View source for Philip the Apostle

{{short description|Christian saint and apostle}}
{{Distinguish|Philip the Evangelist|Philip (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox Saint
|honorific_prefix = [[Saint]]
|name           = Philip the Apostle
|birth_date     = 1st century AD
|death_date     = AD 54/80
|feast_day      = As ''Philip and James, Apostles'', in the [[Roman Rite]] and in Protestant commemorations:
<br>3 May:  [[Roman Rite]], [[Protestant Church in Germany]]
<br>1 May:  [[Anglican Communion]], [[Old Catholic Church|Old Catholics]], [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America|ELCA]], [[Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod|LCMS]]
 
<br>14 November and 30 June: [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] (Translation of relics on 30 June)<br>17 November: Armenian<br>18 November: Coptic
|image          =  Rubens apostel philippus.jpg
|imagesize =
|caption        = ''St. Philip'', by [[Peter Paul Rubens]], from his ''Twelve Apostles'' series (c. 1611), at the [[Museo del Prado]], Madrid
|birth_place    = [[Bethsaida]], [[Galilee]], [[Roman Empire]]
|death_place    = [[Hierapolis]], [[Asia (Roman province)|Asia]], [[Roman Empire]]|titles         = [[Twelve apostles|Apostle]] and [[Martyr]]
|beatified_date=
|venerated_in   = All [[Christian denominations]] that venerate saints
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date = [[Pre-congregation#Pre-Congregation|Pre-congregation]]
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by= 
|attributes     = [[Red Martyr]], elderly, bearded man, holding a basket of loaves and a [[Tau cross]]
|patronage      = [[Cape Verde]]; [[Hatter]]s; [[Pastry chef]]s; [[San Felipe Pueblo, New Mexico|San Felipe Pueblo]]; [[Uruguay]]
|major_shrine   = [[relics]] in Basilica [[Santi Apostoli, Rome]]
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
|prayer=
|prayer_attrib=
}}

'''Philip the Apostle''' ({{langx|el|Φίλιππος}}; [[Aramaic]]: ܦܝܠܝܦܘܣ; {{langx|cop|ⲫⲓⲗⲓⲡⲡⲟⲥ}}, ''Philippos'') was one of the [[Twelve Apostles]] of Jesus according to the [[New Testament]]. Later [[Christian tradition]]s describe Philip as the apostle who preached in [[Greece]], [[Syria (region)|Syria]], and [[Asia-Minor]].

In the [[Roman Rite]], the [[feast day]] of Philip, along with that of [[James the Less]], is traditionally observed on 1 May, the anniversary of the dedication of the church dedicated to them in Rome (now called the [[Santi Apostoli, Rome|Church 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. The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] celebrates Philip's feast day on 14 November. 
[[File:Philip the Apostle. Detail of the mosaic in the Basilica of San Vitale. Ravena, Italy.jpg|thumb|Philip the Apostle, detail of the mosaic in the [[Basilica of San Vitale]], [[Ravenna]], 6th century]]

==New Testament==
All three [[synoptic Gospels]] and the [[Book of Acts]] list Philip as one of the apostles; he is always listed on the fifth place. The [[Gospel of John]] recounts Philip's calling as a [[Disciple (Christianity)|disciple]] of Jesus.<ref>{{bibleverse|Jn|1:43|KJV}}</ref> Philip is described as a disciple from the city of [[Bethsaida]], and the evangelist connects him with [[Saint Andrew|Andrew]] and [[Saint Peter|Peter]], 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 introduced [[Nathanael (follower of Jesus)|Nathanael]] (sometimes identified with [[Bartholomew the Apostle|Bartholomew]]) to Jesus.<ref name=Kirsch>{{cite web|url=http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11799a.htm|title=CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: St. Philip the Apostle}}</ref> According to [[Alban Butler|Butler]], Philip was among those attending the [[wedding at Cana]].

Of the four Gospels, Philip figures most prominently in the Gospel of John.{{efn|Philip is mentioned 11 times in the [[New King James Version]] of John's Gospel, and three times in each of the other Gospels}} Jesus tests Philip (John 6:6) when he asks him how to feed the 5,000 people.<ref name=Kirsch/> Later he appears as a link to the [[Greeks|Greek]] community. Philip bore a [[Greek name]], could likely speak Greek,<ref>[[William Robertson Nicoll|Nicoll, W. R.]], [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/egt/john/12.htm Expositor's Greek Testament] on John 12, accessed 10 June 2016</ref> 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).<ref name=Kirsch/> During the [[Last Supper]], when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, he provides Jesus the opportunity to teach his disciples about the unity of the [[God the Father|Father]] and the [[God the Son|Son]].<ref name=Butler>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/STPHILIP.HTM Butler, Alban. "St. Philip, Apostle", ''The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints'', Vol. V, 1864]</ref>

===Distinct from Philip the Evangelist===
Philip the Apostle should not be confused with [[Philip the Evangelist]], who was appointed with [[Saint Stephen|Stephen]]  and five others to oversee charitable distributions (Acts 6:5).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W2443ENMnMEC&pg=PA240|title=Introducing the New Testament|last=Drane|first=John|date=2010|publisher=Lion Books|isbn=9780745955049|pages=240|language=en}}</ref>

==Apocryphal accounts==
===Nag Hammadi texts===
One of the [[Gnostic]] [[codices]] discovered in the [[Nag Hammadi library]] in 1945 bears Philip's name in its title, on the bottom line.<ref>Martha Lee Turner, ''The Gospel According to Philip: The Sources and Coherence of an Early Christian Collection'', page 9 (E. J. Brill, 1996). {{ISBN|90-04-10443-7}}</ref>
An early extra-biblical story about St. Philip is preserved in the apocryphal ''[[Letter of Peter to Philip|Letter from Peter to Philip]]'', also one of the texts in the [[Nag Hammadi Library]], and dated to the end of the 2nd century or early 3rd.<ref>Translated in James M. Robinson, editor, ''The Nag Hammadi Library'' (New York: HarperCollins, 1990), pp. 431–437</ref> This text begins with a letter from St. Peter to St. Philip, asking him to rejoin the other apostles who had gathered at the [[Mount 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."<ref>Fred Lapham, ''An Introduction to the New Testament Apocrypha'' (London: T & T Clark International, 2003), p. 78</ref>

===''Acts'': miracles and martyrdom===
Later stories about Philip's life can be found in the anonymous ''[[Acts of Philip]]'', probably written by a contemporary of Eusebius.<ref>Craig A. Blaising, "Philip, Apostle" in ''The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity'', ed. Everett Ferguson (New York: Garland Publishing, 1997).</ref> 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 sister [[Mariamne (sister of the Apostle Philip)|Mariamne]] and [[Bartholomew]] to preach in [[Greece]], [[Phrygia]], and [[Syria]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Christianity/Other_Books/New_Testament_Apocrypha/acts_of_philip.htm#.VeZu_nvPfa0|title = Acts of Philip – especially Book 8|access-date = 14 March 2007|publisher = meta-religion.com}}</ref> Included in the ''Acts 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf08|title = Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume 8|access-date = 14 March 2007|website = Christian Classics Ethereal Library|last = Schaff|first = Philip|year = 1885}}</ref> 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 then [[Cross of St. Peter|crucified 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]].
[[File:Menologion of Basil 002.jpg|thumb|Martyrdom of Philip the Apostle. Scene from the [[Menologion of Basil II]].]]

==Relics==
The relics of Philip the Apostle are currently found in the [[crypt]] of Basilica [[Santi Apostoli, Rome]],<ref name=pnac>[https://www.pnac.org/station-churches/week-1/friday-santi-xii-apostoli/ "Friday: Santi XII Apostoli", PNAC]</ref> as well as the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in [[Cheektowaga (town), New York|Cheektowaga, New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stphiliptheapostleparish.org/relic-of-st-philip-the-apostle/|title=Relic of St. Philip the Apostle|access-date=24 May 2022|website=St. Philip the Apostle Parish}}</ref>

==Possible tomb location==
[[File:Tomb of Philip the Apostle Hierapolis.jpg|thumb|Tomb of Philip the Apostle, [[Hierapolis]], [[Turkey]]]]

In 2011, Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria claimed to have discovered the tomb of Philip during excavations in ancient [[Hierapolis]], close to the modern [[Turkey|Turkish]] city of [[Denizli]].<ref name=BAS>{{Cite web |url= http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/biblical-sites-places/biblical-archaeology-sites/tomb-of-apostle-philip-found/ |title= Tomb of Apostle Philip Found |date= 16 August 2014 |access-date= 1 September 2015 |publisher= biblicalarchaeology.org}}</ref> The 1st-century tomb, found to be empty of relics, stood at the centre of a 4th- or 5th-century<ref name=BAS/> 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 (''{{Interlanguage link|Sello de pan|lt=signum pistoris|es}}'') shows Philip holding bread (John 6) with a three-naved church on his left side, and the previously identified nearby [[martyrion]] 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.<ref name=BAS/><ref>{{Cite web |last=John |title=How I Discovered the Tomb of the Apostle Philip: Interview With Archaeologist Francesco D'Andria |url=https://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2019/11/how-i-discovered-tomb-of-apostle-philip.html |access-date=2022-04-12}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Bartholomew I of Constantinople|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.

==Iconography==
{{see also|Christian cross variants}}
[[File:Coa_Illustration_Cross_of_St_Philip.svg|thumb|Cross of Philip]]

Philip is commonly associated with the symbol of the [[Latin 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 the [[patriarchal cross]], and a cross with a [[carpenter's square]].{{Citation needed|date=July 2022}}

[[File:Philippus San Giovanni in Laterano 2006-09-07.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of Philip in the [[Archbasilica of St. John Lateran]] by [[Giuseppe Mazzuoli (1644–1725)|Giuseppe Mazzuoli]]]]

== Veneration ==
Philip is [[Calendar of saints (Church of England)|remembered]] (with [[James, brother of Jesus|James]]) in the [[Church of England]] with a [[Festival (Anglicanism)|Festival]] on 1 May.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Calendar|url=https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/churchs-year/calendar|access-date=2021-03-27|website=The Church of England|language=en}}</ref>

=== Eastern Orthodoxy ===
The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates Philip on several days of the year.

* November 14: Primary Feast Day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/11/14/103299-holy-all-praised-apostle-philip |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241113053951/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/11/14/103299-holy-all-praised-apostle-philip |archive-date=November 13, 2024 |access-date=November 26, 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* June 30: [[Synaxis]] of the Twelve Apostles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Synaxis of the Holy, Glorious and All-Praised Twelve Apostles |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240630154201/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/06/30/101711-synaxis-of-the-holy-glorious-and-all-praised-twelve-apostles |archive-date=June 30, 2024 |access-date=November 26, 2024 |website=[[Orthodox Church in America|OCA]]}}</ref>
* July 31: [[Translation (relic)|Translation]] of Philip's [[Relic|Relics]] to [[Cyprus]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Orthodox Calendar: Old Style, July 31; New Style, August 13 |url=https://orthochristian.com/calendar/20240731.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241126225018/https://orthochristian.com/calendar/20240731.html |archive-date=November 26, 2024 |access-date=November 26, 2024 |website=OrthoChristian}}</ref>

His feast day begins [[Nativity Fast|the Nativity Fast]] in the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], that is called [[Philip's Fast]] (or the [[Philippian fast|Philippian Fast]]), [[Nativity Fast|the Fast]] is [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Eastern]] equivalent of [[Western Church|Western]] [[Advent]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Рубрика "Рождественский пост" - Пять ступеней веры |url=https://azbyka.ru/1/rozhdestvenskij_post |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=azbyka.ru |language=ru-RU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Advent and Nativity Fast |url=https://www.vanderbilt.edu/diversity/advent-and-nativity-fast/ |access-date=2022-07-14 |website=Vanderbilt University |language=en}}</ref>

==Patronage==
Saint Philip is the patron saint of hatters.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Grube |first=Madison |title=St. Philip the Apostle and History |url=https://falconsflyer.org/13468/investigative-report/st-philip-the-apostle-and-history/ |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=The Falcon's Flyer}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Gospel of Philip]]
* [[List of biblical figures identified in extra-biblical sources]]
* [[Nordic cross flag]]
* [[Philip the Evangelist]]
* [[Portal:Catholic Church/Patron Archive/May 3|Saint Philip the Apostle, patron saint archive]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Saint Philip}}
* [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01626c.htm ''Catholic Encyclopedia'': Apostle] article regarding the title "Apostle" from the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Philip (1.) |volume= XVIII | page=742 |short=1 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070226234127/http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintp21.htm Catholic Forum: ''St. Philip'']
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=103299 Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip] Orthodox [[icon]] and [[synaxarion]]

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{{s-ttl|title=[[Diocese of Hierapolis|Bishop of Hierapolis]]|years=1st century}}
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