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.

Paul states what he wants from his fellow worker Philemon. Although Paul is sending Onesimus back, he really wants to retain him, so that he can continue to serve Paul as a fellow missionary worker in the ‘imprisonment’ of the gospel ‘on your behalf’ (u(pe_r sou=), that is, in place of, as a representative substitute for, Philemon himself⁴⁵.

        Paul here is not rebuking Philemon for failing to serve Paul as his fellow worker for the gospel⁴⁶. The purpose clause, ‘so that (i#na) he might serve on your behalf me in the imprisonment of the gospel’ (v. 13), further specifies the purpose clause that expresses the content of Paul’s prayer, ‘that (o#pwj) the partnership of your faith might become effective in the recognition of all the good that is among us for Christ’ (v. 6). Paul is offering Philemon the opportunity for them as partners in faith to do a further good for Christ by allowing Onesimus to serve Paul as Philemon’s representative fellow worker. That Onesimus might serve on ‘your’ (sou=) behalf ‘me’ (moi) in the imprisonment of the gospel (v. 13) elaborates how Onesimus can more precisely be both ‘to you’ (soi_) and ‘to me’ (e)moi_) ‘useful’ (v. 11).

E. The good that Philemon can do in regard to Onesimus must be from benevolence (v. 14).

        The pronouns referring to Philemon and the conjunction i#na form catch-words linking the E to the D unit: ‘so that (i#na) he might serve on your (sou=) behalf’ (v. 13)...‘but without your (sh=j) consent I resolved to do nothing, so that (i#na) your (sou) good might not be as under compulsion but rather under benevolence’ (v. 14). The purpose clause, ‘so that (i#na) your good (a)gaqo/n)’, that is, ‘so that (i#na)’ Onesimus might on behalf of Philemon serve Paul in the imprisonment of the gospel (v. 13), recalls and refines the purpose clause expressing Paul’s prayer, ‘that’ (o#pwj) the partnership of Paul and Philemon might become effective in the recognition of all the ‘good’ (a)gaqou=) they can do for Christ (v. 6). In other words, the ‘good’ that Philemon can do (v. 14) is not general but very specific;