Week 1: Philemon

Week 1: Philemon

Objective: 

• EndOverview of the BabylonianPauline CaptivityEpistles

• The

  Worship Restored at Jerusalem

• RestorationStory of thePhilemon Templeand Begins

• Resistance to Rebuilding the Temple

• Rebuilding of Jerusalem Opposed

  Onesimus

Resources:

• Fr Tadros Y Malaty Commentary
• Catena Bible Commentary
  
• HEM Youssef Bible Study (English)
• Fr Dawoud Lamie Bible studyStudy (Arabic)
• SUS COPTS

Reading:

• Philemon
  • Ezra 1:1-1125
  • Ezra 2: Skip
  • Ezra 3:1-13
  • Ezra 4:1-24

  Key verse(s):

  “Having confidence in your obedience I wrote unto you, knowing that you will also do more than I say.And they sang responsively, praising and giving thanks to the Lord: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever toward Israel.” EzraPhilemon 3:1121

  Comments:

  

  • KingPhilemon Cyrusis of Persia took over the Babylonian kingdom. Now we are in the eraone of the Persianfour Kingdom.epistles St. Paul sent during his first imprisonment.
  • Philemon

    Godwas moveda Kingdisciple Cyrus'of St. Paul and he was a wealthy man. Onesimus was a servant of Philemon.

  • Onesimus wronged his master and was caught and put in jail.
  • In jail, he met St. Paul and repented. When St. Paul learned he was Philemon's heartservant, St. Paul sent this letter to letPhilemon asking him to accept him back as a brother in Christ.
  • The theme of this epistle is the Israelites go back to their land to rebuild.

  • Zerubbabel was the leader of the first wave of people to come back from exile to Jerusalem.
  • Many Israelites were establishedbrotherhood in the Babylonian land and did not want to go back and rebuild a demolished country.
  • Chapter two has some of the names who came back with Zerubbabel. Church Fathers look at this in a way where those people who believed in God, offered to work and serve, and left their luxurious, lives were worthy to have their names written in the Book of Life.
  • Chapter 3 talks about the beginning of the service and the leaders that led the people to this reformation.
  • Chapter 4 talks about the hardships they are facing. We see the devil is not happy with the spiritual reformation and trying to stop what Zerubbabel is trying to accomplish.Christ

  Review/recap questions:
  **Servant may add more questions

  1. WhoFor wentwhat is St. Paul giving thanks?
  2. What is St. Paul willing to Jerusalemdo in behalf of Onesimus? 
  3. What good things had St. Paul heard concerning Philemon?
  4. In what does St. Paul have confidence as he writes to build the House of the Lord?
  5. Give the three main points in the Cyrus Proclamation.
  6. . How did they celebrate the laying of the foundation of the temple?Philemon?
  7. Why diddoes theSt. olderPaul Israelitesrefer weep?
  to
  8. Whyhimself wouldn’tas thea Jews accept help from the inhabitantsprisoner of theChrist land?
  Jesus? 
  9. What accusations were sent to King Artaxerxes?

  Homework:
  **Servant may add more questions

   
  1. CyrusSt madePaul wanted Philemon to receive Onesimus as a proclamation to build the temple because:
     a) the Lord filled his spiritfriend b) Jeremiah ordered him toslave c) he was forced to
  2. The House of the Lord was to be built in:
     a) Persia b) Babylon c) Jerusalemprisoner d) Egypt
  3. Who exiled the people of Israel to Babylon?
     a) Zerubbabel b) Nebuchadnezzar c) Jeremiah d) the Nethinimteacher
  4. What feastdoes didPaul thecall peopleOnesimus? keep?
     a)What thedoes Passoverit b)mean?
  the
  5. How Feasthad becoming a Christian changed Onesimus? 
  6. How could Philemon do more than what Paul had asked of Hanukah c) the Feast of Tabernacles d) Christmas
  7. Who oversaw the work of the House of the Lord?
     a) Kadmiel b) Jeshua c) the Levites d) all of these
  8. Who offered to help the Israelites build the temple?
     a) the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin b) Jerubbabel c) King Darius d) Cyrus
  9. The letter sent to Artaxerxes was written in:
     a) in English b) in Arabic c) in Aramaic d) in Hebrewhim?