Philemon 6-7 Philemon 6 Philemon 6 and I Pray That the Fellowship of Your

Philemon 6-7 Philemon 6 Philemon 6 and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake. (NASB95) The Content of Paul’s Prayer for Philemon “And I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective ” is composed of the following: (1) conjunction hop ōs (ὅπως ), “ that ” (2) articular nominative feminine singular form of the noun koin ōnia (κοινωνία ), “ the fellowship ” (3) articular genitive feminine singular form of the noun pistis (πίστις ), “of faith ” (4) genitive second person singular form of the personal pronoun su (σύ ), “ your ” (5) nominative feminine singular form of the adjective energ ēs (ἐνεργής ), “ effective ” (6) third person singular aorist middle subjunctive form of the verb ginomai (γίνοµαι ), “ may become .” Asyndeton In Philemon 6, the apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton.” The common practice of the Aramaic and Hebrew language as well as the Greek language was that each clause be connected with the preceding by some connective word. The term for the lack of such a connective is “asyndeton.” The use of conjunctions came to be very common in the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek so that the absence was noticeable and was called “asyndeton,” which literally means, “not bound together.” “Asyndeton” is a vivid stylistic feature that occurs often for emphasis, solemnity, or rhetorical value (staccato effect), or when there is an abrupt change in topic. Thus, it is found, for example, with commands and exhortations, put forth in rapid succession (cf. John 5:8; Eph 4:26-29; Phil 4:4-6; 1 Thess 5:15-22), sentences in a series (cf. Matt 5:3-11 [the beatitudes]; 2 Tim 3:15-16), sentences unrelated to each other/topic shift (cf. 1 Cor 5:9). In Philemon 6, Paul is not using a connective word between the previous statement in verse 5 and the one to follow here in 6. He does this in order to emphasize the statement here in verse 6, which records Paul made it his habit to pray that the fellowship produced by faith in the Word of God, would cause itself to be manifested as effective because of an experiential knowledge which produces every type of divine good of intrinsic quality and character, which is in all the 2013 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 1 recipients of this epistle for Christ’s sake. The Holy Spirit through Paul uses this figure because He wants the reader to dwell or meditate upon this statement in order that the recipients of this letter would be encouraged and prepared to welcome Onesimus into their fellowship now that he has become a Christian. This figure is designed to have Philemon, Apphia and Archippus and the church which met in Philemon’s home dwell upon the idea of perform divine good in the form of welcoming Onesimus into their fellowship despite the fact he was a runaway slave of Philemon. Ellipsis Paul is also employing the figure of ellipsis meaning that under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he is deliberately omitting, though it is clearly implied, the first person singular present middle indicative form of the verb proseuchomai (προσεύχοµαι ), which belongs to the euchomai word group and is a compound verb composed of the preposition pros , “face to face with,” and the verb euchomai , “to request,” thus it literally means, “to make a request face to face with deity.” In classical literature, euchomai in its technical sense was employed for invoking a deity where it meant “to request, to entreat, to vow.” Proseuchomai and its cognate noun proseuche in classical Greek from Homer onward referred to prayers for favors from the gods who can help in battle or in helping to get revenge. In the LXX, proseuchomai normally translates the Hebrew verb palal in the hithpael stem with the idea of a request being addressed to God by an inferior and was a prayer of confidence. The verb proseuchomai appears 88 times in the Greek New Testament, and its cognate noun proseuche appears 37 times. Both the verb proseuchomai and its cognate noun proseuche refer to prayer with no indication of its content, thus they refer to prayer in its general sense, whereas the noun deesis refers specifically to either petitionary prayer or intercessory prayer. Although the verb proseuchomai has no reference to the content of prayer in the Greek New Testament, it is used in relation to the following elements of prayer: (1) Worship of God (2) Intercessory prayer (3) Petition (4) Thanksgiving. The word is used in reference to two categories of prayer: (1) Individual (Phlp. 1:9; Col. 1:9) (2) Corporate (Acts 12:12; 16:25; 20:36). Here in Philemon 6, the verb proseuchomai refers backs to Paul’s intercessory prayer to the Father on behalf of the recipients of this epistle which would include Philemon, Apphia, Archippus and the church which met in the home of Philemon. It refers to prayer in a general sense but without reference to the fact that it is intercessory, thus it simply refers to the act of praying in its general sense or the 2013 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 2 simple act of making a prayer to the Father without reference to its content and which content is revealed in the following direct object clause. The present tense of the verb is a customary present signally a regularly occurring action. This indicates that Paul “made it his habit” or he “regularly” prayed that the fellowship produced by Philemon’s faith in the Word of God, would cause itself to be manifested as effective because of an experiential knowledge which produces every type of divine good, which is in all the recipients of this epistle for Christ’s sake. The middle voice of the verb is an intensive middle emphasizing Paul as the subject of the verb indicating that Paul is emphasizing with his readers the content of his prayer for them in order to encourage them to perform another good work, namely, welcome Onesimus in their fellowship. The indicative mood is declarative presenting this assertion as a non-contingent or unqualified statement. We will translate proseuchomai , “ I make it a habit to pray .” Hop ōs The conjunction hop ōs means “that” since it is employed with the subjunctive mood of the verb ginomai in order to form a purpose clause which presents the purpose of Paul praying for Philemon. Classical Usage of Koin ōnia In the Greek and Hellenistic world koinonia was a term, which meant the evident, unbroken fellowship between the gods and men. Even Philo spoke of the “sublime fellowship [of Moses] with the Father and Creator of the universe” (Vit. Mos., 1, 158). Koinonia was an important concept both in the secular and religious life of the ancient Greek world. It denoted the close union and brotherly bond between men. It was taken up by the philosophers to denote the ideal to be sought. The word has thus virtually the sense of brotherhood, and is a standing expression for the way social life is constituted. Koinonia , an abstract term from koinonos and koinoneo , denotes “participation, fellowship,” especially with a close bond. It expresses a two-side relation. As with koinoneo , emphasis may be on either the giving or the receiving. It thus means: (1) “Participation” (2) “Impartation” (3) “Fellowship.” It is constructed: (1) In the absolute, “fellowship,” in law of a contract partnership, community of possession or communal possession. (a) With the objective genitive of the thing shared. (b) With the subjective genitive of the person or thing sharing, the recipient being in 2013 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries 3 the dative or with preposition. (c) With objective genitive of the person in whom there is sharing. In Platonism koinonia acquires its greatest systematic significance. Koinonia is the basis of soteria , the preservation not merely of individuals, but of the whole cosmos, which includes both men and gods. The idea of an unbroken relationship of fellowship between God and man is thought to be wholly Greek. Greek philosophy (Plato) lifts the thought of divine fellowship above the cultic experience and extols it as the highest and most felicitous form of fellowship. Stoic thinking regards the universe as a dynamic and integrated totality, and on this basis it arrives at the concept of mutual koinonia between men and of their koinonia with God. Koinonia can have the following meanings: (1) “Association, communion, fellowship, close relationship” (2) “Generosity, fellow-feeling, altruism” (3) “Sign of fellowship, proof of brotherly unity, gift, contribution” (4) “Participation, sharing in something.” The group koinon - is important in sacral speech. According to primitive ideas there is an inward reception of mysterious divine power ( mana) in eating and drinking. This notion of direct union with the deity is at least a basic impulse in later cults as well, e.g., that of Dionysus. On the level of popular polytheism the sacrificial meal then becomes a communion of the deity with men. In Homer sacrifices are cheerful feasts in which the gods take part. Man and god are companions at table. Nor is this true only of the Homeric age for in the Hellenistic period, too, the gods arrange and conduct sacrificial meals. Men are invited as companions ( koinonos ) to the table of the gods. In theozenia , the lectisternia of the Romans, the gods take a lively part in the common festivities through their statues. With union by eating and drinking in the sacred meal we may also mention sexual union with the deity.

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