PHILIP THE EVANGELIST, SAINT,

born 1st century, ; feast day June 6 also called Philip The Deacon in the early Christian church, one of the seven deacons appointed to tend the Christians of Jerusalem, thereby enabling the Apostles to freely conduct their missions. His energetic preaching, however, earned him the title of Philip the Evangelist and led him to minister successfully in Samaria, in Palestine, where he converted, among others, the famous magician Simon Magus (Acts 8:9-13). Later, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, he instructed and baptized a court official from Ethiopia. Philip's missionary journey ended at Caesarea (Acts 8), where he raised his four daughters, reputed to be prophets, and where, about AD 58, he entertained the Apostle St. Paul and his companions on their last journey to Jerusalem (Acts 21:8). According to Greek tradition, he became bishop of Tralles (modern Aydin, Tur.).