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April 30, 2026 – Friday, May 1, is the Feast Day for St. Philip and St. James. (The link is to the 2020 meditation on these two, with a note: “we are now in the eighth full week of the COVID-19 pandemic. And since wisdom begins with the definition of terms – said Socrates – I’ll clarify. To me, the pandemic hit full swing – the “stuff really hit the fan” – back on Thursday, March 12.”

But we digress. We have other fish to fry these days. So, back to Saints Philip and James. One problem is, we’re not sure who they are. “James” was a popular and widespread name in Jesus’ time. It was associated with Jacob, who became “Israel” by wresting with the angel in Genesis 32:24-32. The English name “James” is a variant of “Jacob,” or in Hebrew, “Ya’akov.” And the New Testament lists at least three “James” who could fit the bill, and possibly as many as eight.

Our best guess is that the James remembered on May 1 is James the Lesser, also called James the Son of Alphaeus. (Not to be confused with James the Greater, called “James the Elder.”) This lesser James “appears only four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles.” But he gets his own feast day, as does St. Philip.

The best guess here is that this Philip is Philip the Apostle, but there was also a Philip the Deacon: “One of the seven men chosen by the Apostles to perform certain administrative tasks for the poor in the early Christian community at Jerusalem (Acts 6:5-7). Because of his zeal in preaching the gospel he became known as Philip the Evangelist (Acts 21:8).”

But again, our best guess is that the Philip remembered on May 1 is Philip the Apostle. Wikipedia said this Philip was a disciple from Bethsaida, and that Andrew and Peter were from the same town. Jesus tested him in John 6:6, and later he and Andrew told Jesus about some Greeks who wanted to see Him in John 12:20-22. And as noted, Wikipedia distinguished this Philip from “Philip the Deacon.” See Philip the Evangelist – Wikipedia: “He preached and performed miracles in Samaria, and met and baptised [sic] an Ethiopian man, a eunuch, on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, traditionally marking the start of the Ethiopian Church (Acts 8:26–39).”  (Confused? In past posts I’ve been confused as well.)

As to why these two saints are celebrated together:

The two apostles Philip and James the Lesser are remembered with a single liturgical feast because their relics, transferred respectively from Hierapolis and Jerusalem, were placed together in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles [“Santi Apostoli“] in Rome.

Another note on this Philip. He was a link to the Greek community. He had a Greek name, could speak Greek, probably knew the Greek pilgrims in Jerusalem, as shown by is advising Andrew “that certain Greeks wish to meet Jesus.” (John 12:21.) Also, during the Last Supper, “when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, he provides Jesus the opportunity to teach his disciples about the unity of the Father and the Son.” (And we could use some of that unity today.)

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The upper image is courtesy of Saints Philip and James – Franciscan Media. Caption: “Image: Detail of reredos | Polytych by Maestà | Wikimedia.” See also “Santi Apostoli, Rome.” The article noted this “6th-century Roman Catholic parish and titular church and minor basilica in Rome, Italy, dedicated originally to St. James and St. Philip whose remains are kept here, and later to all Apostles. 

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days … the Church’s Calendar. See also Wikipedia’s Calendar of saints. “The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word ‘feast’ in this context does not mean ‘a large meal, typically a celebratory one,’ but instead ‘an annual religious celebration, a day dedicated to a particular saint.’”

For this post I reviewed, from 2016, Philip and James – Saints and Apostles, On St. Philip and St. James – May, 2020, from 2022, Here’s to Saints Philip and James – “Whoever you are,” and On Saints Mark, Philip and James – 2023.

The lower image is courtesy of Philip the Apostle – Wikipedia. Caption: “‘St. Philip,’ by Peter Paul Rubens, from his ‘Twelve Apostles’ series (c. 1611), at the Museo del Prado, Madrid.”

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