Philip

The name Philip is borne by several distinct figures in the UPDV. Within the scope covered here, four are named: Philip the apostle, one of the Twelve and a recurring voice in the Fourth Gospel; Philip the tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis; Philip the brother of Herod Antipas, named in connection with Herodias; and two Macedonian Philips in 1 Maccabees — Philip the father of Alexander the Great, and Philip the regent appointed over Antiochus's kingdom. Each appears in a different setting, and the verses keep the figures separate.

The Apostle in the Synoptic Lists

Philip's name stands among the Twelve in the apostolic rosters of Mark and Luke. Mark names him in the second tier of the list: "and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean," (Mark 3:18). Luke records the same grouping: "Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew," (Luke 6:14). Beyond these list entries, the Synoptic writers do not develop his role; the narrative material on Philip the apostle is concentrated in John.

The Calling of Philip and Nathaniel

The Fourth Gospel records Philip's call on the day Jesus turned toward Galilee: "On the next day he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he finds Philip: and Jesus says to him, Follow me" (John 1:43). Philip's first recorded act after the call is to find another: "Philip finds Nathaniel, and says to him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph" (John 1:45). When Nathaniel raises a regional objection — "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" — Philip's reply is brief: "Come and see" (John 1:46). Jesus then identifies Nathaniel as "an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (John 1:47), and tells him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (John 1:48). Nathaniel's confession follows: "Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are King of Israel" (John 1:49). Jesus answers that the sign is small compared with what is coming: "You will see greater things than these" (John 1:50).

At the Feeding of the Multitude

In John 6, Philip is the disciple Jesus questions before the feeding of the multitude: "Jesus therefore lifting up his eyes, and seeing that a great multitude comes to him, says to Philip, From where are we to buy bread, that these may eat?" (John 6:5). The narrator notes the question's purpose: "And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do" (John 6:6). Philip's answer measures the cost: "200 denarii of bread is not sufficient for them, that each may take a little" (John 6:7).

Bringing the Greeks to Jesus

When certain Greeks come up to the feast and ask to see Jesus, they approach Philip first. "Now there were certain Greeks among those who went up to worship at the feast:" (John 12:20) — "these therefore came to Philip, who was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and asked him, saying, Sir, we want to see Jesus" (John 12:21). Philip does not act alone; he consults Andrew: "Philip comes and tells Andrew: Andrew comes, and Philip, and they tell Jesus" (John 12:22). The verse identifies Philip's town — Bethsaida of Galilee — and his pattern of routing inquiries through Andrew before they reach Jesus.

"Lord, Show Us the Father"

In the upper room discourse, Philip's request becomes the occasion for one of Jesus's most direct statements about the Father: "Philip says to him, Lord, show us the Father, and it suffices us" (John 14:8). Jesus answers him by name: "Have I been so long time with you⁺, and don't you know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how do you say, Show us the Father?" (John 14:9). The reply turns on mutual indwelling: "Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I say to you⁺ I don't speak from myself: but the Father staying in me does his works" (John 14:10). Jesus presses for belief on either ground, the words or the works: "Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: otherwise believe for the very works' sake" (John 14:11). Then comes the promise to those who believe: "Truly, truly, I say to you⁺, He who believes on me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater [works] than these he will do; because I go to the Father" (John 14:12), and "whatever you⁺ will ask in my name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" (John 14:13).

Philip the Tetrarch of Ituraea

A different Philip appears in Luke's chronological setting for the ministry of John: "Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene," (Luke 3:1). This Philip is distinguished by office and territory — tetrarch over Ituraea and Trachonitis — and is set alongside Herod and Lysanias in the Roman administrative frame of the period.

Philip the Husband of Herodias

A third Philip is named indirectly, through his wife. Mark explains John's imprisonment in these terms: "For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold on John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her" (Mark 6:17). Luke gives the same charge in summary: "but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done," (Luke 3:19). In both verses Philip is mentioned because Herodias had been his wife before Herod took her; the rebuke concerns the marriage, and Philip himself does not act in the scene.

Philip the Macedonian in 1 Maccabees

The opening of 1 Maccabees names Philip not as a figure in his own scenes but as the father of Alexander the Great: "Now it came to pass that Alexander the [son] of Philip the Macedonian, who came out of the land of Kittim, overthrew Darius king of the Persians and Medes, and reigned in his place, first over Greece" (1Ma 1:1). The same identification recurs when the narrator describes the temple in Elymais: "And that there was in it a temple, exceedingly rich: and coverings of gold, and breastplates, and shields which King Alexander, the [son] of Philip the Macedonian who reigned first in Greece, had left there" (1Ma 6:2). In both passages the patronymic anchors Alexander historically; Philip the Macedonian appears in 1 Maccabees as Alexander's named father, with no scene of his own.

Philip the Regent over Antiochus's Kingdom

Later in 1 Maccabees 6, a different Philip enters the action — a friend of Antiochus appointed as regent. The dying king "called Philip, one of his friends, and he made him regent over all his kingdom" (1Ma 6:14). The choice has consequences for Lysias, who learns of the appointment: "Now Lysias heard that Philip, whom King Antiochus while he lived had appointed to bring up his son Antiochus, and to reign," (1Ma 6:55). The conflict between the two officers comes to a head at Antioch: "And he departed in haste, and returned to Antioch, where he found Philip master of the city: and he fought against him, and took the city" (1Ma 6:63). This Philip — the regent who briefly held Antioch against Lysias — is treated as a distinct figure from the Macedonian patriarch named earlier in the book, and is not identified with any of the New Testament Philips.