Saint Apostle Philemon
of the Seventy.
Also known as Philemon of Colossae, Philemon the Apostle, Apostle Philemon of Gaza, Philemon the Holy Apostle, Philemon the Martyr of the Seventy
Apostle of the Seventy and recipient of St. Paul's Epistle to Philemon. Traditionally bishop of Gaza, he and his wife Apphia were martyred at Colossae in the 1st century under Nero.
- Born
- Colossae, Phrygia (modern-day Turkey)
- Fell asleep
- 1st century, under Nero (traditionally c. AD 68)
- Feast day
- November 22 (New) · December 5 (Old)
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Troparion of St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy
Tone 3
Holy Apostles Philemon, Archippus, Apphia, and Onesimus,
entreat the merciful God
to grant our souls forgiveness of transgressions.
The life of St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy A Householder
of Colossae Who Opened His Home to the Church
Apostle Philemon was a wealthy citizen of Colossae whom Saint Paul called a fellow worker in the Gospel. Orthodox tradition remembers him, with his wife Apphia, as one of the Seventy who gave his house to the first Christian community and died for the faith under Nero.
Early years
The Orthodox sources consulted describe Philemon as a man of wealth and nobility from Colossae, a city of Phrygia, and name Apphia as his wife. Paul's letter to him, which the Church counts among the canonical Epistles, shows that he was a convert whose household included slaves and whose home hosted believers.
Tradition holds that Philemon was baptized by the Apostle Paul, after which he and Apphia converted their house into a place of prayer where the local faithful gathered for services. Their charity toward the sick and the poor is repeatedly emphasized in the lives used for his commemoration.
In the Church
Philemon is numbered among the Seventy Apostles, the wider circle of disciples sent out in Luke 10. Some lists, including the tradition attributed to Dorotheus of Tyre, describe him as bishop of Gaza, and the OCA and other Orthodox texts say he preached throughout Phrygia after his ordination.
Not every tradition agrees on his see. Some Orthodox and Catholic texts place Archippus as bishop of Colossae and Philemon as a later archpastor of Gaza, while others describe Philemon himself as bishop of Colossae. The Church does not resolve these questions in its hymnography, which honors the four together.
Later years
During the persecution of Nero, Philemon, Apphia, and Archippus were seized in the church gathered in Philemon's home during a pagan feast. Archippus was stabbed and died on the way to the magistrate, while Philemon and Apphia were buried up to the waist and stoned, according to the Orthodox sources consulted.
The Church remembers Philemon as a martyr, and the November 22 hymns speak of the four Apostles as those who illumine the ends of the earth. No miracles attributed to Philemon are recorded in the sources consulted for this page.
Legacy and veneration
Philemon is commemorated on November 22 and again on February 19, when the Church remembers him together with Archippus and Apphia. His memory is also included in the collective commemoration of the Seventy on January 4. Liturgical texts and the Epistle to Philemon keep his name present across the Orthodox year.
Because Paul's letter to Philemon forms part of the New Testament, the saint is known to Orthodox readers through Scripture as well as through the Synaxarion. The Byzantine and Antiochian lives circulated in English and Greek parish materials keep his story available to the faithful.
Veneration of St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy How the saint's
memory is kept.
- Patronage
- Patron of Hospitality to the faithful, Those who care for the sick and the downcast, Household churches and the homes of believers.
- Iconography
- The sources consulted for this page do not give a detailed canonical iconographic description for Apostle Philemon alone. An online Orthodox icon shop offers a contemporary icon of him, but the accompanying description focuses on his life rather than on specific vestments or attributes. Because his hymnography honors him together with Apphia, Archippus, and Onesimus, icons of the group are the most common context in which he is presented to the faithful. Readers seeking a precise iconographic programme should consult a specialist iconographer or the service-book traditions of their own jurisdiction.
Frequently asked Questions about
St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy.
- When is the feast day of Apostle Philemon of the Seventy?
- The principal feast is November 22, a commemoration shared with Apphia, Archippus, and Onesimus. He is also remembered on February 19 with Archippus and Apphia, and the collective Synaxis of the Seventy is observed on January 4.
- Was Apostle Philemon a bishop?
- The Seventy list attributed to Dorotheus of Tyre describes Philemon as bishop of Gaza, and the OCA states he later became archpastor of Gaza. Other traditions connect the episcopate of Colossae with Archippus or with Philemon himself, so the sources do not agree in every detail.
- How did Apostle Philemon die?
- Traditionally, Philemon and his wife Apphia were buried up to the waist and stoned to death during the persecution under Nero, after the crowd attacked the church gathered in his home. Archippus was stabbed and died on the way to the court.
- Who was Philemon in the New Testament?
- Philemon is the recipient of the short private letter from the Apostle Paul, the Epistle to Philemon, which concerns the runaway slave Onesimus. The Church has included this letter in the canon of Holy Scripture.
- Is Apostle Philemon the patron saint of a specific profession?
- No formal patronage of Apostle Philemon is attested in the sources consulted. The qualities most associated with him in Orthodox commemorations are hospitality and care for the sick and the poor.
- Where are the relics of Apostle Philemon kept?
- The sources consulted for this page do not confirm the location of any relics of Apostle Philemon, so none is listed.
Kontakion of St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy
Tone 2
Let us praise the Apostles of Christ,
who illumine the ends of the earth like all-radiant stars:
glorious Philemon and dedicated Archippus,
Onesimus, together with Mark and Apollos,
and the all-wise Apphia.
Prayer to St. Apostle Philemon of the Seventy
No prayer specific to Apostle Philemon was found in the service books or authoritative sources consulted. The troparion above, which addresses the Apostles Philemon, Archippus, Apphia, and Onesimus together, is the principal hymn of intercession for this commemoration.
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References and further reading
- orthodoxwiki.orghttps://orthodoxwiki.org/Apostle_Philemon
- orthodoxwiki.orghttps://orthodoxwiki.org/November_22
- en.orthodoxwiki.orghttps://en.orthodoxwiki.org/Apostles
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philemon_(biblical_figure)
- catholic.comhttps://www.catholic.com/encyclopedia/philemon
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/troparia/2022/11/22/103359-apostles-of-the-seventy-philemon-and-archippus-martyr-apphia-wif
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2015/11/22/103359-apostles-of-the-seventy-philemon-and-archippus-martyr-apphia-wif
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2016/02/19/100557-apostles-of-the-seventy-archippus-and-philemon-and-martyr-apphia
- oca.orghttps://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/11/22
- antiochpatriarchate.orghttps://antiochpatriarchate.org/en/page/the-holy-apostles-of-the-seventy-philemon-apphia-archippus-and-onesimus/992/
- holytrinityorthodox.comhttps://www.holytrinityorthodox.com/calendar/los/November/22-01.htm
- akroasis.orghttps://akroasis.org/2018/11/22/science-of-the-saints-22-november/
- thebyzantinelife.comhttps://thebyzantinelife.com/apostle-philemon/
- orthodoxmonasteryicons.comhttps://orthodoxmonasteryicons.com/products/st-philemon-the-apostle-icon
- catholic.orghttps://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5424
- anastpaul.comhttps://anastpaul.com/2023/11/22/saint-of-the-day-22-november-saints-philemon-appia-and-archippus-martyrs/
- religion.fandom.comhttps://religion.fandom.com/wiki/Philemon
- en.wikipedia.orghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archippus
- byzantinela.comhttps://byzantinela.com/nov-22-2023/
- orthodoxwiki.orghttps://orthodoxwiki.org/Philemon
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