К Филимону послание ап. Павла, Глава 1, стих 2. Толкования стиха

Апфии, (сестре) возлюбленной - В некоторых рукописях слово «возлюбленная» пропущено и стоит только слово αδελφή «сестра» (ср. РБО, Кул.), что указывает на братские отношения в христианской общине. Кроме того, Апфия, возможно, несла в этой церкви какое-то особое служение, поэтому она упомянута после Филимона, но до Архиппа. Не исключено, что она была женой Филимона.

домашней твоей церкви - Возможно, имеется в виду церковь, которая собиралась в доме Филимона или Архиппа.

There is another indication of this in that in this same letter Ar- chippus is also named, to whom here it is written that he is with Phi-lemon. He says, “Tell Archippus, ‘See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.’” What is the ministry that Archippus received from the Lord? We read in the letter to Philemon: “And to Ar- chippus our fellow soldier, and to the church that is in your house.”Therefore, I think that he was either the bishop of the Colossian church, whom he reminds to preside zealously and diligently, as a preacher of the gospel; or, if he is not that, to me the following suffices to say for the present: that Philemon, Archippus, and Onesimus himself who carried the letters were Colossians, and four letters (as we said earlier) were written at the same time.
But the reason I think Ephesians was written at this time is this: he says there as well that he was imprisoned for the sake of Christ,and the same things that he had commanded to the Colossians, he or¬ders at the end of this letter too, that wives be subjected to their hus¬bands, and husbands should love their wives, that children obey their parents, that parents not provoke their children to anger, that slaves obey their fleshly masters, that masters leave aside their threats and offer things that are just to the slaves. Finally, he ends his epistle with this conclusion: “What I am doing Tychicus will make known to you, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, whom I sent to you for this purpose, that you may find out about my affairs, and he may console your hearts.” Now Tychicus is the one who is sent with Onesimus to the Colossians, and he had Onesimus as a companion at that time when Onesimus carried the letter to Philemon.
“And Timothy our brother.” In other letters Sosthenes, Sil- vanus, and sometimes Timothy, are adopted. In four letters Timo¬thy alone is mentioned, either because they were dictated at the same time as the rest, or because Timothy was present. Now I think this was done for two reasons, so that the epistle that was not written by one man would have greater authority, and because there was no jealousy among the apostles. Suppose for instance that while Paul was dictating something, the Spirit suggested something to another. Without any re¬gret Paul would have added it to the letter what he was dictating. This is accordant with what he himself commanded the Corinthians, that if when one person is prophesying, something is revealed to someone else, the one who was prophesying first should be silent. Thus he too was himself fulfilling his own command in deed, and on account of the few things that he had added at the other’s suggestion, he signed the epistle as his own as well as of the other.
He says, “to the beloved Philemon.” The Greek does not have hyaphmeyu, which means “beloved,” but ayaphtw, that is, “lovable.” Now the difference between “beloved” and “lovable” is that even one who does not deserve love can be called “beloved.” But only he who is loved deservedly is “lovable.” After all, we are commanded to love even our enemies, who are “beloved,” not “lovable.” For we love them not because they deserve to be loved, but because it is commanded that they are not be held in hatred. Also, the words that form the heading and title of the forty-fourth Psalm, “for the beloved,” are expressed bet¬ter in Greek as “for the lovable.” This passage is very manifestly under¬stood to refer to Christ. For although the Jews think that Solomon was called Jedidiah, that is, “loved of God”—which name was conferred upon him by God on account of his wisdom—yet who can be called “loved of God” more than he of whom the Father says in the Gospel, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Listen to him.”
After all, even in Isaiah it is written as follows: “I will sing a song to my beloved of my lovable vineyard. The vineyard has become my beloved’s.” And the circumcision, thinking that this must be under¬stood concerning the Judaic people, dashed against the rock of offense and the stone of stumbling. They did not consider that the vine which was transferred from Egypt is the house of Israel and that Christ is here called either lovable or beloved, provided that he himself deserves to be loved by the saints and the saints love him, by offering love to him rather than by demanding any rewards of love. Therefore Paul and Timothy write “to the beloved coworker Philemon,” who is called “be¬loved” because he is involved in the same work of Christ.
Also “to Apphia the sister,” one who does not have anything false in herself and of feigned sisterhood; and “to Archippus the fellow sol¬dier,” whom I think had emerged with Paul and Timothy as victor in the combat against the adversaries on behalf of the name of Christ. And the reason he is now called “fellow soldier” is because he prevailed in the same struggle and war.
It is also written “to the church which is in his house.” But this is ambiguous, whether it is “to the church which is in Archippus’s house” or “to the one which is in Philemon’s house.” But it seems to me that itdoes not refer to the person of Archippus but to that of Philemon, to whom the epistle itself is reckoned. For although Paul and Timothy are both writing to Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and the church, yet in what follows it is attested that Paul is writing only to Philemon. One man converses with one man. “I always thank my God when I remem¬ber you.” Now you will be able to find this manner of writing in sev¬eral of his epistles, that when several are recorded in the preface and the letter is addressed to several, afterward, throughout the whole body of the epistle, one disputant is introduced. This is what the apos¬tle says when writing to the Galatians, that in the faith of Christ it makes no difference whether someone is a Gentile or Jew, man or woman, slave or free. Likewise this becomes clear in this passage. For between the two apostolic men, between the coworker of Paul and his fellow soldier, the name of Apphia is inserted in between, so that such a woman, who is propped up by an attendant on both sides, does not seem to be ranked by her sex, but by her merit.

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.