فیلیپ رسول-3

پس از عروج عیسی مسیح به آسمان، او به همراه خواهرش مریم و برتولما (یکی از حواریون)، برای تبلیغ مسیحیت به آسیای صغیر و یونان سفر کرد. فیلیپ در شهرها علاوه بر موعظه کردن، به درمان بیماران نیز می‌پرداخت.

او با ورود به شهر هیراپولیس (واقع در ترکیه امروزی)، مردم بت‌پرست آن شهر را به پیروی از عیسی مسیح فرا خواند. او در انجام این کار آنقدر موفق بود که حتی همسر حاکم شهر هیراپولیس نیز مسیحی شد. حاکم شهر، به دلیل ترس از قدرت گرفتن مسیحیان، دستور بازداشت فیلیپ و برتولما را صادر کرد. سربازان، آنها را دستگیر و سپس مصلوب نمودند، برتولما به طور معجزه آسایی از این حادثه زنده ماند. اما فیلیپ بر بالای صلیب جان خود را از دست داد. مرگ او، به اعتقاد مورخین سال ۸۰ میلادی بوده‌است.

After the martyrdom of Stephen he went to "the city of Samaria", where he preached with much success, Simon Magus being one of his converts. He afterwards was told by an angel of the Lord to go to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza. There he instructed and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch; next he was "caught away" by the Spirit and "found at Azotus" (Ashdod); and then "passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea" (Acts 8).

Listed as one of the Twelve Apostles (Acts 1:13, Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:13-19, Luke 6:12-16), the Holy Apostle Philip hailed from Bethsaida, as did both Andrew and Peter (John 1:44). Being a model of obedience, Philip followed immediately when Christ beckoned, "Follow Me" (John 1:43).

Philip, however, must have been quite approachable. On Palm Sunday, when certain pious Greeks would see Jesus, they approached Philip, asking, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus" (John 12:21). He was also blessed with faithfulness, for he was presumably numbered among the Ten Disciples when Christ appeared after His Resurrection (John 20:19-23). He was also present in the Upper Room after the Ascension of Christ and at the Descent of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:13).

The later career of the Holy Apostle Philip is less well documented. The Church Historian, Eusebius, cites Polycrates, Bishop of Ephesus (later 2nd century), as a source and preserves some of his references to the Holy Apostle in his Ecclesiastical History. Polycrates, who was the leading Quartodeciman of Asia at the time, placed the Holy Apostle in Asia (modern Turkey), recording that he died and lay buried in Hierapolis. Other traditions add that he died a martyr's death by crucifixion. Later hagiographical legends report him as evangelizing as far afield as northern France. Polycrates also reports that the Holy Apostle was a family man with three daughters, two of whom were buried in Hierapolis while the third rested in Ephesus.

Like the other apostles, Philip took a long time coming to realize who Jesus was. On one occasion, when Jesus saw the great multitude following him and wanted to give them food, he asked Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. Saint John comments, “[Jesus] said this to test him, because he himself knew what he was going to do” (Jn 6:6). Philip answered, “Two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little [bit]” (Jn 6:7).