Person

Philip the Apostle

One of the Twelve apostles, from Bethsaida (John 1:44, the same village as Peter the Apostle and Andrew the Apostle), the third disciple Jesus called (John 1:43), the recruiter of Bartholomew the Apostle (Nathanael), and a prominent figure in the Johannine narrative. According to strong tradition, Philip evangelized Phrygia in Asia Minor and was martyred at Hierapolis ~AD 80. To be distinguished from Philip the Evangelist (one of the Seven of Acts 6; Acts 8 evangelizes Samaria and the Ethiopian eunuch; Acts 21:8), though the two are conflated in some patristic sources.

Biographical sketch

Origin: Bethsaida, the fishing village on the northeast shore of the Sea of Galilee (John 1:44; 12:21).
Greek name: Philippos, a Greek (not Hebrew/Aramaic) name, suggesting either a Hellenized Galilean family or a parallel Hebrew name not recorded.
Calling (John 1:43-44): the day after Andrew's calling. Jesus "found Philip", the only apostolic calling in the Fourth Gospel framed as Jesus actively seeking. Philip immediately found Bartholomew the Apostle (Nathanael) and brought him to Jesus.
Among the Twelve: Matt 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13. In all four lists, Philip is the fifth apostle named, paired with Bartholomew.

Distinctive Johannine scenes

Philip appears in four narrative scenes in the Fourth Gospel:

Calling and recruitment of Nathanael (John 1:43-46): Philip's "come and see" to Nathanael's skeptical "can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" is a model evangelistic exchange.
Feeding of the 5,000 (John 6:5-7): Jesus tests Philip, "where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?", and Philip answers prosaically ("two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them"). The narrator notes Jesus "was saying this to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do." Philip's calculating response contrasts with Andrew's bringing-of-the-boy.
The Greeks who wished to see Jesus (John 12:20-22): Greeks at Passover approached Philip; he consulted Andrew; together they brought the request to Jesus. Philip's Greek name made him the natural intermediary for Greek-speaking inquirers.
"Show us the Father" (John 14:8-11): at the Last Supper, Philip says "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus's response is one of the Fourth Gospel's most direct Christological statements: "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me?" The Philip-question text is foundational for the Father-Son consubstantiality argument in Trinity / Christs Deity discussions.

Post-resurrection ministry

Phrygia and Hierapolis: the strongest tradition, attested in Eusebius of Caesarea (HE 3.31, citing Polycrates of Ephesus c. 190, and 5.24, citing the same Polycrates), Polycrates writes that "Philip, of the twelve apostles, sleeps at Hierapolis with his two daughters who grew old as virgins; and another daughter of his, who lived in the Holy Spirit, rests at Ephesus." Polycrates's testimony is exceptionally early (a generation after the apostles, in dialogue with Rome about Easter dating).
Possible conflation with Philip the Evangelist: Polycrates's reference to "Philip... and his daughters" matches Acts 21:8-9's description of Philip the Evangelist's four prophesying daughters, so Polycrates may be mistakenly merging the apostle and the evangelist. Most modern scholarship treats this as a possible Polycratan conflation, but does not rule out that the apostle Philip also had daughters.
Mission area: Phrygia (central Asia Minor), with Hierapolis (a city on the Lycus river known for its hot springs, now Pamukkale, Turkey) as the central base and burial site.
Martyrdom: tradition gives crucifixion or being beheaded. Acts of Philip (5th c., apocryphal) elaborates a martyrdom narrative, but is heavily legendary.
Recent archaeology (2011, Francesco D'Andria): excavations at Hierapolis identified a Byzantine martyrium church and possibly the tomb of Philip, adding archaeological corroboration to the Polycratan tradition.

Distinction from Philip the Evangelist

Acts 6:5 names a Philip among the Seven appointed to administer poor-relief in Jerusalem. Acts 8 has this Philip evangelize Samaria after Stephen's martyrdom and then encounter the Ethiopian eunuch on the Gaza road. Acts 21:8 calls him "Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven" and notes his four prophesying daughters.

The two Philips are clearly distinguished in Acts itself:

The apostle Philip is one of the Twelve, present in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 1:13).
The evangelist Philip is one of the Seven, appointed after the apostles to free them to focus on prayer and the word.

Later patristic sources sometimes blur the distinction (Polycrates's testimony being one possible instance), but the canonical text keeps them separate.

Theological themes

Come and see (John 1:46): Philip's evangelistic method to skeptical Nathanael is the Gospel's classic invitation to investigate-rather-than-assent. A foundational pastoral / apologetic pattern.
"Show us the Father" (John 14:8): Philip's request and Jesus's response anchor the Christological doctrine that the Son makes the Father visible. Theology proper through Christology is the Johannine pattern, and Philip's question is the entry-point.
Mediator for Greek inquirers (John 12:21): Philip's Greek name making him the bridge for Greeks suggests the apostolic mission's intentionality about cultural-linguistic bridging, a pattern Paul develops more extensively.