Phillip

Philip the Apostle is only mentioned eight times in the New Testament, four of which are the lists of apostles. However, there are three other people named Philip in the New Testament, too. Two are sons of King Herod, and the other is Philip the Evangelist, who was often mistaken for Philip the Apostle even early on.

Even though there are two important believers named Philip in the New Testament, it’s a little surprising that the early church mixed them up. In Acts, Philip the Evangelist is clearly distinguished from the Twelve:

Later, Philip the Evangelist is referred to as “one of the seven” (Acts 21:8), not an apostle or one of the Twelve. Still, the early church mixed them up, and their mistakes were often passed down, making it difficult to be sure which traditions actually apply to Philip the Apostle.

One of the few details the Bible gives us about Philip the Apostle is that like Peter and Andrew, he comes from Bethsaida, a town near the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44).

He was seemingly close friends with Bartholomew.

In the Gospels
Later, when some Greek men from Bethsaida want to see Jesus, they come to Philip first, presumably because they knew he was from the same town as them (or possibly because he spoke Greek the best).

Philip’s most notable moment in the gospels is his role in bringing Nathanael to Jesus. Nathanael is only mentioned in the Gospel of John, but many assume this is another name for Bartholomew because:


 * John appears to consider him one of the Twelve (John 21:2).
 * Bartholomew is never mentioned in John.
 * Philip and Bartholomew are almost always listed together, and they’re closely associated in church tradition.

In any case, Nathanael follows Jesus as a result of Philip’s invitation to “come and see” him, “the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote” (John 1:45–46).

The only other mentions of Philip in the Bible occur in John:


 * Jesus tests Philip by asking him where they should buy bread to feed the crowd of 5,000 people (John 6:5–7).
 * Philip asks Jesus to show them God the Father, and Jesus responds by saying “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:6–10).

Apocryphal Works and Legend
In the Acts of Philip (written centuries later), Phillip travels to Greece, Phrygia, and Syria. On his travels, he converts a talking goat and a talking leopard to Christianity. He kills a dragon and is later crucified.

All these noncanonical works are called the gnostic (meaning mystical) gospels. They are unrealistic and likely exaggerations.

Philip likely died in the first century, possibly around 80 AD, but traditions vary widely as to how he died—at least partially due to the confusion with Philip the Evangelist. One tradition says he died of natural causes. But others suggest he was stoned to death, beheaded, or crucified upside down.

The earliest account comes from Acts of Philip, which contains legends about Philip’s ministry. According to this text, he was crucified upside down with Bartholomew. Philip preached to the crowd while hanging on the cross, and they wanted to release the two disciples, but Philip told them to free Bartholomew and leave him hanging there.

Death
Philip likely died in the first century, possibly around 80 AD, but traditions vary widely as to how he died—at least partially due to the confusion with Philip the Evangelist. One tradition says he died of natural causes. But others suggest he was stoned to death, beheaded, or crucified upside down.

The earliest account comes from Acts of Philip, which contains legends about Philip’s ministry. According to this text, he was crucified upside down with Bartholomew. Philip preached to the crowd while hanging on the cross, and they wanted to release the two disciples, but Philip told them to free Bartholomew and leave him hanging there.