Beloved Brother or Slave?

Addressing Philemon as well as the church that meets in Philemon's house, Paul makes this prayer: "e;I pray that the koinonia of your faith may become effective when you realize all the good that we may do for Christ"e; (vv. 4-6). What was Paul's intention in revealing the content of his prayer for Philemon in a letter he knew would be read publicly? Why was Philemon's koinonia of faith both a matter of praise and an object of concern for Paul? The text does not answer these questions until ten verses later. In verse 16, one finds this radical and earth-shaking request, namely that Philemon receive Onesimus no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother in the flesh and in the Lord (v. 16). This book stems from the realization that the word "e;brother"e; in verse 16 not only explains why Philemon's koinonia of faith was ineffective (v. 6) but also strengthens my claim that a call to an ethic of koinonia is the central message of the letter.