Reading Philemon Through Southern African Eyes

Philemon is not just a letter about a first-century master and slave but a window into what applied theology looks like in a Pauline community. In this seminar, Dr. Batanayi I. Manyika unpacks the construction and intention behind this letter, as well as its history of interpretation. He further examines the gospel’s influence on slave-master relationships in the first century and how these findings might be appropriated for a gospel motivated transformation of social orders. In particular, he explores how we may apply Philemon to the relationships between Christian employers and Christian domestic workers.