Sermon Central
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Philip The Apostle Series
Contributed by John Lowe on Jun 7, 2022 (message contributor)
Summary: Of the four Gospels, Philip figures most prominently in the Gospel of John. Jesus asks Philip how to feed the 5,000 people. Later he appears as a link to the Greek community. Philip bore a Greek name, may have spoken Greek and may have been known to the Greek pilgrims in Jerusalem.
Nowadays, relics of Philip the Apostle are in the crypt of Basilica Santi Apostoli, Rome, as well as the Church of St. Philip the Apostle in Cheektowaga, New York.
Iconography
Cross of Philip
Philip is commonly associated with the symbol of the Latin cross. Other symbols assigned to Philip include the cross with the two loaves (because of his answer to the Lord in John 6:7), a basket filled with bread, a spear with the patriarchal cross, and a cross with a carpenter's square.
Veneration
Philip is remembered (with James) in the Church of England with a Festival on 1 May.
Patronage
Saint Philip is the patron saint of hatters.
Possible tomb location.
Purported tomb of Philip the Apostle, Hierapolis.
In 2011, Italian archaeologist Francesco D'Andria claimed to have discovered the original tomb of Philip during excavations in ancient Hierapolis, close to the modern Turkish city of Denizli. This ancient three-naved basilica, the Church of the Sepulchre, is one of the focal points of an ancient pilgrimage hill complex dedicated to Philip. Ancient Greek prayers are carved into the walls of the tomb and church venerating Philip the Apostle, and a coin from the Byzantine era show Philip holding bread (John 6) with this specific three-naved church in the background and Martyrion in the background, removing all doubts about it being the original tomb of the Apostle and church. The church built on his Martyrion and tomb were places of intense veneration for centuries: In Philip's Church of the Sepulchre, the marble floors were worn down by thousands of people.
In 2012, Bartholomew, the patriarch of Constantinople and primate of the Orthodox church, celebrated the liturgy of St. Philip here and in the Martyrion of the Apostle.
In Islam. The Quranic (relating to or contained in the Koran) account of the disciples of Jesus does not include their names, numbers, or any detailed accounts of their lives. Muslim exegesis, however, more-or-less agrees with the New Testament list and says that the disciples included Peter, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, Andrew, James, Jude, John, James, son of Alphaeus, and Simon, the Zealot.
