What Is Remembered

I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers,  Philemon 1:4 NASB

Making mention – Translated in this way, it might seem that Paul briefly speaks of these people.  “Making mention” is sort of like reviewing a list, saying a sentence or two and moving on to the next item on the agenda.  But that’s not what the Greek text implies.  The Greek phrase uses two roots, mneía and poiéō.  The order is different in Greek.  The word for “mention” comes first, but it means “remembering.”  In fact, this word is used in the LXX for recalling God’s great acts of grace and mercy.  Just as importantly, “In the NT ‘to remember’ is not just a mental act.”^[1]  It is an expression of communal obligation.  “To remind others is to bear witness to the word of God; to remind oneself is to place oneself totally under this word.”^[2]  When Paul prays, he is deliberately bringing to mind these people in the context of God’s acts and their witness.  One sentence or two just won’t do.

Furthermore, the verb Paul uses (poiéō) is a verb describing creative activity.  “The LXX often uses the group for God’s creative activity. God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1:1ff.). He created humanity (1:27). He is ho poiḗsas (Prov. 14:31). He is the Creator of the chosen people (Is. 43:1). poíēsis denotes either his creating (Ps. 19:2) or his creation (Sir. 16:26).”^[3]  Just as God’s actions were deliberate creative choices, so Paul’s remembering is a deliberate creative choice.  Paul is right in line with rabbinic practice here since the term is often used for prayer and thanksgiving in rabbinic material.  But this verb has another powerful domain.  “Apart from creation, the group denotes God’s judicial and more often his redemptive activity.”^[4]  If Paul has all this background in mind, then “mentioning” includes justice, mercy, and redemption.  That’s a lot to pack into “briefly.”  I suggest that our English translation overlooks a great deal of the intense, deliberate, and historical implications of Paul’s vocabulary.

Now that we’ve dealt with the linguistic examination, let’s ask a more personal and penetrating question: “Is this how we pray for others?”  I’ll be the first to admit that my prayers, when they occur, often lack this deliberate, creative, intense action.  My mind wanders.  It’s hard to concentrate on a single, deliberate plea without a dozen other distractions popping up.  In fact, of all the spiritual disciplines, prayer is probably the most difficult one for me.  After a few minutes, I find myself thinking of everything but the reason I wanted to pray in the first place.  I know the vocabulary and the theology, the linguistics and the paradigms, but practical application escapes me most of the time.  I’m not Paul.  I’m just me, struggling to stay in touch with the spirit that tries to move me in God’s direction.  This verse might illuminate Paul’s commitment (and it’s not briefly mentioning), but it also condemns my feeble efforts.  A lot more work is required, I think, and none of it is found in lexicons.

Topical Index: making mention, mneía, poiéō, prayer, Philemon 1:4

^[1] Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W. (1985). Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged in One Volume (p. 596). Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans.

^[2] Ibid., p. 597..

^[3] Ibid., p. 895.

^[4] Ibid., p. 896..