PHILIP THE APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST.

In the Gospels the name Philip for a follower of Jesus, one of the earliest disciples among the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, occurs only in the lists of names of the twelve disciples/apostles. In each instance Philip is presented in fifth position.
In the Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Philip is mentioned by name solely, and, in the Gospel of John alone gives some detailed information about him. Philip plays a narrative role in chapters 1, 6, 12, and 14.
Philip is said to be from Beth-Saida, on the North Shore of Galilee, the same hometown as Peter and Andrew, and is connected with Greeks seeking Jesus. The existence of this apostle and evangelist is 'known" by both the author and the readers of the Gospel of John.
Upon hearing Jesus' invitation, "Be my follower," Philip did much as Andrew had done the day before. Andrew had searched out his brother Peter (Simon) and brought him to Jesus, and Philip now did this with Nathanael (Bartholomew), saying:"We have found the One of Whom Moses in the Law, and the Prophets wrote, Jesus, the son of Joseph, from Nazareth ... . Come and see."(John 1).
The statement that "Jesus found Philip" indicate prior acquaintance between the two of them, as do Philip's words to Nathanael, inasmuch as Philip gave Jesus' name, the interrelation with Moses in the body of the Law, and the Prophets' writings, his family in the flesh, and his residence. Any other connection between Philip and Nathanael is not stated, but in the Biblical lists they are usually placed together, Acts chapter 1, being the exception.
Ostensibly the name Philip is introduced in the Acts, chapter 6, without being identify as an apostle, because of Luke's theme that in the earliest period of the Christian Church, the twelve remained in Jerusalem (Acts 8). Such a narrative strategy on Luke's part would be directly comparable to his denial of the title "apostle"to Paul (except Acts 14) in deference to his personal conception that only the Twelve were apostles.
As an evangelist and missionary, together with Stephen, Philip was among the seven "certified men ... full of spirit and wisdom" chosen for the impartial daily distribution of food among the Greek-and- Hebrew-speaking Christians in Jerusalem. (Acts 6). The accounts of Philip's activity (as also that of Stephen) after this special service ended confirms the high spiritual quality of the men forming this chosen administrative body, for Philip did a work similar to the later effected by the apostle Paul.
When the persecution scattered all except the apostles, who remained in Jerusalem, Philip went to Samaria and there declared the Good News of the Kingdom and with the power of the Holy Spirit, cast out demons and cured the paralyzed and lame. Overjoyed, multitudes accepted the Good News and were baptized, including a certain Simon who had been practicing magical arts. (Acts 8). So when the apostles "heard that Samaria had accepted the Word of God, they dispatched Peter and John to them," that these baptized believers might receive the free gift of the Holy Spirit.
Philip was then led by God's Spirit to meet the Ethiopian eunuch on the Road of Gaza, and there, in a short time, this "man in power under Candace queen of the Ethiopians" put faith in Jesus and asked Philip to baptize him. From there, in the Spirit, he made his way to Ashdod and on to Caesarea, "declaring the Good News to all the cities" along the Way, doing the work of an evangelizer. (Acts 21).
It was in this International Crossroads of Caesarea some twenty years later that Philip was found still active in the Ministry, and still known for having been "one of the seven men" selected by the apostles.
As reported by Luke, when he and Paul stayed in Philip's home for a time, "this man (Philip) had four daughters, virgins, that prophesied."
On the occasion of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem five days before Passover on 33 CE (Mark 11)
some Greeks wanted to see Jesus. They requested Philip to introduce them. He first conferred with Andrew, and together they presented the petition to Jesus for his consideration. (Mark 13; John 12).
This circumspect is reflected in Philip's response to Jesus' question about feeding the multitude, and even in his request (made after Peter's and Thomas' rather blunt questions) that Jesus show them the Father, "and it is enough for us."(John 6; 13; 37). His tactful manner stands in contrast to Peter's directness and bluntness, and thus the brief accounts involving Philip reveal some of the variety of personality to be found among Jesus' chosen apostles.
Because of his close association with Nathanael (Bartholomew) and with the sons of Zebedee, Philip may have been one of the two unidentified disciples who were on the shore of the Sea of Galilee when the resurrected Jesus appeared. (John 21).
A fragmentary apocryphal work from the 4th or 5th CE, in Greek, Syriac, and Latin, reports 15 acts and the martyrdom of Philip. The apostle raises the dead, heals the blind men with divine words, converses with the animals, makes the earth swallow 7000 men, and smiles while hanged upside down by his pierced ankles and thighs. He preaches a severe chastity, and his nature metamorphoses from beastly to mild.
A Gospel discovered in 1945 at Nag Ham-Madi, and despite its textual complexities, it remains alluring predominantly because of its discussion of Christian sacramentalism. It lists five sacraments including Baptism, Chrism, Eucharist, Redemption, and the Bridal Chamber, and discusses the last of these in some detail. Among other things it is also unique in its use of the term "Christian."