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.

on his behalf in the metaphorical imprisonment of the gospel(v. 13).

*
* *

        Many surmise that what Paul wants of Philemon is unclear. The chiastic structure of the letter, however, indicates not only what Paul wants from Philemon, namely, Onesimus to serve on his behalf in the work of the gospel (v. 13), but also why he wants it, namely, as a further good that Philemon can do under benevolence (v. 14) for Paul and the holy ones based on love and in response to grace.

        In the A unit (vv. 1-3) of the chiasm Paul’s greeting as a prisoner of Christ Jesus places the audience of the letter within a framework of God’s grace. In response to this grace Paul in the B unit (vv. 4-7) thanks God in his prayers for Philemon’s faithful love toward the holy ones, suggesting that as partners they can do a further ‘good’ for Christ. On the basis of love Paul as an old man and prisoner of Christ Jesus appeals for his ‘child’ Onesimus in the C unit (vv. 8-10). In the D unit (vv. 11-13) Paul indicates that he would like Onesimus, his very heart, who as a Christian has become ‘useful’ to both Philemon and Paul, to serve Paul on behalf of Philemon in the work of the gospel. The first half of the chiasm reaches its climax in the E unit (v. 14) with Paul’s resolve that the ‘good’ that Philemon can do in granting him Onesimus be under benevolence.

        As the center and pivotal point of the chiasm, the E unit (v. 14) serves as the dominant motivation for the development of Paul’s appeal in the second half. Through inverse parallelism with the D unit, in which Paul wants to keep Onesimus for himself, the D' unit (vv. 15-17) suggests that Philemon can have Onesimus back forever by giving him back to Paul after welcoming him as a beloved brother and as a partner like Paul himself. In the C' unit (vv. 18-19) Paul himself offers to pay any debts of his ‘child’ for whom he appealed in the C unit, Onesimus, but reminds Philemon that he more than owes Paul his very self, thus suggesting Onesimus as payment. Paul in the B' unit (vv. 20-22) wants his ‘brother’ Philemon to refresh his heart (Onesimus), as he refreshed the hearts of the holy ones in the B unit; in reciprocal and complementary correspondence to Paul’s prayers of thanks for grace (B unit), Paul hopes through the prayers of the assembly to be granted to them from grace as further motivation and occasion for Philemon graciously to grant Onesimus to Paul (B' unit). The greetings of grace to the entire assembly that