Philip of Alexandroscene
One of the three sons of a proselyte, Alphæus, and a Greek woman, Myrtica. Like his brothers Elijah and Daniel, he is a prosperous merchant from Alexandroscene.
They suffer from being of mixed blood and from being despised for it:
"Better Galileans than Judaeans. Too much mould in the latter. They never forgive us for not having pure blood. It would be much better if their souls were pure."[1]
Because of this, they have not been able to find a marriage partner.
They welcome Jesus and some disciples who can give them news of their sister Hermione of Antigonea, married to a servant of Lazarus, Dositeus.
Philip is quite joyful to announce that the "Rabbi" will speak in his courtyard. The three brothers indeed invite the crowd to listen to Jesus, who speaks about the workers of the eleventh hour. It turns violent. Jesus is driven out and the brothers threatened.[2]
His name[edit | edit source]
Philip means in Greek "lover of horses" - Historical reference: the father of Alexander the Great.