the first time of what a thoroughly evil institution slavery was. It is interesting to note that Spartacus led a rebellion of arms that failed, but Harriett Beecher Stowe led a rebellion of ideas that ultimately triumphed. Paul, too, chose to address the issue of slavery within the Christian community with the force of ideas.
I hope that these sample readings from five biblical passages have given you an idea of different ways of reading the Bible. Devotional readings are important for defining how the Bible speaks to us as individuals. Historical-critical readings help us to understand the historical context in which the Bible was written and give us an appreciation of what it might have meant for its original recipients. Contextual readings remind us that we all read the Bible from a particular theological, cultural, socio-economic, and political perspective, and these perspectives inform our understanding of the text, whether we want to admit it or not. Canonical readings remind us that the portion of the Bible that we're reading is part of a larger whole with a variety of perspectives itself. Finally, literary readings view the Bible within the context of the art and literature of the world. It is important to remember to view these different ways of the reading the Bible as complementary, not mutually exclusive. By reading the same passage in different ways, we will come to appreciate more fully the incredible richness of meaning that is found in the sacred text and that continues to speak to us today.
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© 2011, James R. Adair, Jr.