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 of Jesus. Philip is described as a disciple from the city of
Bethsaida, and the evangelist connects him with
Andrew and
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 (sometimes identified with
Bartholomew) to Jesus. According to
Butler, Philip was among those attending the
wedding at Cana. Of the four Gospels, Philip figures most prominently in the Gospel of John. Jesus tests Philip (John 6:6) when he asks him how to feed the 5,000 people. 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).
Early traditions Eusebius, in his history of the Early Church, cites several authorities about Philip's later life. He cites
Clement of Alexandria as stating that Philip, like
Peter the Apostle, had married, had children, and gave his daughters in marriage. Eusebius also cites
Polycrates who confirms Philip had married, had three daughters, was buried at
Hieropolis along with two of his daughters while the third was buried at
Ephesus. The anonymous
Acts of Philip, probably written by a contemporary of Eusebius, relates further stories about the apostle. 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 and
Bartholomew to preach in
Greece,
Phrygia, and
Syria. 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. 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
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.
Distinct from Philip the Evangelist Philip the Apostle should not be confused with
Philip the Evangelist, who was appointed with
Stephen and five others to oversee charitable distributions (Acts 6:5). ==Apocryphal writings==