К Филимону послание ап. Павла, Глава 1, стих 1. Толкования стиха

Послание к Филимону — самое краткое из сохранившихся посланий апостола Павла. Оно написано, вероятно, в Риме одновременно с Посланиями к ефесянам и колоссянам (ср. Флм 1:1 – Кол. 1:1; Флм 1:10 — Кол. 4:9).

узник Иисуса Христа - Павел имеет в виду, что он (а) находится в узах за имя Иисуса Христа, т. е. за свидетельство о Нем; (б) принадлежит Христу. Здесь, в отличие от большинства других посланий, Павел не называет себя ни апостолом, ни рабом Иисуса Христа (ср. Рим. 1:1; 2 Кор. 1:1; Флп. 1:1; Тит. 1:1) - возможно, потому, что он более рассчитывает на дружеские отношения с Филимоном, чем на свой апостольский авторитет (1:7-9,14,17,19-20, ср. 1:21). 1:2 Апфии, (сестре) возлюбленной - В некоторых рук

You de¬cided that I dictate on Paul’s epistles in a preposterous and perverse order. For when you repeatedly asked me to do this, O Paula and Eu- stochium, I obstinately refused to do it, and you compelled me at least to comment on the brief letter as for example in the number of its verses and thus the one that seemed to you to be the last one too in meaning and order. And so, I will attempt the subject of the beginning at the end. What someone else seeks immediately in the introduction to the apostle, namely, why did he receive the name of Paul from Saul? When did this happen, and who gave him his surname? I am com¬pelled to do this now. Before today I have not even dared to make a grunt, as they say, about him.
But one should not think, as is read by the more simple among the Latins, that he was previously called Saulus, and not Saul. For he was
from the tribe of Benjamin in which this name was deemed quite fa-miliar, since indeed that Saul, the king of Judea and persecutor of David, was from the tribe of Benjamin. But it is not surprising that we say Saulus, since Hebrew names are declined in imitation of Greek and Latin case endings, as for example one says in our language and speech Josephus for Joseph, Jacobus for Jacob, so too Saulus for Saul.
It is asked, therefore, why, or at whose command, he either lost his old name or took up the new one. That Abraham was named from Abram was accomplished by God’s command; that Sarah’s name came from Sarai was equally God’s command. And to come to the New Testament (Instrumentum), that Simon received the name Peter,and the sons of Zebedee were called Bane reem, that is, sons of thun¬der, was commanded by the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But no Scripture records why Paul was named from Saul. And so I will be bold, but perhaps truly confirm my conjectures from the Acts of the Apostles. There we read that the Holy Spirit said in Antioch, “Sepa-rate for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have taken them. Then they fasted and prayed, laid hands on them, and sent them off.”When they had gone down to Seleucia of Syria, they sailed for Salamis of Cyprus and reached it, which is now called Constantia. And they had with them for ministry John (on account of whom afterward a quarrel was stirred up among the builders of the church).
And having traveled through the whole island, they came as far as Paphos and found a certain magician and false-prophet named Bar- Jesus with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a prudent man. He sum¬moned Barnabas and Saul and desired to hear the word of God from them. And so, when the magician put up resistance to this and turned Sergius away from the right faith, “Saul,” the Scripture says, “who was also Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked at him and said, ‘You son of the devil, enemy of all justice, full of all deceit and all lying, do you not leave off undermining the straight paths of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.’ And immediately mist and darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking someone to give him a hand. Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had occurred, for he was astonished at the teaching of the Lord. And when Paul and those who were with him set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pam-
phylia.”
Pay careful attention, because here he first received the name of Paul. For as Scipio assumed the name of Africanus for himself when Africa was subjugated, and Metellus brought back to his family the insignia of Creticus when the island of Crete was subjugated, and the Roman emperors even now are named after subjected nations, Adia- benicus, Parthicus, Sarmaticus, so also Saulus, who was sent to preach to the nations, brought back from the initial spoils of the church, the proconsul Sergius Paulus, the trophy of his victory, and he raised a standard so that he was called Paulus from Saulus.
But if a translation of his name is sought, Paul in Hebrew expresses “wonderful.” In fact, it is wonderful that after being Saul—which is translated “asked for,” because he had been asked by the devil to harass the church—from being a persecutor became a vessel of election. Per-haps I have discussed more than was fitting here, but it was necessary.
Now in no epistle does he use the surname that follows, “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” although within the corpus of his letters, namely to the Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, he testifies that he is in chains for the confession. But to me it seems to be a matter of greater pride that he calls himself a “prisoner” of Jesus Christ than apostle. For the apostles boasted that they were worthy to suffer mistreatment for the name of Jesus Christ. But the authority of chains was necessary. Being about to ask for Onesimus, such a person was obliged to ask who could procure what he was requesting. Happy no doubt is he who boasts not in wisdom, not in riches, not in eloquence and secular power, but in the sufferings of Christ. With such words he also concludes the epistle to the Galatians, saying, “Finally, let no one trouble me; for I carry on my body the stigmata of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Now not everyone who is imprisoned is a “prisoner of Christ,” but whoever is imprisoned for the name of Christ and for his confession, that one truly is called a “prisoner of Jesus Christ,” so that that blood alone when shed makes a martyr, blood that is poured out for the name of Christ. Therefore, while chained up in prison in Rome, he writes to
Philemon at that time, it seems to me, when the epistles to Philippians, Colossians, and Ephesians were dictated. The reason I think this is first of all because he writes to the Philippians with Timothy alone, which he also does in this epistle. Second, because he says that his chains have become manifest for the sake of Christ among the whole prae¬torian. Now he indicates at the end of that epistle where the prae¬torian is: “All the saints greet you, but especially those who are of Cae¬sar’s house.” When sent to prison by Caesar, he became better known to his family and made the house of the persecutor into a church of Christ. Moreover, he says, “But some proclaim Christ from conten¬tion, not sincerely, thinking that they stir up affliction by my chains.”Further, the introduction of the letter to the Colossians is similar: “Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy our brother.” And in what follows he says, “Whose minister I, Paul, have become, who now rejoice in the sufferings for you; and I fill up what is lacking of the sufferings of Christ in my flesh for the sake of his body, which is the church.” And in the conclusion: “I Paul write this greet¬ing with my own hand. Remember my chains.” I have cited this that we may know that these letters too were dictated from prison while in chains.
Now the letter to the Colossians contains the following unique characteristic, that the same Onesimus, who is now being commended to Philemon, was likewise the bearer of the same words. After all, he says, “Tychicus will make known to you about all my affairs; he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that he may find out about your affairs and may console your hearts, together with Onesi- mus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of yourselves.”
Now if Philemon, to whom this epistle is written, is Onesimus’s master, or rather, has begun to be his brother in the Lord, and if it is reported in the letter to the Colossians that Onesimus is one of them, reason and order itself leads us to deduce that Philemon too is a Colos- sian; and at the same time when Onesimus carried a general letter to the whole church, he took along a private letter of recommendation of himself to his master.

В двадцати пяти стихах апостольского послания к Филимону усматриваются следующие части:

I. Вступление (Флм. 1–9). В нем после обычного приветствия от себя и Тимофея и после пожелания благодати и мира Божия Филимону, своему сотруднику, а равно и Апфии возлюбленной и Архипу сподвижнику своему, св. Ап. Павел выражает свою радость и благодарении Богу, слыша о подвигах любви и веры Филимона, и на основании этих добродетелей его выражает уверенность, что мог бы смело и приказывать ему все, чего бы ни захотел, но по любви все-таки хочет обратиться к нему с некоторой просьбой.

Надпись и приветствие – обычные, как и присутствие с Павлом преданного ему ученика Тимофея и написание послания от лица обоих (сравн. Кол. 1:1). Обычны и разные добрые наименования. Но вместе с тем везде и во всем, при сходстве, ясно видны и особенности. Тимофей именуется братом, Апфия – сестрою возлюбленною, как и Филимон тоже именуется возлюбленным, а Архипп – сподвижником. Каждое наименование соответствует особенности положения лица, которому оно усвояется. Поистине можно сказать, что Апостол был всем вся. Послание назначается по преимуществу Филимону, но благодать и мир от Бога Отца и Господа Иисуса Христа несомненно преподаются всей домашней Церкви Филимона, т. е. его семье и домочадцам, а также и всем тем христианам, которые имели духовное общение с этим домом чрез молитву и другие утешения веры. В последних св. Иоанн Златоуст видит указание на рабов и потому говорит: «Смотри, как мудро Павел упомянул о рабах: и их воспомянул, и его (Филимона) не раздражил. Ибо название всего (дома) Церковию не попускает господам оскорбляться. Подлинно, Церковь не знает различия между господином и рабом; она различает того и другого по добродетелям и порокам. Напомнив о благодати, Апостол приводит Филимону на память его грехи. Подумай, говорит как-бы, как много грехов простил тебе Господь, как ты спасен благодатию, и подражай Господу. Посмотри и на смирение Павла: он и Тимофея к своей просьбе присоединяет, и просит не одного мужа, но и жену, и еще иного вероятно, друга (из числа клира Архиппа); ибо просьба не только от многих, но и ко многим, способствует получению. А слыша об узах Христовых, кто не отдал бы самой души своей, а не только одного раба?»

Несмотря на краткость, Послание очень важно по содержанию, так что, будучи частным письмом, оно вошло в канон священных книг. На примере отношения бывшего раба-язычника, ставшего христианином, к своему господину, ставшему тоже христианином, вырисовывается общий характер положения рабов в первенствующей Церкви, в которой они занимали по численности первое место. В этих условиях принцип христианских проповедников, в частности, ап. Павла, был таким, чтобы, не возбуждая взаимной вражды между рабами и господами, преображать тех и других, созидая новое общество на совершенно новых нравственных началах. Царство Божие ценнее царства земного, поэтому из-за вопроса о рабстве не должно хулиться имя Божие среди язычников. Вот почему ап. Павел призывал рабов оставаться в том звании, в каком они призваны, продолжать трудиться с усердием, но уже не будучи рабами внутри своей души. Как это изменяло отношения между рабом и господином, хорошо видно из послания к Филимону.

После обычного приветствуя от себя и от Тимофея (Флм. 1:1–3), Апостол выражает свою радость по поводу полученных известий о подвигах любви и веры Филимона. На этом основании и созидаются новые отношения между бывшим рабовладельцем-язычником, а теперь христианином, и его рабом. Рабы и домочадцы Филимона теперь уже – «домашняя Церковь», это уже «святые» и братья, находящиеся в тесном общении веры. Действительно, Церковь не знает различия между господином и рабом, она различает своих, членов лишь по добродетелям и порокам.