| Philip, Deacon
and Evangelist (Oct. 11th)
Philip, who was traditionally
referred to as a Deacon and an Evangelist, was one of seven honest men
appointed, some sources say ordained, by the apostles to distribute bread and
alms to the widows and the poor in Jerusalem.
After the martyrdom of Stephen, Philip went to Samaria to preach the gospel. In
his travels south to Gaza he encountered an Ethiopian eunuch, a servant of the
Ethiopian queen, reading the Isaiah text on the Suffering Servant. They traveled
together, and in the course of their journey the Ethiopian was converted and
baptized by Philip.
Subsequently, Philip traveled as a missionary from Ashdod northwards and settled
in Caesarea. It was in Caesarea that he hosted St. Paul. Philip’s activities at
the end of his life are the subject of speculation, but some sources place him
as a bishop at Lydia in Asia Minor. His feast day in the Eastern Church is
October 11, and in the West usually June 6. Other provinces of the Anglican
Communion also keep his feast on October 11.
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