The planned departure of Onesimus

For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever. Philemon 15 "A runaway slave only runs away once." This was the common, unsettling refrain in the Roman empire, for slaves were necessary to drive the economy. They made up 20-25% of the population and, according to Roman law, they had no rights and were mere property. The New Testament canon reveals the story of a thieving, runaway slave named Onesimus; yet one who is described as a "faithful and...