Holy Apostle Philip

Life

Philip was a native of Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee, like Peter and Andrew. Taught Holy Scripture from childhood, Philip immediately responded to the call of the Lord Jesus and followed Him (John 1:43). After the descent of the Holy Spirit, Philip zealously preached the Gospel throughout many regions of Asia and throughout Greece. In Greece the Jews sought to kill him, but the Lord saved him by His mighty miracles. Thus a Jewish high priest who rushed at Philip to beat him suddenly went blind and turned completely black. And there was a great earthquake, and the earth opened and swallowed up Philip's malicious persecutors. And many other miracles occurred, especially healings of the sick, through which many pagans believed in Christ. In the Phrygian city of Hierapolis, Saint Philip found himself on a common evangelical mission with John the Theologian, his sister Mariamne, and the Apostle Bartholomew. There was there a certain dangerous serpent which the pagans carefully nourished and worshiped as a god. The apostles of God by prayer as with a spear killed that serpent. By this they drew upon themselves the wrath of the darkened people. And the enraged pagans seized Philip and crucified him upside down on a tree, and then crucified Bartholomew also. Then the earth opened and swallowed up the judge and many others with him. In great fear the people ran to take down the crucified apostles. But they succeeded only in taking down Bartholomew alive; Philip had already expired. Bartholomew appointed as bishop for the baptized Stachys, whom he and Philip had previously healed of blindness and baptized. Stachys had been blind for forty years. The relics of Saint Philip were later transferred to Rome. This wondrous apostle suffered in the year 86 in the time of Emperor Domitian.

From the Hymn of Praise

Justinian the great and glorious,Knight of the Cross and Orthodox emperor,Raised a temple to Divine WisdomThat it might endure to the threshold of eternity,