The Letter to Philemon

Although sometimes regarded as trivial because of its brevity or its treatment of issues distant from the modern world, the letter to Philemon remains valuable both for its insight into the social setting of the New Testament and for its reiteration of a central component of the gospel — brotherly love.

This superb commentary by Markus Barth and Helmut Blanke is unique for its exhaustive study of the ancient world at the time Philemon was written. The volume examines the institution of slav...