Icon with the Holy Apostle Philip – embroidered, framed, 15x18cm
On November 14th, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Holy Apostle Philip, one of the twelve disciples chosen by the Savior. He should not be confused with the Holy Deacon Philip, celebrated on October 11th.
Near Galilee stood the city called Bethsaida, neighboring Horazin and Capernaum. The name Bethsaida, translated from Hebrew, means "House of Hunters," as its inhabitants were skilled fishermen.
In this city, three of those chosen to be apostles saw the light of day: Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Peter and Andrew, being brothers and experienced fishermen, earned their living by catching fish until they were called by Christ to become apostles. Philip, on the other hand, having been educated in Holy Scripture from childhood, gained a deep understanding of the Holy Scriptures and the prophecies about the Awaited Messiah.
While Jesus was traveling through Galilee, He encountered Philip, as recounted by the Evangelist John: "He wished, he said, to go to Galilee, where he found Philip and said to him: Come after Me!" Listening to this call of the Lord, Philip recognized in his heart that He was the true Messiah and followed Him, devoutly following His holy life.
After receiving the Holy Spirit, the Holy Apostle Philip preached the Christian faith in Asia, accompanied by the Holy Apostle Bartholomew and Mary, Bartholomew's sister according to the flesh. During his preaching, he endured many trials and tribulations from the unbelievers, being beaten with rods, thrown into prisons, and stoned.
According to recently discovered documents, the Holy Apostle Philip accompanied the Holy Apostle Andrew to Scythia (now Dobruja) to preach the Gospel of Christ. The Holy Apostle Philip was martyred in the year 80, at the age of 87, in the city of Hierapolis in central Asia Minor, being mocked with stones and crucified head downwards.
According to tradition, when the Holy Apostle Philip gave his soul into the hands of God, the earth opened and swallowed up his judge together with many other pagans. The people, seized with fear, ran to release the apostles from their torments, but Holy Apostle Philip had already passed into eternity.
