Man and Church
Apostle Philip and the Serpent Worshipped as a God
In ancient Hierapolis, St. Philip reportedly confronted a serpent worshipped by pagans, setting in motion events that would lead to his martyrdom.
On November 14 – the eve of the Nativity Fast – the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the Holy Apostle Philip. After the Lord’s Resurrection, He commanded His apostles to “preach in His Name among all nations.” From the Book of Acts and later Church Tradition, we know of many of the travels of the apostles, as well as their martyric deaths for preaching the Gospel.
Heeding the Christ’s words, St. Philip went forward with his sister Mariamne and the Apostle Bartholomew-Nathanael, whom he had called to “come and see” the Christ (John 1:46). The two were friends from the city of Bethsaida, the same city as the brothers and Holy Apostles Sts. Peter and Andrew the First-Called. They traveled to Greece and through Asia Minor and preached in Phrygia, coming finally to the city of Hierapolis. The name means “holy city,” but this was, at the time, a misnomer: Hierapolis was a center of powerful pagan cults. It was also the gateway to hell.
