The disappearance of Phillip

[DanteAlighieri]

Gang,

I’d like to know if anyone has any thoughts – or, better yet, commentary sources – about the disappearance of Phillip after he baptised the Ethiopian in Acts 8:39:

39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; and the eunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing.

40But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came to Caesarea.

God had sent Phillip down a desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he met this Ethiopian. When Phillip was “snatched away”, he ended up at Azotus.

I don’t recall having ever heard this story before, let alone any commentary about it. I happened to be perusing Acts last night and this event intrigued me.

Thoughts?

Peace,
Dante

 

[AspiringDeacon]

Jerome says that as the scripture shows, Phillip ended up in Caesarea. Paul becomes his house guest (check Acts 21:8) so he is alive and well at that point.

Caesarea was a pagan city, and Dom Bernard Orchard says only that he was miraculously removed, so maybe he did his job and God moved him to the pagan city?

It also says “caught up” is the same original words used to describe heavenly assumption!

Dom Bernard Orchard says that tradition back to St. Irenaeus said that the eunuch becomes the apostle of his country.

 

[marymol]

What seems also of interest in this passage is the mention of the court official as a eunuch …

In The Gospels , there is that scene where St.Philip pleads with our Lord to ’ show us The Father ’ and our Lord’s words - ’ if you have seen Me, you have seen The Father ’ …

Since we are in a culture plagued by gender identity issues, and Father relationship is critical for true healing of misguided efforts to fill in that void - which the enemy brings in, in all possible ways , esp. by subtle or overt attack on Fatherhood in The Church and families !

Is it not likely that there is something more to this scene …and that St. Philip can be a good patron for those who need to ‘see’ The Father …

 

[DaveBj]

What seems also of interest in this passage is the mention of the court official as a eunuch …

In The Gospels , there is that scene where St.Philip pleads with our Lord to ’ show us The Father ’ and our Lord’s words - ’ if you have seen Me, you have seen The Father ’ …

Since we are in a culture plagued by gender identity issues, and Father relationship is critical for true healing of misguided efforts to fill in that void - which the enemy brings in, in all possible ways , esp. by subtle or overt attack on Fatherhood in The Church and families !

Is it not likely that there is something more to this scene …and that St. Philip can be a good patron for those who need to ‘see’ The Father …

I think you’ve got your Philips mixed up. You’re thinking of Philip the Apostle. The Philip in Acts was a Hellenistic Jewish convert who was chosen as one of the first seven deacons and then later became an evangelist.

 

[marymol]

I think you’ve got your Philips mixed up. You’re thinking of Philip the Apostle. The Philip in Acts was a Hellenistic Jewish convert who was chosen as one of the first seven deacons and then later became an evangelist.

Thank you for that correction - glad to have learned this on this Mission Sunday !

Interestingly, New Advent mentions of the confusion between the two Phillips , even in the early Church !

Well…does that only add more to their roles as intercessors …