About this item
Highlights
- "I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains.
- About the Author: John Byron (PhD, University of Durham) is professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio.
- 168 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, Biblical Studies
- Series Name: Week in the Life
Description
About the Book
Paul's epistle to Philemon is one of the shortest books in the entire Bible, and it certainly leaves plenty to the imagination. From the pen of an accomplished New Testament scholar, this vivid historical fiction account follows the slave Onesimus, fleshing out the lived context of first-century Ephesus and providing a social and theological critique of slavery in the Roman Empire.
Book Synopsis
"I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, who became my son while I was in chains. Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me."These words, written by the apostle Paul to a first-century Christian named Philemon, are tantalizingly brief. Indeed, Paul's epistle to Philemon is one of the shortest books in the entire Bible. While it's direct enough in its way, it certainly leaves plenty to the imagination.A Week in the Life of a Slave is a vivid imagining of that story. From the pen of an accomplished New Testament scholar, the narrative follows the slave Onesimus from his arrival in Ephesus, where the apostle Paul is imprisoned, and fleshes out the lived context of that time and place, supplemented by numerous sidebars and historical images. John Byron's historical fiction is at once a social and theological critique of slavery in the Roman Empire and a gripping adventure story, set against the exotic backdrop of first-century Ephesus.
About the Author
John Byron (PhD, University of Durham) is professor of New Testament at Ashland Theological Seminary in Ashland, Ohio. He is the author of several books, including Slavery Metaphors in Early Judaism and Pauline Christianity and Recent Research on Paul and Slavery.