Questioning the Pauline Authorship of Philemon: Crackpot Theory or Plausible Alternative?

Abstract

In modern scholarship, Paul’s letter to Philemon, which is considered to be one of the letters that virtually all scholars agree was written by Paul, has not been subjected to the same standards of historical inquiry compared to the ‘disputed’ letters of Paul (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians and the Pastoral Epistles). This has led to double standards in how scholars treat the historical provenance of Philemon, as well as the question of Philemon’s authorship. The following article will serve to raise some important questions regarding the historical backdrop of the epistle that many scholars have been content to theorize about without much scrutiny, mainly because of the unquestioned assumption of Pauline authorship. In doing so, the hope is that this article can surface some double standards in how scholars treat Philemon compared to the other Pauline epistles and provide a fresh viewpoint in critical discussion of Philemon’s provenance and place in the Christian canon.