Apostle Philip.

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. The Gospel of John states that Jesus found and called Philip directly, without mentioning any prior discipleship under John the Baptist (John 1:43). Upon meeting Jesus, Philip immediately recognized Him as the promised Messiah and brought his friend Nathanael (Bartholomew) to meet the Lord, saying, "We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth."

Philip appears throughout the Gospel accounts as a thoughtful and practical disciple. He was present at the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, where he estimated the cost of feeding the five thousand. He also served as a bridge between Jesus and the Gentile world, bringing Greek-speaking seekers to the Lord. At the Last Supper, Philip asked Jesus to show the disciples the Father—a request that prompted one of Jesus' most profound teachings on His unity with the Father.

According to the Acts of Philip, following the resurrection of Jesus, Philip was sent with his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew to preach in Greece, Phrygia, and Syria. 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.

The Apostle Philip arrived in the city of Phrygian Hieropolis, where there were many pagan temples. There was also a pagan temple where people worshiped an enormous serpent as a god. The Apostle Philip by the power of prayer killed the serpent and healed many bitten by snakes. Among those healed was the wife of the city prefect, Amphipatos. Having learned that his wife had accepted Christianity, the prefect Amphipatos gave orders to arrest Saint Philip, his sister, and the Apostle Bartholomew traveling with them.

At the urging of the pagan priests of the temple of the serpent, Amphipatos ordered the holy Apostles Philip and Bartholomew to be crucified. Suddenly, an earthquake struck, and it knocked down all those present at the place of judgment. Hanging upon the cross by the pagan temple of the serpent, the Apostle Philip prayed for those who had crucified him, asking God to save them from the ravages of the earthquake. 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.

This wonderful Apostle suffered in the year 86, in the time of the Emperor Domitian. His martyrdom in Hierapolis became a focal point for early Christian pilgrimage and veneration, and the site of his passion was eventually marked by a great church complex in the 4th and 5th centuries.

Philip is always listed on the fifth place among the apostles, reflecting his prominence in the early apostolic tradition. His feast day on November 14 is the day before beginning of the Nativity Fast in the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is sometimes called Philip's Fast (or the Philippian Fast). In 2012, 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.

Philip is venerated throughout the Orthodox Church as a great apostle and martyr whose missionary labors were accompanied by miracles and whose faith remained unwavering even unto a cruel death. His example of bringing others to Christ, his pastoral gentleness, and his steadfast martyrdom have made him a beloved saint. Philip is the patron saint of bakers and merchants. Many believers pray to him for wisdom and courage in proclaiming the faith, especially in missionary efforts.

In 2011, Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria claimed to have discovered the tomb of Philip during excavations in ancient Hierapolis, close to the modern Turkish city of Denizli. The 1st-century tomb, found to be empty of relics, stood at the centre of a 4th- or 5th-century three-naved basilica, the Church of the Sepulchre, which was one of the focal points of an ancient pilgrimage hill complex dedicated to Philip.

The Apostle Philip was one of the Twelve Apostles chosen directly by Jesus Christ. He was a native of the city of Bethsaida in Galilee, where he had a profound depth of knowledge of the Holy Scripture, and rightly discerning the meaning of the Old Testament prophecies, he awaited the coming of the Messiah. Through the call of the Savior (John 1:43), Philip followed Him.

In the Gospels, Philip brought to Christ the Apostle Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew), and he appears in key moments: the Lord asks him where to buy bread for five thousand men (John 6:5-7), and he brought certain of the Hellenized Jews wanting to see Jesus (John 12:21-22); and finally, at the Last Supper he asked Christ to show them the Father (John 14:8).

After the Ascension of the Lord, the Apostle Philip preached the Word of God in Galilee, accompanying his preaching with miracles. Thus, he restored to life a dead infant in the arms of its mother. From Galilee he went to Greece, and preached among the Jews that had settled there. Some of them reported the preaching of the Apostle to Jerusalem. In response, some scribes arrived in Greece from Jerusalem, with one of the Jewish chief priest at their head, to interrogate the Apostle Philip.

When the Jewish chief priest and his companions began to insult the Lord and lunged at the Apostle Philip, they suddenly were struck blind. By his prayer the Apostle restored everyone's sight. Seeing this miracle, many believed in Christ. The Apostle Philip provided a bishop for them, by the name of Narcissus (one of the Seventy Apostles, January 4). Philip's missionary travels extended to Parthia, Azotus, and eventually to Hierapolis in Phrygia.