Talk:Onesimus

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Perhaps this could be better flagged as a belief of the Eastern Church

There is no historical reference to this personage other than in Paul's letter. Even using this as a source, it takes a few leaps of supposition to suggest he was a runaway slave who stole something, was converted and was sent back to his master by Paul. I know that this is what some Christians (perhaps most, who have heard the story) believe. Perhaps this should be made clearer.

Onesimus Dating/Identity Conflicts

This paragraph is misleading:

"Due to this epistle from Paul, Philemon indeed accepted Onesimus as a brother and freed him of slavery. Although it is doubted by some authorities, it may well be that this Onesimus was the same one consecrated a bishop by the Apostles and accepted the episcopal throne in Ephesus following the Apostle Timothy. During the reign of Roman emperor Domitian and the persecution of Trajan, Onesimus was imprisoned in Rome and martyred by stoning (although some sources claim that he was beheaded[4])."

Dating discrepancies:

This article asserts Onesimus died in 68 A.D.

But: Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96 A.D. according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domitian and

Trajan was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trajan

Additionally:

“According to later tradition, Paul consecrated Timothy as bishop of Ephesus in the year 65, where he served for 15 years. In the year 80 (though some sources place the event during the year 97, with Timothy dying at age 80), Timothy tried to halt a pagan procession of idols, ceremonies, and songs. In response to his preaching of the gospel, the angry pagans beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death. In the 4th century, his relics were transferred to the Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople. “ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Timothy.

And: “The pre-1970 Roman Martyrology incorrectly identifies Onesimus with the bishop of Ephesus who followed St. Timothy as bishop of Ephesus and who was stoned to death in Rome.” http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4908

It should be clear to the reader that the slave Onesimus and Onesimus the bishop of Ephesus by necessity are two separate individuals, although it is interesting to note where confusion has historically existed.

```` — Preceding unsigned comment added by Onemoreriver (talk • contribs) 20:32, 16 June 2011 (UTC)

Response to Dating Discrepancies

As noted, this article asserts Onesimus died in AD 68 with a reference to the Ecumenical Patriarchate website. The website's entry for Onesimus, however, includes no specific dates. Onesimus's date of death is listed as AD 68 on the Catholic Online website, but this and other Roman Catholic sources disagree with other Christian sources.

According to Eastern Orthodox tradition, Onesimus replaced Timothy as Bishop of Ephesus upon Timothy's death and held the office until his own death in AD 109. This date would agree with those of Emperor Trajan's rule (AD 98–117). It also agrees with Ignatius of Antioch's references to Bishop Onesimus in his Epistle to the Ephesians, which he wrote while on his way to Rome for execution (ch. 1, 2 & 6). Ignatius was reportedly executed in AD 108. The Orthodox Church in America provides a more complete and possibly accurate account.

Finally, these dates allow for Bishop Onesimus and slave Onesimus to be one and the same person. If the New Testament epistle to Philemon is accepted as a genuine Pauline epistle written c. AD 50–60, it's possible and even probable that Philemon's runaway slave, Onesimus, was a young man at the time, putting his birth year sometime in the 30s, which would mean he was about 80 years old when he died.

~~Pernicious~~ — Preceding unsigned comment added by 104.129.196.61 (talk) 18:38, 18 October 2016 (UTC)

References