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Easton's Bible Dictionary
lover of horses. One of the twelve apostles; a native
of Bethsaida, "the city of Andrew and Peter" ( John
1:44 ). He readily responded to the call of Jesus when first addressed to
him ( John
1:43 ), and forthwith brought Nathanael also to Jesus ( John
1:45 , 46
). He seems to have held a prominent place among the apostles ( Matthew
10:3 ; Mark
3:18 ; John
6:5 - 7
; John
12:21 , 12:22
; 14:8
, 14:9
; Acts
1:13). Of his later life nothing is certainly known. He is said to have preached
in Phrygia, and to have met his death at Hierapolis.
Hitchcock's Dictionary of Bible Names
warlike; a lover of horses
Smith's Bible Dictionary
(lover of horses) The apostle was of Bethsaida, the city
of Andrew and Peter, ( John
1:44 ) and apparently was among the Galilean peasants of that district who
flocked to hear the preaching of the Baptist. The manner in which St. John speaks
of him indicates a previous friendship with the sons of Jona and Zebedee, and
a consequent participation in their messianic hopes. The close union of the two
in John
6 and 12
suggests that he may have owed to Andrew the first tidings that the hope had been
fulfilled. The statement that Jesus found him ( John
1:43 ) implies a previous seeking. In the lists of the twelve apostles, in
the Synoptic Gospel, his name is as uniformly at the head of the second group
of four as the name of Peter is at that of the first, ( Matthew
10:3 ; Mark
3:18 ; Luke
6:14 ) and the facts recorded by St. John give the reason of this priority.
Philip apparently was among the first company of disciples who were with the Lord
at the commencement of his ministry at the marriage at Cana, on his first appearance
as a prophet in Jerusalem, John
2. The first three Gospels tell us nothing more of him individually. St.John
with his characteristic fullness of personal reminiscences, records a few significant
utterances. ( John
6:5 - 9
; 12:20
- 22
; 14:8
) No other fact connected with the name of Philip is recorded in the Gospels.
He is among the company of disciples at Jerusalem after the ascension ( Acts
1:13 ) and on the day of Pentecost. After this all is uncertain and apocryphal,
According tradition he preached in Phrygia, and died at Hierapolis.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
fil'-ip (Philippos, "lover of horses"):
1. New Testament References:
One of the Twelve Apostles. Philip belonged to Bethsaida of Galilee (John 1:44
; 12:21). Along with Andrew and other fellow-townsmen, he had journeyed to Bethany
to hear the teaching of John the Baptist, and there he received his first call
from Christ, "Follow me" (John 1:43). Like Andrew, Philip immediately won a fresh
follower, Nathanael, for Jesus (John 1:45). It is probable that he was present
at most of the events recorded of Jesus' return journey from Bethany to Galilee,
and that the information relating to these was supplied to John by him and Andrew
(compare ANDREW). His final ordination to the Twelve is recorded in Matthew 10:3
; Mark 3:18 ; Luke 6:14 ; Acts 1:13. At the feeding of the 5,000, Philip was asked
the question by Jesus, "Whence are we to buy bread, that these may eat?" (John
6:5 - 7). He was appealed to by the Greeks when they desired to interview Jesus
at the Passover (John 12:20 - 33). During the address of Jesus to His disciples
after the Last Supper, Philip made the request, "Lord, show us the Father, and
it sufficeth us" (John 14:8).
2. Apocryphal References:
According to the "Genealogies of the Twelve Apostles," Philip was of the house
of Zebulun (compare Budge, Contendings of the Apostles, II, 50). Clement of Alexandria
(Strom., iii.4, 25, and iv.9, 73) gives the tradition identifying him with the
unknown disciple who asked permission to go and bury his father ere he followed
Jesus (compare Matthew 8:21 ; Luke 9:59), and says that he died a natural death.
Owing to confusion with Philip the evangelist, there is much obscurity in the
accounts of Apocrypha literature concerning the earlier missionary activities
of Philip the apostle. The "Acts of Philip" tell of a religious controversy between
the apostle and a Judean high priest before the philosophers of Athens. Later
Latin documents mention Gaul (Galatia) as his field. As to his sending Joseph
of Arimathea thence to Britain, see JOSEPH OF ARIMATHAEA. The evidence seems conclusive
that the latter part of his life was spent in Phrygia. This is supported by Polycrates
(bishop of Ephesus in the 2nd century), who states that he died at Hierapolis,
by Theodoret, and by the parts of the Contendings of the Apostles dealing with
Philip. Thus, according to "The Preaching of Philip and Peter" (compare Budge,
Contendings of the Apostles, II, 146), Phrygia was assigned to Philip as a mission
field by the risen Christ when He appeared to the disciples on the Mount of Olives,
and "The Martyrdom of Philip in Phrygia" (Budge, II, 156) tells of his preaching,
miracles and crucifixion there.
Philip was regarded in early times as the author of "The Gospel of Philip," a
Gnostic work of the 2nd century, part of which was preserved by Epiphanius (compare
Hennecke, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen, 40, 41).
See APOCRYPHAL GOSPELS.
3. Character:
As with Andrew, Philip's Greek name implies he had Greek connections, and this
is strengthened by the fact that he acted as the spokesman of the Greeks at the
Passover. Of a weaker mold than Andrew, he was yet the one to whom the Greeks
would first appeal; he himself possessed an inquirer's spirit and could therefore
sympathize with their doubts and difficulties. The practical, strong-minded Andrew
was naturally the man to win the impetuous, swift-thinking Peter; but the slower
Philip, versed in the Scriptures (compare John 1:45), appealed more to the critical
Nathanael and the cultured Greeks. Cautious and deliberate himself, and desirous
of submitting all truth to the test of sensuous experience (compare John 14:8),
he concluded the same criterion would be acceptable to Nathanael also (compare
John 1:46). It was the presence of this materialistic trend of mind in Philip
that induced Jesus, in order to awaken in His disciple a larger and more spiritual
faith, to put the question in John 6:6, seeking "to prove him." This innate diffidence
which affected Philip's religious beliefs found expression in his outer life and
conduct also. It was not merely modesty, but also a certain lack of self-reliance,
that made him turn to Andrew for advice when the Greeks wished to see Jesus. The
story of his later life is, however, sufficient to show that he overcame those
initial defects in his character, and fulfilled nobly the charge that his risen
Lord laid upon him (compare Matthew 28:16 - 20).
C. M. Kerr
Tags:
apostle, bible commentary, bible history, bible reference, bible study, brought nathanael to jesus, died at hierapolis, philip, preached in phrygia
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