In theRoman Rite, thefeast day of Philip, along with that ofJames the Less, is traditionally observed on 1 May, the anniversary of the dedication of the church dedicated to them in Rome (now called theChurch of the Twelve Apostles). In the short-lived calendar reform of 1960, it was transferred to 11 May, but since 1969 it has been assigned to 3 May. TheEastern Orthodox Church celebrates Philip's feast day on 14 November.
All threesynoptic Gospels and theBook of Acts list Philip as one of the apostles; he is always listed on the fifth place. TheGospel of John recounts Philip's calling as adisciple of Jesus.[1] Philip is described as a disciple from the city ofBethsaida, and the evangelist connects him withAndrew andPeter, who were from the same town. However, the Gospel of John states that Jesus found and called Philip directly, without mentioning any prior discipleship under John the Baptist (John 1:43). It was Philip who first introducedNathanael (sometimes identified withBartholomew) to Jesus.[2] According toButler, Philip was among those attending thewedding at Cana.
Of the four Gospels, Philip figures most prominently in the Gospel of John.[a] Jesus tests Philip (John 6:6) when he asks him how to feed the 5,000 people.[2] Later he appears as a link to theGreek community. Philip bore aGreek name, could likely speak Greek,[3] and may have been known to the Greek pilgrims in Jerusalem. He advises Andrew that certain Greeks wish to meet Jesus, and together they inform Jesus of this (John 12:21).[2] During theLast Supper, when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, he provides Jesus the opportunity to teach his disciples about the unity of theFather and theSon.[4]
Eusebius, in his history of the Early Church, cites several authorities about Philip's later life. He citesClement of Alexandria as stating that Philip, likePeter the Apostle, had married, had children, and gave his daughters in marriage. Eusebius also citesPolycrates who confirms Philip had married, had three daughters, was buried atHieropolis along with two of his daughters while the third was buried atEphesus.[5]
The anonymousActs of Philip, probably written by a contemporary of Eusebius, relates further stories about the apostle.[6] This non-canonical book recounts the preaching and miracles of Philip. According to these accounts, following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip was sent with his sisterMariamne andBartholomew to preach inGreece,Phrygia, andSyria.[7] Included in theActs of Philip is an appendix, entitled "Of the Journey of Philip the Apostle: From the Fifteenth Act Until the End, and Among Them the Martyrdom." This appendix gives an embellished account of Philip's martyrdom in the city of Hierapolis.[8] According to this account, through a miraculous healing and his preaching Philip converted the wife of the proconsul of the city. This enraged the proconsul, and he had Philip, Bartholomew, and Mariamne all tortured. Philip and Bartholomew were thencrucified upside-down, and Philip preached from his cross. As a result of Philip's preaching the crowd released Bartholomew from his cross, but Philip insisted that they not release him, and Philip died on the cross. Philip is also said to have been martyred by beheading, rather than crucifixion, in the city of Hierapolis.
Philip the Apostle should not be confused withPhilip the Evangelist, who was appointed withStephen and five others to oversee charitable distributions (Acts 6:5).[9]
One of theGnostic texts discovered in theNag Hammadi library in 1945 bears Philip's name in its title, on the bottom line.[10]An early extra-biblical story about St. Philip is preserved in the apocryphalLetter from Peter to Philip, also one of the texts in theNag Hammadi Library, and dated to the end of the 2nd century or early 3rd.[11] This text begins with a letter from St. Peter to St. Philip, asking him to rejoin the other apostles who had gathered at theMount of Olives. Fred Lapham believes that this letter indicates an early tradition that "at some point between the Resurrection of Jesus and the final parting of his risen presence from the disciples, Philip had undertaken a sole missionary enterprise, and was, for some reason, reluctant to return to the rest of the Apostles."[12]
In 2011, Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria claimed to have discovered the tomb of Philip during excavations in ancientHierapolis, close to the modernTurkish city ofDenizli.[15] The 1st-century tomb, found to be empty of relics, stood at the centre of a 4th- or 5th-century[15] three-naved basilica, the Church of the Sepulchre, which was one of the focal points of an ancient pilgrimage hill complex dedicated to Philip. Ancient Greek prayers are carved into the walls of the tomb and church venerating Philip the Apostle, and a 6th-century bread stamp (signum pistoris [es]) shows Philip holding bread (John 6) with a three-naved church on his left side, and the previously identified nearbymartyrion church to his right, supporting the assertion that the basilica contains the original tomb of the apostle. The church built on his tomb and the martyrion church some 40 yards away were places of intense veneration for centuries: In Philip's Church of the Sepulchre the marble floors were worn down by thousands of people.[15][16]
In 2012,Bartholomew, the patriarch of Constantinople and primate of the Orthodox church, celebrated the liturgy of St. Philip in the Church of the Sepulchre and in the martyrion church of the apostle.
Philip is commonly associated with the symbol of theLatin cross. Other symbols assigned to Philip include: the cross with the two loaves (because of his answer to the Lord in John 6:7), a basket filled with bread, a spear with thepatriarchal cross, and a cross with acarpenter's square.[citation needed]
^Martha Lee Turner,The Gospel According to Philip: The Sources and Coherence of an Early Christian Collection, page 9 (E. J. Brill, 1996).ISBN90-04-10443-7
^Translated in James M. Robinson, editor,The Nag Hammadi Library (New York: HarperCollins, 1990), pp. 431–437
^Fred Lapham,An Introduction to the New Testament Apocrypha (London: T & T Clark International, 2003), p. 78
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