03 May - Originally from Galilee, Philip is from Bethsaida, on the shores of Lake Tiberias, like Peter and Andrew. Several characters are called James in the New Testament, but here it is James the son of Alphaeus, who also belongs to the Twelve, nicknamed James the Minor in Roman tradition.

Saint Philip

Philip, like Andrew, was a disciple of John the Baptist before he followed Jesus. The Gospel according to John reports how he was called by Jesus and how he introduced to Jesus his friend Nathanael (whose name only appears in this evangelist and who is identified with Barthélémy: Nathanael, son of Tolmai).

It is to him that Jesus addresses himself before the first multiplication of the loaves (John 6, 5-7), it is to him that pagans present themselves before approaching Jesus (John 12, 21-22), and at the Last Supper it is he who asks Jesus to show them the Father (John 14, 7-12).

After Pentecost, he would have gone to evangelize parts of Asia Minor and preached to the Scythians. He would have been stoned and then crucified at Hierapolis (now Pamukkale) in Phrygia, under Domitian or Trajan. However, it seems that because he had a Greek name and was a native of Bethsaida, he was confused with Andrew. Other historians such as Eusebius of Caesarea, who quotes Polycrates, or Clement of Alexandria say that he died very old, of natural causes, and was buried at Hierapolis.

Saint James

James was the first bishop of Jerusalem. According to Holy Scripture, he received a sign from Jesus after the resurrection, according to the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15,7): "He appeared to James and then to all the Apostles".

As bishop of Jerusalem, James had a special status. As soon as he was released from prison, Peter sought him first to report what the Lord had done (Acts 12, 12-17): "With a wave of his hand he asked them to be silent and told them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. Then he said to them, "Announce it to James and to the brothers". Then he went out and went to another place". James followed Paul's mission according to the testimony of Paul in his letter to the Galatians (1, 9 and 2, 9). At the Council of Jerusalem it was James who summarized the discourse of St. Peter and solved the problem of the conversion of the Gentiles according to Acts 15, 13-21. It was also to James that Paul reported on his journey to Jerusalem.

In the New Testament and according to the Book of Acts 21, 18 .19, James is the author of a Catholic Letter. According to illustrious historians such as Flavius Joseph and Eusebius of Caesarea, James died as a martyr on April 10, 62.

Contenu soumis à la licence CC-BY-SA. Source : Article Philippe (apôtre) de Wikipédia en français (auteurs)