Philip, a Collaborative Forerunner of Peter and Paul

This thesis, employing the narrative approach and especially the analysis of the literary treatment of the relationships of Philip with other characters, tries to prove that Philip is given a unique role in Acts, that of a collaborative forerunner of Peter and Paul. In Acts 6,1-7, Philip is presented by the telling of the narrator as one of the seven and a person full of the Holy Spirit, wisdom, and faith. By the showing, Philip is identified as an appropriate minister of the circle, of the apostles, and of the Holy Spirit. In 6,8-8,3, as parallel descriptions can be found between Stephen in Jerusalem and Philip in Samaria, Philip functions as a forerunner of the scattered Christians, as Stephen does. In 8,4-25, Philip can be recognized as a de facto collaborator with Peter. The synkrisis of Philip with Stephen and that with Simon Magus show Philip as a prophetic messenger of Jesus, like Stephen, and as an apologetic miracle worker of God, unlike Simon the magician. In 8,26-40, Philip appears as a minister of evangelization and baptism. Philip can also be identified as an interpreter of the Bible, like Jesus (Luke 24,13-35), and as a de facto collaborator of Peter (Acts 9,32-48), who comes to the same region where Philip evangelized in 8,40. In 21,1-16, Philip is presented by the showing of the narrator as a possible founder of the Christian circle in Caesarea and as a collaborator and forerunner of Paul. While Paul, the former Saul, persecuted Philip, who then needed to flee from the suffering in Jerusalem, Philip now receives Paul, who goes up to face the suffering awaiting him in Jerusalem. Philip is given extradiegetic functions, too, inviting the reader to engage in evangelical activities with joy and boldness and to realize how to live under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.