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For more great commentaries on Philemon, be sure to check:
Commentaries on the Epistles, Commentaries on the Whole New Testament
& Whole Bible Commentaries
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Order of Contents 15
The Best Commentaries 5
Commentaries 6
Early Church 3
Medieval Church 1
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The Best Commentaries on Philemon
1600’s
Attersoll, William – A Commentary upon the Epistle to Philemon 1612
*** “A long comment upon a short epistle. The pious author labors to keep to his text, and succeeds in bringing out of it a mass of quaint practical teaching.” – Spurgeon
Dickson, David – An Expositon of all St. Paul’s Epistles together with an explanation of those other epistles of the apostles St. James, Peter, John & Jude, wherein the sense of every chapter and verse is analytically unfolded and the text enlightened (Romans-Jude) Buy 1659
Dickson was a prominent Scottish covenanter.
*** – ‘Dickson is a writer after our own heart. For preachers he is a great ally. There is nothing brilliant or profound; but everything is clear and well arranged, and the unction runs down like the oil from Aaron’s head. In this volume the observations are brief.’
Note that the Banner of Truth reprint contains Dickson’s commentary on less books than the original.
Jones, William – A Commentary upon the Epistles of St. Paul to Philemon and to the Hebrews, together with a compendious explication of the Second and Third Epistles of St. John 1635
Jones was reformed.
*** “Very lively, sprightly, colloquial lectures, by a Suffolk divine, who thinks the Brownists and Dissenters were not persecuted. “Christ was whipped, that was persecution; Christ whipped some out of the temple, that was no persecution.” Despite his intolerance he says some uncommonly racy things.” – Spurgeon
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Intermediate, 1800’s
Cox, Samuel – Philemon in The Private Letters of St. Paul and St. John 1867 60 pp.
*** “Such exposition as this adds interest to the epistles, and makes their writers live again before our eyes. Mr. Cox delivered this work in public on certain week evenings. Happy are the people who are thus instructed.” – Spurgeon
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Advanced, 1800’s
Lightfoot, J.B. – St. Paul’s Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon: A Revised Text, with Introductions, Notes and Dissertations
*** “Deservedly regarded as a standard work. The more instructed student will appreciate it.” “…Lightfoot writes for scholars.” – Spurgeon
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Commentaries on Philemon
1500’s
Luther, Martin – Works, vol. 29: Lectures on Titus, Philemon, and Hebrews Buy
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1600’s
Dyke, Daniel – Two Treatises: The One a Most Fruitful Exposition upon Philemon; the other, the School of Affliction 1614
Dyke was a reformed puritan.
** “Dyke’s remarks are memorably practical and full of common sense. He abounds in proverbs. The work is not very valuable as an exposition of the words, but excels in making use of them.” – Spurgeon
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Simple, Practical & Devotional
Moule, H.C.G. – Colossian and Philemon Studies: Lessons in Faith and Holiness n.d. in The Expositor’s Library
“Moule was known for his saintliness and evangelical fervor. These studies bear testimony to his ability as an expositor. They deal adequately with the text and deftly apply the message of these epistles.” – Cyril J. Barber
Scroggie, William G. – A Note to a Friend: Paul to Philemon
“A rewarding and in-depth study.” – Cyril J. Barber
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Intermediate
1800’s
MacLaren, Alexander – Philemon in The Expositor’s Bible, ed. Nicoll
This is different than MacLaren’s expositions on the whole Bible.
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1900’s
Robbins, John – Slavery and Christianity Buy 2007 84 pp.
Robbins, the late editor of the Trinity Review, comments on the book of Philemon and argues from it that American, Southern slavery was wrong.
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The Early Church on Philemon
Compilation
ed. Gorday, Peter – Ancient Christian Commentary: Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon Buy
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Individual Fathers
Ambrosiaster – Commentaries on Galatians-Philemon Buy
Chrysostom – Homilies on 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon
** ‘Enough of solid truth and brilliant utterance will be found here to justify this father’s title of ‘Golden Mouth’; but still all is not gold which fell from his lips, and to modern readers Chrysostom is not so instructive as he was to his own age [A.D. 349-407].’ – Spurgeon
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The Medieval Church
Aquinas, Thomas – Commentary on Philemon
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