“PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, WHICH WAS ONE OF THE SEVEN” (ACTS 21:8) · CALLED IN ACTS 6

Philip the evangelist. Preached in Samaria, baptized an Ethiopian official on the Gaza road, and settled at Caesarea.

ALSO CALLED

Philip, one of the Seven

FROM

When Paul passed through, years after Acts 8, Philip had a house at Caesarea, where Paul's company stayed “many days”.

TRADE

Scripture does not say

FAMILY

“The same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.”

WRITINGS

None

BACKGROUND

Home, trade and family

FROM

FAMILY

  • “The same man had four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy.” Acts 21:9
  • From the textScripture names no wife, parents or home town, and does not give the daughters' names. Acts 21:8–9

THE CALLING

Called, as 2 accounts tell it

“they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, and Philip”

Acts 6:5 (KJV) →

WHERE HE WENT

Acts and after

Dashed pins are places known only from later tradition, not from Scripture.

  • Jerusalem · Chosen as one of the Seven. Acts 6:5–6
  • Samaria · “The city of Samaria” where he preached (Acts 8:5). Acts 8:5 Acts 8:14
  • Gaza (the desert road toward it) · He was sent to the road from Jerusalem “unto Gaza, which is desert”; the meeting place on the road is not named. Acts 8:26
  • Ethiopia · Home of the official he baptized. Acts 8:27
  • Azotus (Ashdod) · Where he was “found” after the baptism. Acts 8:40
  • Caesarea · His home when Paul visited. Acts 8:40 Acts 21:8
  • Hierapolis (in tradition) · tradition · Polycrates and Proclus (about 190-200) place a Philip and his daughters here; which Philip is disputed.

IN ACTS AND THE LETTERS

  • In Samaria the people heard him and saw the miracles: unclean spirits came out, the palsied and lame were healed, “and there was great joy in that city”. Acts 8:6–8
  • Men and women believed and were baptized; Simon, who had used sorcery there, also believed, was baptized and “continued with Philip”. Acts 8:9–13
  • The apostles at Jerusalem sent Peter and John, who prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Ghost; Simon then offered them money. Acts 8:14–24
  • An angel sent him toward the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza. There he met an Ethiopian eunuch, treasurer of Candace queen of the Ethiopians, reading Isaiah in his chariot; Philip “began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus”. Acts 8:26–35
  • At a water the eunuch asked, “what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Philip baptized him; the Spirit “caught away Philip”, and the eunuch went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:36–39
  • From the textActs 8:37 (Philip's “If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest” and the eunuch's confession) is in the Greek text the KJV translated; Tischendorf's Greek and the Revised Version (1881) leave it out. Acts 8:37
  • He was “found at Azotus”, and preached in all the cities until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:40
  • Paul's company stayed in his house at Caesarea; there the prophet Agabus foretold Paul's binding at Jerusalem. Acts 21:8–11
  • From the textThe last verse that names him is Acts 21:8. Scripture does not record his death. Acts 21:8

COMPANIONS

Who was with him

Each line joins him to someone Scripture places beside him.

  • Stephen Chosen with him as one of the Seven. Acts 6:5
  • Peter Sent with John by the apostles to Samaria after Philip's preaching there. Acts 8:14–17
  • John son of Zebedee Sent with Peter to Samaria after Philip's preaching there. Acts 8:14–17
  • Simon the sorcerer Believed, was baptized and “continued with Philip”. Acts 8:13
  • The Ethiopian official “An eunuch of great authority under Candace”, whom Philip taught from Isaiah and baptized. Acts 8:27–38
  • Paul Stayed many days in his house at Caesarea on the way to Jerusalem. Acts 21:8–10
  • Agabus Came to Philip's house and foretold Paul's arrest. Acts 21:10–11

HOW THE STORY ENDS

Scripture says, tradition says

SCRIPTURE SAYS

  • From the textScripture last shows him at home in Caesarea with his four daughters (Acts 21:8-9) and records nothing of his death. Acts 21:8–9

TRADITION SAYS

  • “Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis, and his two aged virgin daughters, and another daughter who lived in the Holy Spirit and now rests at Ephesus.”[1] Who says so: Polycrates of Ephesus, letter to Victor of Rome, quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.31.3, about AD 190
  • “There were four prophetesses, the daughters of Philip, at Hierapolis in Asia. Their tomb is there and the tomb of their father.”[1] Who says so: Proclus, in the Dialogue of Gaius, quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.31.4, about AD 200
  • Papias “heard a wonderful tale from the daughters of Philip”: that “in his time” (Philip's, McGiffert explains) one rose from the dead. Eusebius calls this Philip “the apostle”.[1] Who says so: Papias, as reported by Eusebius, Church History 3.39.9, Papias early 2nd century; Eusebius about 325
  • At Caesarea the pilgrim Paula was shown “the humble abode of Philip; and the chambers of his daughters the four virgins”.[4] Who says so: Jerome, Letter 108.8 (to Eustochium), written AD 404
  • Another tradition makes Philip the first bishop of Tralles in Asia, with his daughters living there. Hunter (ISBE, 1915) reports it; its earliest source has not been identified here.[20] Who says so: Reported by Hunter (ISBE, 1915), earliest source not identified

OPEN QUESTIONS

Where readers have differed

The apostle, one of the Twelve

Polycrates of Ephesus (about AD 190); J. B. Lightfoot (commentary on Colossians, 1875), as reported by McGiffert; C. M. Kerr (ISBE, 1915, “Philip”), for whom “The evidence seems conclusive” that the apostle's last years were spent in Phrygia

Polycrates calls him “one of the twelve apostles”. Lightfoot held that Polycrates was right and that the apostle, not the evangelist, was buried there.[1][2][27]

The evangelist, with his prophesying daughters

Proclus (about 200), whose description matches Acts; A. C. McGiffert (1890)

Acts gives the evangelist “four daughters, virgins, which did prophesy”, and Proclus speaks of “four prophetesses, the daughters of Philip” at Hierapolis. McGiffert thinks later generations would naturally fold the evangelist into the apostle of the same name. Acts 21:8–9 [1][2]

One man: the two are the same Philip

Eusebius (about 325), who quotes Polycrates on the apostle and Acts 21:8-9 on the evangelist side by side

Eusebius sets the two reports together without comment, as if of one man; McGiffert notes that Eusebius took the apostle and the evangelist to be identical. Acts 21:8–9 [1][2]

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 3

Acts 6 Acts 8 Acts 21

PASSAGES · 3

Acts 6:1–6 Acts 8:1–40 Acts 21:7–15

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture does not say where Philip came from, how he came to believe, or why he is called “the evangelist”.
  • Scripture does not name his daughters, say what their prophesying was, or tell what became of the family after Acts 21.
  • Scripture does not tell how or where he died.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textThis is not Philip the apostle, one of the Twelve (Matthew 10:3; John 1:43). Luke keeps them apart: the Seven were chosen so that the Twelve could keep to prayer and the word (Acts 6:2-5), and Acts 21:8 calls this man “one of the seven”. Matthew 10:3 John 1:43 Acts 6:2–5 Acts 21:8
  • From the textThe Philip who preached in Samaria and baptized the Ethiopian (Acts 8) is taken to be this Philip: all but the apostles had been scattered (Acts 8:1), the apostles at Jerusalem sent Peter and John to his converts (8:14), and Acts leaves him at Caesarea (8:40), where Philip the evangelist lives in Acts 21:8. Acts 8:1 Acts 8:5 Acts 8:14 Acts 8:40 Acts 21:8
  • Early church · Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), 1890Early writers confused the two Philips. Polycrates (about AD 190) speaks of “Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis” with his daughters; Eusebius (about 325) quotes him and then quotes Acts 21:8-9 about the evangelist's daughters as if of the same man. Acts 21:8–9 [1][2]
  • Scholars' viewMcGiffert (1890) judges that “Philip the apostle and Philip the evangelist are here confounded”, and notes that Eusebius treats them as one man. Hunter (ISBE, 1915) also writes that in the Hierapolis tradition “in all probability the evangelist is confounded with the apostle”.[2][20]

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), Church History (1890), 1.12.1-4; 2.1.1-5, 10-13; 2.15-16; 2.23; 2.24; 3.11; 3.19-20; 3.25.4; 3.31.2-5; 3.32.1-6; 3.37.1; 3.39.9, 15; 4.22.4; 5.8.3; 6.14.6-7; 6.25.5; 6.36.2; 7.19; 7.25.15.
  • A. C. McGiffert, Notes to Eusebius, Church History (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), book 1 ch. 12 notes 201, 212; book 2 ch. 1 notes 235, 239, 241, 244, 246; ch. 15 notes 389-391; ch. 16 note 394; ch. 23 notes 493, 500, 516, 522, 523; book 3 ch. 20 notes 720, 724; ch. 25 note 798; ch. 31 notes 858, 866, 868; book 6 ch. 36 note 2046.
  • Jerome (trans. E. C. Richardson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3), Lives of Illustrious Men (1892), chapters 2 (James, with Richardson's note 2343), 4 (Jude), 5 (on Hebrews), 6 (Barnabas, with note 2364), 8 (Mark).
  • Jerome (trans. W. H. Fremantle, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 6), Against Helvidius; Letter 108 (to Eustochium) (1893), Against Helvidius 15 and 19 (the tract dated about AD 383 by the editor); Letter 108, section 8 (dated AD 404 by the editor).
  • Origen (trans. John Patrick, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 9, ed. Allan Menzies), Commentary on Matthew (1896), book 10, section 17, The Brethren of Jesus; ANF vol. 9 first published Buffalo, 1896; checked against the 1903 Scribner reprint (archive.org scan antenicenefather0009unse_s0x0).
  • Alexander Walker (trans.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 8, Apocrypha of the New Testament: introduction; Protevangelium of James, chapter 9; The Journeyings and Martyrdom of St. Barnabas the Apostle (1886).
  • Irenaeus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Against Heresies (1885), 3.1.1 (also in Eusebius 5.8.3); 3.12.10.
  • A. Cleveland Coxe (ed.), Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, Introductory Note to the Epistle of Barnabas (1885).
  • Clement of Alexandria (trans. William Wilson, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2), Stromata (1885), book 2, chapters 6 and 20; book 5, chapter 10.
  • Tertullian (trans. S. Thelwall, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4), On Modesty (1885), chapter 20; the editor's note 701 dates the work 'not earlier than a.d. 208'.
  • Hippolytus (trans. J. H. MacMahon and S. D. F. Salmond, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5), The Refutation of All Heresies; and, among the dubious pieces, On the Seventy Apostles (1886), Refutation book 7, chapter 18 in the ANF numbering, with note 873; On the Seventy Apostles, nos. 1, 6-7, 13-14, 24, 56, 65, with note 2027 ('Probably spurious, but yet antique').
  • John Chrysostom (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 11), Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles (1889), Homily 14, on Acts 6 (preached AD 400, by the editor's preface).
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians, 10th edition (1890), note on 1:19, p. 84; 'The Name and Office of an Apostle', pp. 95-96; dissertation 'The Brethren of the Lord', pp. 252-291.
  • Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 6 (Acts to Revelation) (1706-1721), on Acts 7:14-16; 13:13; 15:38.
  • M. G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897), entries Barnabas; Jude; Mark; Philip (2); Stephen.
  • William Smith, Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884), entry Mark.
  • Charles Souvay, St. Stephen (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 14) (1912).
  • John Francis Fenlon, St. Barnabas (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2) (1907).
  • Joseph MacRory, St. Mark (The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 9) (1910).
  • S. F. Hunter, Philip, the Evangelist (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 4, p. 2369; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan internationalst00orrgoog).
  • J. H. Farmer, Mark, John (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 3, p. 1987; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopedi03orruoft), which reads “815 AD”.
  • H. E. Jacobs, Barnabas (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 1, pp. 405-406; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopaed01unknuoft).
  • H. E. Jacobs, Brethren of the Lord (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 1, pp. 518-519; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopaed01unknuoft).
  • S. D. Press, Stephen (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 5, p. 2851; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan bibleencyclopedi05orruoft), which prints “c 36 or 37 AD”.
  • A. T. Robertson, Paul, the Apostle (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), part 3, III. Chronology of Paul's Career, (1) The Death of Stephen; vol. 4, p. 2271; checked against the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan internationalst00orrgoog).
  • Jacobus de Voragine (Caxton's English of 1483, ed. F. S. Ellis), The Golden Legend, vol. 6: The Lives of SS. Simon and Jude (1900).
  • C. M. Kerr, Philip (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia) (1915), vol. 4, p. 2368, the apostle's later life; read in the printed 1915 edition (archive.org scan).

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