The Encomium of the Apostle Philip by Michael the Monk (BHG 1530a). Edition and English Translation

Abstract

This article contains an edition and English translation of the Encomium of the Apostle Philip by Michael the Monk, a prolific hagiographer who flourished in the late ninth and early tenth century. It is of particular historical interest because it seems to have been delivered at the saint’s cult centre in Hierapolis. The first part of the text is an elaboration of Biblical passages in which Philip is mentioned, and the second part is a reworking of the late antique Passio of Philip according to rhetorical convention. Instances of direct speech, however, are reproduced without change, which suggests that Michael considered them to be exact representations of what Philip had once said.