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John Paul Heil, «The Chiastic Structure and Meaning of Paul’s Letter to Philemon», Vol. 82 (2001) 178-206
This article proposes a new chiastic structure for Paul’s letter to Philemon based on rigorous criteria and methodology. The center and pivot of the chiasm, ‘but without your consent I resolved to do nothing, so that your good might not be as under compulsion but rather under benevolence’ (v. 14), is a key to explicating the letter’s supposedly unclear purpose. Paul wants Philemon to give his former slave Onesimus back to Paul as a beloved brother and fellow worker for the gospel of Jesus Christ, because of Philemon’s response to the grace of God evident in his faithful love for the holy ones as a beloved brother and fellow worker of Paul.
The B (vv. 4-7) and B' (vv. 20-22) units of the chiasm are inversely parallel. The B unit ends in v. 7 with Paul’s address to Philemon as ‘brother’ (a)delfe/); and the B' unit begins in v. 20 with Paul’s address to Philemon, ‘yes, brother’ (nai_ a)delfe/). ‘Refresh (a)na/pauso/n) my heart (ta_ spla/gxna) in Christ’ (v. 20) inversely parallels ‘the hearts (ta_ spla/gxna) of the holy ones have been refreshed (a)nape/pautai) through you’ (v. 7). The conclusion of the B' unit, ‘for I am hoping that through your prayers (proseuxw=n) I will be granted (xarisqh/somai) to you’ (v. 22), inversely parallels the introduction of the B unit, ‘I thank (Eu)xaristw=) my God every time I make mention of you in my prayers (proseuxw=n)’ (v. 4).
There are further correspondences between the B and B' units: ‘in the Lord’ (v. 20) – ‘toward the Lord’ (v. 5); ‘in Christ’ (v. 20) – ‘for Christ’ (v. 6); a o$ti clause in v. 22 and v. 7; ‘through (dia_) your prayers’ (v. 22) – ‘through (dia_) you’ (v. 7). That the vocative case of ‘brother’, the noun ‘prayers’, and the verbs ‘refresh’ and ‘I thank/I will be granted’ occur only in the B and B' units enhances their chiastic parallelism.
C. Paul appeals to Philemon for Onesimus (vv. 8-10).
C'. Paul wants Philemon to charge him for any debt of Onesimus (vv. 18-19).
The C (vv. 8-10) and C' (vv. 18-19) units continue the inverse parallels of the chiasm. ‘If he has wronged you (se) in any way’ at the beginning of the C' unit (v. 18) parallels ‘I appeal to you (se)’ at the end of the C unit (v. 10). And ‘charge it to me (e)moi_)’ at the beginning of the C' unit (v. 18) parallels ‘for my (e)mou=) child’ at the end of the C unit (v. 10). The name ‘Paul’ in the middle of the C' unit (v. 19) corresponds to the name ‘Paul’ in the middle of the C unit (v. 9). ‘But may I not tell you (soi)’ at the end of the C' unit (v. 19) parallels ‘to command what is proper to you (soi)’ at the beginning of the C unit (v. 8).
Each of these units contains a repetition of significant verbs that occur only within these respective units: ‘I appeal’ (parakalw= in vv. 9-10) in the C unit and ‘owes’ (o)fei/lei in v. 18; prosofei/leij in v. 19) in the C' unit. That, except for the first word in the letter, the name ‘Paul’ occurs only in these units enhances their chiastic parallelism.
D. Paul wanted to keep Onesimus, his heart, to serve on behalf of Philemon (vv. 11-13).
D'. Paul wants Philemon to welcome Onesimus as a beloved brother and partner (vv. 15-17).
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