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Onesimus: Memoirs of a Disciple of St. Paul

Chapter 4: THE TABLE.
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About This Book

The narrator, found abandoned as an infant and raised in a household that never legally freed him, traces his journey from bondage to faith. He describes being bought and sold, domestic life with Philemon, and journeys that expose him to pagan cults and rival philosophies. Encounters with Christian communities and the teachings of the apostle Paul provoke sustained questioning and eventual acceptance of the Gospel. Dialogues and disputes with friends and philosophers, visits to stoic teachers and mysterious oracles, and episodes of loss and accusation test his new convictions. The memoir closes with his active service in early Christian communities, travels to Rome and Smyrna, and reflections on faith, leadership, and endurance.

THE TABLE.

THE FIRST BOOK.
Section Page
1 Of my childhood, 1
2 How I first saw the Holy Apostle Paulus, 3
3 Of the Stranger, and of Diosdotus the Priest of Zeus, 6
4 How we grew up at Lystra, 10
5 How Ammiane died, and my brother and I were sold for slaves, 12
6 Of the death of Chrestus, 15
7 Of my life in the Ergastulum, 20
8 How I was sold to Philemon of Colossæ, 25
THE SECOND BOOK.
1 How I returned to the worship of false Gods, 29
2 How some of Philemon’s friends avowed a belief in one God, 31
3 How Nicostratus urged that, without the belief in the Gods, the life of Man would be void of pleasure, 34
4 How Philemon, falling sick, inclined to superstition, 38
5 How I accompanied Philemon to Pergamus, 44
6 How I went down into the cave of Trophonius, 47
7 How Artemidorus spoke against the belief in Gods, 52
8 How I journeyed with Philemon to Antioch in Syria, 58
THE THIRD BOOK.
1 Of my first thoughts concerning the Christians, 64
2 Of the Doctrine of the Christians, 68
3 How Artemidorus questioned me further concerning the Christians, 75
4 How the Christians honored the Prophets of the Jews, 83
5 Of the ancient Histories of the Jews, 90
6 How Artemidorus questioned me further, and of his relation concerning the casting out of the swine, 95
7 Of the Traditions of the Christians, and of the nature of Christus, 101
8 Of the rising of Christus from the dead, 109
9 How Artemidorus bade me cease from further enquiry, 113
10 How I stumbled at the Threshold of the Door, and went not in, 114
THE FOURTH BOOK.
1 How we came to Athens, 121
2 How Artemidorus rebuked me, supposing that I was in danger of becoming a Christian, 123
3 Of my reply to Artemidorus, 128
4 Of Eucharis, and of my life at Athens, 132
5 How I returned to Colossæ, and of my new life with Philemon, 138
6 Concerning my visit to Epictetus, 144
7 How I tried the philosophy of Epictetus, 150
8 How I was accused of theft by the devices of Pistus, 154
9 How Epictetus further explained his philosophy, 157
10 Of Metrodorus and his advice, 163
11 Of the death of Eucharis, and how I was again accused of theft, 170
THE FIFTH BOOK.
1 How I escaped from the house of Philemon, 176
2 Of my life at Pergamus, 182
3 How I came to Corinth and saw the tomb of Eucharis, 185
4 How I saw the Holy Apostle Paulus, but knew him not, 189
5 How I learned that Paulus was the Prophet that I had seen in my childhood, the same that had cured lame Xanthias, 194
6 How I was led into the net of the Gospel, 199
THE SIXTH BOOK.
1 Of the teaching of Paulus, 207
2 How I returned to Philemon at Colossæ, 211
3 Of my discourse with Artemidorus concerning the Faith, 214
4 Of the doubtings of Artemidorus, 217
5 Of the last words and death of Artemidorus, 223
THE SEVENTH BOOK.
1 How I came to Rome to see the blessed Apostle, 226
2 How I saw Paulus in prison, 229
3 How Paulus related to me the story of his life, 232
4 How Paulus consented to the death of the blessed Martyr Stephanus, 238
5 How the Lord appeared to Paulus, 243
6 How Paulus was prepared for the preaching of the Gospel, 247
7 The last words of Paulus, 251
THE EIGHTH BOOK.
1 Of the death of Nero, and how Rome was divided against itself, 257
2 Of the Jewish faction, 260
3 Of Menahem, the Ebionite, 263
4 How the Church was guided at this time by the Spirit of God, 265
5 How I came to Philochristus, a Disciple of the Lord in Britain, 269
6 Of the Church in Rome, and concerning the New Gospels, 273
7 How I labored in the Church of Berœa, 280
8 The last words of Philochristus, 283
9 Of my journey to Smyrna, and how the Lord hath helped me, even to the end, 288
10 An Addition, by the elders of the Church of Smyrna, concerning the Passion of the Blessed Martyrs, Trophimus and Onesimus, 293
The discourse of Lucius of Cyrene, (omitted from the Third Book), 296

ONESIMUS.