It is not unusual to see an acknowledgement of a female. Roman women were well regarded in the society they lived in. They had property rights and inheritance rights. Although they did not have political voice, they were not silenced. The Jewish community, from which the Christian community emerged had a different view of women’s position. It is interesting to note that Paul is sensitive to the difference and acknowledges the wife of Philemon appropriately. Here we see a diplomatic approach by Paul.

I’ve noticed that Paul does not mention just himself in his prescripts, but he seems to define who he IS according to his RELATIONSHIPS. He defines himself within the filters of his Lord (i.e. a slave) and his peers (i.e. brothers and sisters). I think that this is because Paul recognizes that the ‘Work’ is a TEAM effort. Paul realizes that, for lack of a better phrase, that “there is no ‘I’ in t-e-a-m.”

When viewing the prescripts side by side, I think we need to consider that these letters may have been written for specific audiences, ie certain churches that Paul started, or helped to start, but also that the letter could be a circular letter that would be passed from one community to the next. I think that in our modern context, even if we have studied early Christianity, it is so easy to forget that the texts/letters, etc. were rare. We live in an age where we can read whatever we want, whenever we want. American culture is also very good at reading ourselves into the letters of Paul. Some of the letters of Paul addressed specific issues (circumcision) within specific communities.