The Graves of John and Philip

We have already shown the time and manner of the deaths of Paul and Peter, and also the place where their bodies were laid after they departed this life. The time of John’s death has also been given in a general way. The place where his body lies is shown by a letter of Polycrates, who was bishop of the church at Ephesus, written to Victor, bishop of Rome. In it he mentions John together with the apostle Philip and Philip’s daughters, in these words: [a] “In Asia, too, great lights have fallen asleep, who will rise again on the last day, the day of the Lord’s coming, when he comes with glory from heaven and seeks out all the saints. Among them are Philip, one of the twelve apostles, who sleeps in Hierapolis, with two of his daughters, who grew old as virgins, while his other daughter, who lived her life in the Holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus. And there is John, who leaned on the Lord’s breast, who became a priest wearing the priestly plate, and a witness and a teacher. He sleeps at Ephesus.” [b]

So much for their deaths. And in the Dialogue of Gaius, which we mentioned a little earlier, Proclus, against whom Gaius conducted his disputation, agrees with what has been set out above and speaks this way about the death of Philip and his daughters: “After him there were four prophetesses, the daughters of Philip, at Hierapolis in Asia. Their tomb is there, and their father’s.” [d] So much from Proclus. Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, mentions Philip’s daughters, who were then living with their father at Caesarea in Judea and had been granted the gift of prophecy. His words are these: “We came to Caesarea, and going into the house of Philip, the one who brings the good news, who was one of the seven, we stayed with him. And this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.” [e]

In these pages, then, we have set out what has come to our knowledge about the apostles themselves and the apostolic times; about the sacred writings they have left us; about those that are disputed, yet have been read publicly by many in a great number of churches; and about those that are altogether spurious and foreign to apostolic orthodoxy. Now let us go on with the history of what followed. [f]