Question 1
Proctor speaks of things that act as determinants of an individual's position in the society, and he goes ahead to challenge what is normally considered as the justifiers of an individual's position in the society. The study of Paul as a character, has often challenged African Americas who do the biblical interpretation. Since the positive nature is not clear, in most cases, African American biblical scholars have always tried to understand the teaching in other ways apart from the interpretation of other groups of people such as preachers and politicians (Lewis 232-236). The letter to Philemon is an example of a conflict between the methodology of interpretation and the text itself. The question of how we can describe Paul's predicament arises.
According to the letter addressed to Philemon, Onesimus a runaway slave, meets Paul during his imprisonment, and is made a Christian, and later returned to Philemon. The letter is meant to cloud the favor of Philemon and Paul; therefore, bases his appeal on the closeness they had with Philemon prior to the issue with Onesimus (Mittelstadt 113-144). Paul is therefore, careful in the way he addresses Philemon to him to accept the runaway slave as a brother as his conversion now makes him share a position in the church as both Paul and Philemon. However, Paul does not point out the issue of Onesimus now being free. Language is therefore very instrumental, and can evoke emotions that are subjective; thereby, it can be used to point out the issue indirectly. Paul, therefore, does not point out blood relationships, but instead refer to people as brothers.
In Galatians, Paul tries to distinguish between those that obey god and those that obey the law by stating that obeying the law does not mean one is God’s child. The use of family language has an effect on the behavior of people that attend the churches, as in the case of Philemon, it is shown how the user of this language enters into the situations where the beliefs of the church collide with those of the society. In the letter, there is a limited use of language concerned with the house of Philemon. Moreover, there is a limited use of status, emphasizing language as we can see that Paul does not mention the slavery of Onesimus. Paul, therefore, employs mutuality in his letter, and this helps handle a situation that could either be socially explosive in the community or embarrassing (Lewis 232-239).
Looking back at doctor proctor's understanding of the letter to Philemon, the way Paul addressed the letter and his neutrality has been in some ways seen as a justification of slavery and racial bigotry. Paul, however, tries to reiterate that Christianity is beyond racial distinctions, however this was not able to address the subject of slavery. The black American should, therefore, view Philemon as one of their own and consider the issue as an opportunity for good news and arrangements for them. Paul therefore in his letter, does not point out the negative practice of slavery, but instead invites the black church to new Christian church; although this is usually where the disparity of opinion arises.
Question 2
Question 3
What I found most interesting about this article is how Paul used language to communicate with Philemon without touching on the contentious issue of the society. This is because it is relevant in the churches today, especially those that serve both the white race and African Americans.
Question 4
Based on my reading of the text, this is a good interpretation because it brings out every aspect of the issues that involve the topic of slavery and Christianity.
Works Cited
Lewis, Lloyd A. "An African American Appraisal of the Philemon-Paul-Onesimus Triangle." Stony the Road We Trod: African American Biblical Interpretation (1991): 232-246.
Mittelstadt, Martin W. "Onesimus Our Brother: Reading Religion, Race, and Culture in Philemon. Edited By Matthew V.Johnson, James A.Noel, And Demetrius Williams. Paul in Critical Context Series. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2012. Pp. Vii + 184. $39.00.". Relig Stud Rev 39.2 (2013): 113-114. Web.
