PHILIP fĭl’ ĭp (Φίλιππος, G5805, fond of horses or horse-lover). This proper name occurs thirty-eight times in the NT and denotes four different men.

1. Philip Herod I (Mark 6:17), son of Herod the Great and Mariamne (daughter of Simon the High Priest), is distinguished from Philip the Tetrarch—although there is reason to believe his name was not Philip. Josephus calls him Herod (Jos. Antiq. XVIII. v. 4). He married his niece Herodias (sister of Agrippa I and granddaughter of Herod the Great) by whom he had a daughter, Salome. Philip’s wife left him and contracted an adulterous union with his half-brother, Herod Antipas (Matt 14:3; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19). Philip was next in line to succeed Antipater, but because of his mother’s alleged treachery toward her husband (Jos. Wars I. xxx. 7), this was changed by later wills. Philip lived as a private citizen in comparative obscurity, apparently at Rome.

Bibliography A. H. M. Jones, The Herods of Judaea (1938), 176; W. Lillie, “Salome or Herodias?”, LXV, ExpT (1953f.), 251.

2. Philip Herod II, son of Herod the Great and his fifth wife (Cleopatra of Jerusalem), was reared at Rome like his two half-brothers, Antipas and Archelaus. In accordance with his father’s latest will, Philip was appointed (4 b.c.) by Augustus to Batanaea, Trachonitis, Auronitis (Gaulonitis), and portions of Jamnia (Jos. Antiq. XVII. viii. 1; xi. 4). The land areas of this territory were all located NE of Pal. Philip ruled over a sparsely populated region stretching N and E from the Sea of Galilee toward Damascus. He married Salome, daughter of Herod Philip I and Herodias.

Luke describes Philip’s kingdom as “the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis” (3:1). Τραχωνῖτις, G5551, (rough, stony district) is a part of the Trans-Jordan plateau (OT Bashan; modern Hauran) S of Damascus. Its most distinctive feature is a black pear-shaped mass of petrified volcanic lava that rises 20-40 ft. and covers an area of c. 350 square miles. The population of Trachonitis was chiefly Greek and Syrian. On two occasions it had been colonized by Herod the Great: once with 2,000 Idumeans, and again with Jewish warriors from Babylon. Jesus visited here once during His Galilean ministry (Matt 16:13; Mark 8:27). Philo uses Trachonitis to describe the entire territory ruled by Philip. The word occurs only once in the NT (Luke 3:1).

Precisely what Luke meant by Ituraea is unknown. One does not even know whether ̓Ιτουραῖος, G2714, is a noun or an adjectival form (land or people). As a geographical area Ituraea possibly overlapped or even covered Trachonitis, because Ituraea included all districts NE of Pal. Today it prob. is impossible to recover the exact boundaries. References in ancient lit. are frequently ambiguous and confusing.

Philip’s coins, unlike those of his brothers, bore the image of the Rom. emperor. (This was the first time a Jewish ruler had done this.) Josephus states that he founded Caesarea Philippi (Jos. Wars II. ix. 1), but the fact is Philip rebuilt Panias (modern Banyas at the foot of Mt. Hermon) in Graeco-Roman style and renamed it (Matt 16:13; Mark 8:27). He also transformed the village of Bethsaida into a city and renamed it Julias in honor of Augustus’ profligate daughter. This city became his capital.

Philip was the best of Herod’s sons. He enjoyed a peaceful reign of thirty-seven years. From the absence of details it is customary to summarize it as one of tranquility and prosperity. Unlike the rest of his family, Philip was noted for justice and moderation. His rule is distinguished for equity. He was very considerate of his subjects. He displayed such justice and benevolence that he gained their affection and respect. He was much loved by his people. He seemed to be free from the intriguing spirit of his brothers. It has been suggested that maybe he inherited this trait from his mother’s family. He died at Julias in the winter of a.d. 33/34 (30th year of Tiberius) without heirs.

After Philip’s death, his territory was annexed to the Rom. province of Syria for three years (Jos. Antiq. XVIII. iv. 6), but in a.d. 37 it was assigned to his nephew, Agrippa I (37-44).

Bibliography Ephemeris Epigraphica (1881), 537ff.; E. Schürer (ed.), The Jewish People in the Time of Christ, I (1905), ii, 325-344; F. M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine, I (1938), 47; D. Baly, The Geography of the Bible (1957), 223f.

3. Philip the apostle, one of the original Twelve. In the gospel lists of apostles his name invariably occurs fifth (Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). The Early Church added “the apostle” to distinguish him from Philip the evangelist and deacon (Acts 6:5). He was from Bethsaida (John 12:21), perhaps a small fishing village on the W shore of the Sea of Galilee, home of Andrew and Peter (John 1:44). Tradition states that Philip was from the tribe of Zebulun. He was prob. first a disciple of the Baptist (John 1:43). According to one tradition received from Clement of Alexandria (Strom. iii. 4, 25; iv. 9, 73), Philip was the one who asked permission to bury his father before following Jesus (Matt 8:21; Luke 9:59).

In the synoptics, Philip is merely mentioned, but in the fourth gospel he (1) is one of the first (i.e., fourth) to be called (1:43); (2) is instrumental in bringing Nathanael to Jesus (1:45-49); and (3) is mentioned personally in connection with the feeding of the 5,000 (6:5-7), as also in one of Jesus’ major discourses (14:8). He is portrayed as a naive, rather shy, but sober-minded person. Philip was timid and retiring; yet he informed Nathanael that he had discovered the Messiah foretold in the OT (John 1:45). Prior to the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Jesus tested Philip by asking, “How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat” (John 6:5)? Possibly it was Philip’s responsibility to provide food (Bengel); or perhaps his faith was weak (Chrysostom).

Philip may have received his Gr. name in honor of Philip the Tetrarch (Luke 3:1). His name might explain why the Greeks who came to the Passover sought him out on Palm Sunday as mediator between them and Christ (John 12:20-23).

Philip was reluctant to believe wholeheartedly in the kingdom because he failed to understand it: (1) He was anxious about 200 denarii to buy bread in the presence of the Bread of Life; (2) he sought for additional revelation (“Show us the Father,” John 14:8) when the substance of the incarnation already had been given him. Yet amid defective knowledge and imperfect spiritual insight he acquired a true missionary spirit and was instrumental in leading others to Christ. He is mentioned as being among those in the Upper Room who were awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 1:13).

Philip was claimed (erroneously) as the author of the Gospel of Philip (2nd cent. a.d.), a work used by the Egyp. Gnostics (Epiphanius, Heresies xxvi. 13). He is prominent in Pistis Sophia, a Gnostic gospel that circulated perhaps in the latter portion of the 2nd cent. a.d.

Concerning his life and work after Pentecost, Eusebius declares that he lived as one of the great lights of Asia and is buried at Hierapolis along with his two virgin daughters. Traditions are divergent concerning his labors prior to his settlement at Hierapolis. Apparently he spent the latter part of his life in Phrygia and died at Hierapolis. Conflicting also are the traditions regarding the manner of his death.

His relics are in the Church of the Apostles at Rome. In the Roman Church his feast is celebrated May 1; in the Gr. Church November 14. His symbol is a cross with a loaf of bread on either side (John 6:7).

Bibliography W. M. Ramsay, Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia, I (1895-1897), ii, 552; B. P. Grenfell and A. B. Hunt (eds.), The Hibeh Papyri, I (1906), 62. 1; M. R. James, The Apocryphal NT (1924), 439-453.

4. Philip the evangelist and deacon is not mentioned in the gospels. His name first appears in the list of seven deacons chosen by the Jerusalem church (Acts 6:5). These men were ordained by the apostles and described as “men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (6:3). Their duty was to care for the neglected widows (and the poor in general) in the mother church. Philip was a Gr.-speaking Jew and was apparently well-known. The persecution instigated by Saul of Tarsus prob. stopped the “daily distribution” with which the deacons were charged. This early inquisition resulted in the martyrdom of Stephen (Philip’s colleague) and the Christians being scattered abroad from Jerusalem (8:1). Philip fled to Samaria (modern Sebaste) where he became an evangelist, or missionary. His preaching, accompanied by miracles of healing and the casting out of demons, turned the allegiance of the entire city from Simon Magus to Christ (ch. 8). After this unusual revival, the church at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to Samaria that the new Christians might receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (8:15). Philip’s converts included not only Simon the Magician (8:9-13) but also the Ethiopian eunuch, treasurer to Queen Candace (8:26-40). Thus Philip was instrumental in introducing Christianity into NE Africa. This conversion story implies trustful obedience to divine guidance plus rare insight into the process of personal evangelism; Luke prob. heard the account from the lips of the great evangelist himself (21:8).

Most of Philip’s preaching was to the Gentiles along the Mediterranean seaboard. In this sense he was a forerunner of Paul. Philip preached in every port city from Ashdod (Azotus) to Caesarea on the sea (8:40). Apparently he settled there, since about twenty years later Paul (on his last journey to Jerusalem) was a guest in Philip’s home in this city (Acts 21:8, 9). Philip had four unmarried daughters (παρθένοι) living at home who had the gift of prophecy. (They were female preachers.) Philip’s house was pointed out to travelers in the time of Jerome.

Philip was one of the heroic first to admit non-Jewish believers into the fellowship of the Church. Prior to this, the Samaritans were excluded and even denied the privilege of becoming Jewish proselytes. It was Philip (not the apostles) who took the first step in (1) overcoming Jewish prejudice, and (2) the interracial expansion of the Church in accordance with the Lord’s command.

There are diverse traditions both as to where Philip lived at the time of his death, and the manner of his death. According to most forms of tradition, he died of natural causes at Tralles, in Lydia. (Basil reports that he was bishop there; vide Menol. I. cxi in Migne CXVII, 103.) Others connect Philip with Hierapolis in Asia and affirm that there he suffered martyrdom. In the Roman Church his feast is June 6.

Bibliography J. Hastings, The Greater Men and Women of the Bible, Vol. VI (1916), 115-134.