Onesimus fugitivus redivivus: Een nieuw pleidooi voor Onesimus in Paulus’ brief aan Filemon als gevluchte slaafgemaakte

The traditional view in Paul’s letter to Filemon that Onesimus was a fugitivus, a runaway-slave, was gradually abandoned in the twentieth century. Instead, many scholars contend that Onesimus went to Paul as amicus domini, a friend of the master, to ask him to intercede on Onesimus’ behalf. However, there are some problems with this view. This article shows that the traditional view remains plausible, building on the letter itself and the Graeco-Roman context.