Philemon Imagination, Labor, and Love: An Introduction and Study Guide

includes index and biblioraphy

Introduction : On Reading Lost Letters.........1 Of Interpretation, There is no end ........6 The plan of this book ..10 1. A Quick overview of paul`s Letter to Philemon ............13 Character and outline of philemon......14 The characters in Philemon ........17 Philemon`s Trouble sports .......26 2. I appeal to you for my child, Onesimus .....39 Traditional Interpretations of philemon .....40 Slavery in the Greco-Roman World ............42 Philemon, Paul and the ethics of SLavery ............52 3. Rethinking onesimus and Philemon...........59 Troubling the Standard Reading : John knox and Modern reimagining ........59 John Chrysostom and the patristic reading of philemon .........64 Reading philemon and the master class........68 Resisting chrysostom and the Master class ..........72 4. Labor and love: An Affect reading of Philemon ..............77 Erasing paul: F C Baur and a pseudepigraphic Philemon ..............77 A letter without origin or ending............. 83 Affect theory and philemon: Emotional Labor and invisible slaves .......85 Letters lost in the mail ...........95