Onesimus – ’n wegloopslaaf? Oor die ontstaansituasie van die Filemonbrief

Abstract

It is often assumed that Onesimus (mentioned in Paul’s Letter to Philemon) was a runaway slave, but in many instances the arguments supporting such a hypothesis are neither provided nor critically examined. A scrutiny of research in this regard indicates the complexity of the matter. In this article various theories on the origin of the Letter to Philemon are discussed and evaluated. The article is concluded by suggestions for making a well-founded decision in this regard.