Sts. Philip and James

Both of these saints were part of the original group of Jesus’ twelve apostles. Philip the Apostle (Greek: Φίλιππος, Philippos) was one of the first apostles chosen by Our Lord. He was born at Bethsaida, in Galilee. Philip the Apostle is frequently confused with Philip the Deacon, whom we read of in the Book of Acts (v 6:7; 8:5-40; 21:8 ff), and who is commemorated on 6 June.

Philip the Apostle appears in the Synoptic Gospels and in Acts only as a name on the list of the Twelve, but he appears in several incidents in the Gospel according to John. Our Lord found him and said, “Follow me.” Philip was so happy to be with Jesus. He wanted to share his happiness with his friend, Nathaniel. “We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about,” Philip explained. “He is Jesus of Nazareth.” When some Greeks (or Greek-speaking Jews) wished to speak with Jesus, they began by approaching Philip (John 12:20).

Before feeding the Five Thousand (John 6:5), Jesus turned to Philip and asked him, “Where can we buy bread to feed these people?” Philip answered, “It would take more than a year’s wages to buy each of them a mouthful.” Some scholars have thought it significant that Jesus asked Philip rather than one of the others. Luke 9:10 tells us that the Feeding of the Five Thousand took place near Bethsaida, and John 1:44 tells us that Philip is from Bethsaida. If they were in Philip’s home neighbourhood, it would be natural to ask for directions. (Peter and Andrew were also from Bethsaida, but seem to have moved to Capernaum).

Later Christian traditions say that Philip preached in Greece, Syria and Phrygia. He died in Hierapolis, and his remains were brought to Rome and buried in the Basilica of the Twelve Apostles [an ancient inscription shows that this church was formerly dedicated to Philip and James].

The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Philip, along with that of James the Just. St. James was also one of Jesus’ twelve apostles. He was the son of Alpheus and a cousin of Our Lord. After Jesus ascended into heaven, James became the bishop of Jerusalem. People thought so much of him that they called him “James the Just,” which means “James the Holy One.” He is also called “James the Less,” because he was younger than the other apostle named James.

James the saint of today’s feast was very gentle and forgiving. He prayed very much. He kept begging God to forgive the people who persecuted the followers of Jesus. Even when Our Lord’s enemies were putting him to death, he asked God to pardon them. St. James died a martyr in the year 62.

Feast days:

May 1 [Anglican Communion, Lutheran Church and pre-1955 General Roman Calendar]
May 3 [Roman Catholic Church]
May 11 [General Roman Calendar, 1955–69]
November 14 [Eastern Orthodox Church]
November 27 [Macedonian Orthodox Church]