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2. καὶ Ἀπφίᾳ. Lightfoot (p. 372 sqq.) shows convincingly from the inscriptions that this is not the Latin Appia, for it and its congeners always have the aspirate, but a native Phrygian name, of which the root is apparently a term of endearment or relationship. It may be assumed that she was the wife of Philemon, and would therefore take interest in the return of Onesimus. St Paul wisely includes her name when about to plead for him.
τῇ ἀδελφῇ, “Therefore under Christian obligations” (Beet).
καὶ Ἀρχίππῳ. Evidently standing in some special relation to both Onesimus and Philemon, probably the son of the latter. Whether he lived at Colossae and had spiritual work either in that town or in Laodicea (see Col 4:17, note), or resided ordinarily at Laodicea, would make little difference in a personal question of the kind before us. There is little probability in the suggestion that he was only the leader of the body of Christians that met at Philemon’s house and that this gave him such a position there that St Paul would think it well to include his name; cf. Theodoret, ὁ δὲ” Αρχιππος τὴν διδασκαλίαν αὐτῶν ἐπεπίστευτο. Chrysostom thinks him a friend and also a clergyman, but does not definitely connect his clerical office with Philemon’s household.
τῷ συνστρατιώτῃ ἡμῶν, “our fellow-soldier.” So of Epaphroditus, Php 2:25†; cf. 2Ti 2:3.
Observe that Philemon shares the title of συνεργός with Epaphroditus, but Archippus that of συνστρατ. Perhaps the work of the latter as the younger man was more aggressive. That it was also more official is implied in Col 4:17.
καὶ τῇ κατʼ οἶκόν σου ἐκκλησίᾳ, Col 4:15, note. Observe (1) the Christians in Colossae did not necessarily, and probably did not in fact, all meet for worship at one house. For it is improbable that they would have found any one room sufficiently large. (2) The apostle when writing to the Colossian Church as a whole commended indeed Onesimus to them (Col 4:9) but did not touch upon the peculiar circumstances of the case. (3) Yet seeing that some of them met for worship in Philemon’s house he includes these in his salutation, partly, we may suppose, in order to enlist their sympathy with his request, and, still more, because it was in that congregation that Onesimus would have to be recognised as a Christian. Further, some at least of the worshippers there would be his fellow-servants, with whom he must be properly reinstated.
σοῦ is of course employed because the house belonged to Philemon. It is hard to see why it is a stumbling-block to van Manen (Encycl. Bibl. col. 3695).