Apostle Philip (of the Twelve)

Apostle Philip

The holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle Philip was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. The Church remembers St. Philip on November 14. He was not the St. Philip (October 11) who was one of the Seventy Apostles.

Life

Born in Bethsaida beside the Sea of Galilee, Philip was so well versed in the Holy Scriptures that he immediately recognized Jesus as the Messiah upon seeing him the first time. After Pentecost, St. Philip preached in Asia and Greece. In Greece, the Jews hated him and the high priest even ran at him to club him to death, but miraculously this Jewish priest was blinded and turned completely black. Then the earth opened up and swallowed him. Many of the sick were healed, and many pagans believed.

St. Philip found himself in the company his sister Mariamma, the Apostle John and the Apostle Bartholomew while preaching in Hieropolis. Through prayer he killed a giant snake that the pagans worshipped, which angered the unbaptized so much that they crucified him and St. Bartholomew upside-down. Again, the earth opened and swallowed his judge along with many pagans, and being terribly afraid the people rushed to bring the Apostles down from their torment. But St. Philip had already reposed.

St. Bartholomew then ordained Stachys—whom St. Philip had healed of a forty-year blindness and baptized—as bishop for those who were baptized in that area. Later, St. Philip's relics were translated to Rome. He is numbered among the Twelve Great Apostles.

Hymns

Troparion (Tone 3) [1]

Holy Apostle Philip,

entreat the merciful God

to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.

Kontakion (Tone 8) [2]

Your disciple, friend and imitator of Your passion,

the God-preaching Philip, proclaimed You to the universe!

By his prayers deliver Your Church from her enemies;

through the Theotokos protect every city, most merciful Christ!

Source

• St. Nikolai Velimirovic, The Prologue of Ohrid

External links

• Holy, All-Praised Apostle Philip, November 14 (OCA)
• Apostle Philip of the Twelve, June 30 (OCA)
• Philip the Apostle (GOARCH)
• Icon and Story of St. Philip