Prison letters

The following letters are regarded as letters of imprisonment. They were all recorded by the apostle Paul. He spent the last years of his life in Roman captivity, first in Israel and later in Italy. He writes letters during his imprisonment. In these letters, he describes himself as a prisoner.

• Ephesians
• Philippians
• Colossians
• 2 Timothy
• Philemon

The letters of imprisonment are Paul’s last letters. According to tradition, he was executed by Emperor Nero. In his last letters, Paul describes himself as “old” (Greek: πρεσβύτης), i.e. as an “aged Paul”.

“So I speak rather for the sake of love, as an aged Paul, for such I am, but now also one bound by Christ Jesus.”
Phlm 1,8-9 KNT

The fact that he sees himself as old, and as aged, has to do with his age, but also reflects his maturity. We are here at the end of his life. In his letter to Philemon, this earns him the respect of old age. It is as if he is emphasizing his concern to Philemon. The Greek word for “old or aged” Paul is presbuteros, which etymologically may mean to enter before. It’s like having right of way in traffic. You don’t take right of way, you get it. It is the same with respect. When entering a room, you can say to the older person: “after them” to allow this person to enter first. Respect for older people is still strongly felt in many cultures and already was back then. Compare also 1Tim 5,1, 1Tim 5,17, 1Tim 5,19 (remember that elders used to be “older” because the necessary requirements only come with experience of life and faith).

The letters of imprisonment that the apostle wrote during this time were written on specific occasions. However, we can also view them as a legacy. Here we find the words of an aged Paul, who draws on his experience. Some topics are mentioned for the first time in these letters. That is why they are further back on an imaginary timeline of revelation. Here we find Paul’s last words, not just variations on earlier themes.

Prisoner of Christ Jesus

Although Paul was imprisoned by the Romans, in this letter to Philemon he does not regard himself as a prisoner of Rome, but as a “prisoner of Christ Jesus” (Phlm 1:1; Phlm 1:9; Eph 3:1; or “prisoner in the Lord” Eph 4:1). The outward appearance of the situation may be that he was bound by the Romans, but it is the way he looks at it that determines how he stands in this situation. This statement contains a great deal of wisdom about life and faith. Even in early letters, he made it clear that he strives to do what is helpful not just for himself, but for many (1 Corinthians 9:19-23; 1 Corinthians 10:33). In Philippians he even writes (as a prisoner):

“But I intend, brethren, to let you know that my affairs have led rather to the furtherance of the gospel, so that with the whole praetorium) and all the rest my bonds have become manifest as for Christ’s sake.”
Phil 1:12-13

Paul was not masochistically inclined and did not seek imprisonment. However, when he found himself in it, he also realized that his shackles were “as for Christ’s sake”. As a “prisoner of Christ Jesus”, he deliberately chooses a context that puts his situation in a different light. This was not without consequences. Many have taken courage (Phil 1:14) and at the end of Philippians he even sends greetings from the emperor’s house, where there were obviously contacts with believers (Phil 4:22).

Paul is a good example of how to make the best of a situation.

Paul’s prison

Rembrandt depicted Paul in a prison cell in 1627. Paul was in prison several times. In Israel he was in prison, but on the trip to Rome things were a little different. They first landed in Puteoli, where he stayed as a prisoner with the brothers for seven days (Acts 28:14). When they left there for Rome, Paul was still a prisoner. Once in Rome, he was allowed to “keep to himself with the warrior guarding him” (Acts 28:16). The last thing you can read in the Acts of the Apostles does not speak of a prison either:

“He then stayed in his own rented apartment for two whole years and welcomed everyone who came to see him.”
Acts 28:28

Paul’s case was not yet closed. Paul was still a prisoner. However, he remained in his own rented apartment, presumably also with a soldier to guard him, as in Puteoli. What Rembrandt painted cannot therefore be applied to this period. Paul was a prisoner, but could stay at home. He used this time intensively:

“He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught with all boldness and without hindrance concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Acts 28:31

This is the last verse of the Acts of the Apostles. Although the apostle could no longer travel, he was able to receive people. The door no longer opened outwards, but inwards. He received guests and spoke to many people. Because this is expressly described as “unhindered”, it is also possible to imagine that he wrote the letters of imprisonment there. Some argue that Paul may have already written letters in Caesarea. He was actually in prison there, or rather in Herod’s praetorium (Acts 23:35).

You can also look at it this way: Paul wrote the letters of imprisonment or prison letters during his imprisonment because he was unable to visit people. He wrote to the Philippians, for example, that he longed for them (Phil 1:8). However, he could not travel as a prisoner. The longing was an expression of desire, but a visit to Philippians was not an option at the time (Phil 1:7; Phil 1:14).

Conclusion of the Acts of the Apostles

The Acts of the Apostles is a book of transition. The church in Jerusalem and the Jewish diaspora (with the twelve apostles) and the churches among all nations (with Paul & Co.) had many questions. A new situation was confusing at first. The calling of nations by a gospel of grace, as proclaimed by Paul, was unheard of. In direct contradiction to the language in the Tenach, salvation did not come to the nations through mediation via Israel, but directly. Only Paul proclaims this (Rom 11:15). Everyone sought their own way, asked questions and looked for consensus, even in differences (Gal 2:7-9).

Paul was called as Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). His job was described as follows:

“But the Lord said to him [Ananias]: Go! For this is a chosen instrument for me, to bear my name before the eyes of the nations, as well as kings and the sons of Israel.”
Acts 9:15

This ministry begins in chapter 13 (Acts 13). At the beginning of his ministry, his name changes from Saul to Paul (Acts 13:9) and we read in the Acts of the Apostles how he takes these three target groups into account. However, the situation develops until Paul is imprisoned in Rome. There he calls “the first of the Jews” (Acts 28:17) and speaks to them about the “expectation of Israel”. The Jews had heard about this Jesus sect and learned that it was “opposed everywhere” (Acts 28:22).

“On the day agreed with him, more came to him in the lodging, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God from morning till dusk, seeking to convince them concerning Jesus from the law of Moses as well as from the prophets. Some were convinced by what was said, while others did not believe.”
Acts 28:23-24

So the kingdom of God here speaks explicitly of the expectation of Israel. This is how the book of Revelation began with the disciples’ question to Jesus: ” Lord, are you restoring the kingdom to Israel at this time?” (Acts 1:6) Paul had also been commissioned to speak to Israel, which he did again at length in Rome. Gradually, however, some things had shifted and the focus came to lie more and more on the nations when the Jews as a whole did not accept the testimony. What Jesus had said, Peter repeated at Pentecost (Shavuoth) and Paul offered again here was the testimony of an imminent messianic kingdom in which Israel would be given preference.

However, things are changing here. Paul also had a mission for the nations, not to proselytize, but to proclaim a gospel of grace. The Acts of the Apostles reports:

“But when they had disagreements with one another, they departed, after Paul had said this one thing: “Well said the Holy Spirit to your fathers through the prophet Isaiah: ‘Go to this people and say, “With your hearing you will hear, but not understand. You will see with your eyes and yet not perceive, for the heart of this people is hardened, they have difficulty hearing with their ears and they close their eyes so that they do not perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn back so that I may heal them.” (Isa 6:9-10). Let it be known to you, therefore, that this salvation of God has been sent to the nations; they also will hear!”
Acts 28:25-28

Paul evidently saw his mission to Israel as complete. Here he switches to the nations and is sure that they will also listen. There are still many small steps between the beginning of his ministry in Acts 13 and the end in Acts 28. It is instructive to trace these, because you can see that the transition happened gradually. At the time, this was all stunningly new. Even if we naturally assume that the Christian message affects the whole world today, this was not the case back then. The 12 apostles did not carry out the Great Commission. Paul is not one of the 12 and receives a new, as yet unknown gospel of grace, which does not require mediation by Israel.

Classification of the captivity letters

We can now try to categorize the captivity letters on the basis of these characteristics. Chronologically, they probably belong after the Acts of the Apostles. We can bear in mind that the Acts of the Apostles has a different purpose than Paul’s letters. We do not need to seek agreements between the two. Rather, we can expect differences. Differences can be expected, particularly in relation to the letters of imprisonment. Why? During the time of the Acts of the Apostles, Paul was still trying to serve all the target groups mentioned. This changes at the end of the Acts of the Apostles. It is then obvious that he specifically addresses the nations.

Some now come to the conclusion that “therefore” only the last letters of Paul apply to the church today. I don’t agree with that. It is these absolute separations that are problematic. Rather, Paul builds on the previous things. His letters were diligently shared and also copied. He remains congruent in his statements, but ideas develop without distancing himself from older ideas. As always and as with all biblical books: read them in their own context first.

Why is this important?

It is about a better understanding of the Bible, connections, developments and the like. A development within Paul’s letters can be recognized by the target groups, which change. If you place the letters of Paul next to the Acts of the Apostles, you may not find the same thing written in them, but you can perhaps recognize that Paul was on the move, travelling and thinking. Where do you see the further development? Maybe here:

• Paul describes a heavenly expectation for the first time in Ephesians (Eph 2:6-7). This does not exist anywhere in the Bible before the letters of captivity. In the letters of imprisonment, however, in several places.
• In Romans, Paul describes the Old Testament atonement (Romans 3) and the new idea of reconciliation (Romans 5). That was a new idea, a new description. Mutual reconciliation is added in the captivity letters. When he speaks of the reconciliation of the universe in Colossians 1:20, he is referring to this mutual reconciliation. There are already detailed articles on these three terms on this website, which is why I will not go into them further here.
• In his letter to the Romans, Paul outlines the situation of Israel, which has received the promises of God (Romans 9-11) and how the gospel of grace is now coming to the nations. It is only in Ephesians, however, that the middle wall of the enclosure(soreq, or dividing wall between Jews and nations in the temple area) is figuratively broken down (Eph 2:11-16) and the nations appear on an equal footing with Israel in the family of God (Eph 2:17-20).

Other topics can also be found. The idea is not that we decide what is “true” and what is “untrue”, what is “good” and what is “bad”, but that the realization of development can help us to better understand Paul’s statements. This is the prerequisite for giving your own expectations for today and for the future a framework. It is not a question of retreating into increasingly outlandish doctrines, but of openly discussing how Paul came to such conclusions and what the consequences are. It can also help to avoid linking arbitrary texts that come from different periods of his ministry. That was a great help to me.

A legacy?

An elderly Paul writes several letters from captivity because he can no longer travel. We can describe this as a stroke of luck, because we can now read these deep insights, or as a legacy from Paul. Here we find his ideas, his gospel, having come to full maturity after decades of testing in churches.