Evaluating the Rhetoric of Paul’s Letter to Philemon: Implications for Master-Slave Relationship in Christian Households

Abstract

Many kinds of studies have been conducted on Greco-Roman slavery practices and the Christian response to religious and domestic conflicts. However, very little research has been carried out in biblical studies to appraise the rhetoric of Paul’s letter to Philemon and its persuasive implications for handling tensions and dilemmas that emerge from master-servant relationships in the Christian domestic contexts. This paper contributes to the scholarship on Philemon by critically interpreting the persuasiveness of the letter. It exposes Paul’s intentional use of highly emotive argumentations, familial concepts and visual symbols to influence the beliefs, state of mind, values and contemplated actions of his primary audience regarding a particular distressing exigency. It reveals the strong subversive and transformative tone of the letter. The paper contends that the message of Philemon has effective rhetorical power for managing the challenges faced by Christian parents, maids and fictive children in the Christian household

Keywords

• rhetoric
• 1st century greco-roman context
• master-slave relationship
• christianity