Hieromartyr4th century

Hieromartyr Philip Bishop of Heraclea, and those with him

died c. 304

Also known as Philip · Severus · Memnon · 37 soldiers

A bishop of Heraclea in Thrace who suffered under Diocletian with Severus, Memnon, and thirty-seven soldiers.

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Commemorated as

The Holy Hieromartyr Philip, Bishop of Heraclea

Life

Philip was bishop of Heraclea in Thrace, a city (now Marmara Ereğli in modern Turkey) that had been renamed Heraclea in 286 during the reign of Diocletian. He suffered martyrdom around 304 during the Diocletian persecution, together with a group of companions; the Orthodox Church commemorates him on August 20.

When the governor Bassus ordered him to surrender the church's sacred vessels and the Scriptures, Philip gave up the vessels but refused to hand over the books, reportedly declaring that it was not fitting either for the governor to demand them or for the bishop to surrender them. He and his companions were scourged and imprisoned, and Philip was ultimately put to death by burning at Adrianople (modern Edirne).

The Orthodox synaxarion for August 20 commemorates Philip together with the martyr Severus, the centurion Memnon, and thirty-seven holy soldier-martyrs, who suffered in Thrace under Diocletian. A copy of the court proceedings against Philip is said to have survived, providing direct documentary evidence of his trial.

Troparion1 hymnReadHide

TroparionTone 4

Your holy martyrs O Lord,
through their sufferings have received incorruptible crowns from You, our God.
For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries,
and shattered the powerless boldness of demons.
Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Text used with permission of the Orthodox Church in America (oca.org).

Timeline5 momentsReadHide

286The city is renamed HeracleaThe Thracian city later identified with Marmara Ereğli was renamed Heraclea during the reign of Diocletian; Philip served as its bishop.
c. 304Demand to surrender the ScripturesDuring the Diocletian persecution, the governor Bassus ordered Philip to hand over the church's sacred vessels and its books. Philip surrendered the vessels but refused the Scriptures.
c. 304Scourging and refusal of sacrificePhilip and his deacon Severus were scourged. Ordered to worship the emperors, Fortune, and Hercules, Philip and the priest Hermes refused.
c. 304ImprisonmentUnder the governor Justinus, who replaced Bassus, Philip was imprisoned for seven months together with Hermes and Severus before being transferred to Adrianople.
c. 304Martyrdom at AdrianopleAt Adrianople Philip and Hermes were beaten severely and sentenced to death by burning. So gravely injured that he had to be carried to the place of execution, Philip gave thanks to God as he was consumed by the flames; Severus was martyred the following day.

Contributions & Legacy

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Trial and Companions

The surviving account of Philip's trial records a sequence of interrogations before successive governors. Bassus first demanded the church's sacred vessels and Scriptures; when the governor Justinus replaced him, he interrogated Philip without success and ordered him imprisoned. Philip was held for seven months with the priest Hermes and the deacon Severus before being transferred to Adrianople, where he was condemned to be burned alive.

A copy of the court proceedings against Philip is reported to have survived to the present day, making him one of the martyrs whose Acts rest on documentary record rather than later tradition alone. In the Western calendar his memorial is observed on October 22; in the Orthodox calendar he is commemorated on August 20.

The Named Companions

The Orthodox tradition reflected in the synaxarion for August 20 records Philip together with the martyr Severus, the centurion Memnon, and thirty-seven holy soldier-martyrs who suffered in Thrace under Diocletian. The thirty-seven soldiers are described as having had their hands and feet cut off for the faith before being cast into a burning furnace, while Severus and Memnon are said to have suffered the same kind of death.

The Western and OrthodoxWiki sources instead name Philip's principal companions as the deacon Severus and the priest Hermes, the clerical associates named in the surviving Acts. This difference likely reflects distinct strata of the martyrology: Hermes and Severus appear as the clerical companions of the trial record, while Memnon and the thirty-seven soldiers may represent a separate cohort commemorated jointly on the same day. The anchor source (OCA) names Severus, Memnon, and the thirty-seven soldiers.

Companions2 figuresShowHide

Co-martyr; deacon scourged and imprisoned with Philip, beheaded the day after him at Adrianople.

Severus the Deacon

Co-martyr; priest of Heraclea imprisoned with Philip. Distinct from Hermes (Hermas) of the Seventy.

Hermes the Priest

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Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints