The letter identifies the sender as Paul, joined by Timothy. Paul calls himself “a prisoner of Christ Jesus” as he writes to Philemon (Philemon 1:1).
In Philemon 1:1–3, Paul opens by identifying himself as a prisoner connected with Jesus Christ and by including Timothy as a co-sender. He addresses not only Philemon but also Apphia, Archippus, and the gathering that meets in Philemon’s home, widening the audience beyond one person. These verses are the letter’s opening greeting, establishing who is writing, to whom, and with what tone. Paul foregrounds his situation as a prisoner, which can make the reader expect an appeal that leans on relationship and sympathy rather than authority.
Paul opens by naming himself and Timothy, then naming the recipients (Philemon, Apphia, Archippus, and the gathering that meets in the home). The text’s explicit claim is that this letter is not addressed to Philemon alone; it is framed to be heard by a household-based community (verse 2).
A common mistake is to treat this as trivia. Names, places, numbers, and sequence details often carry memory, covenant identity, or narrative movement in the biblical story.
Start with Philemon 1:1, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
1Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to Philemon, our beloved fellow worker,