# Philip of Anatolia

Source: https://coptic-lore-forge.lovable.app/wiki/philip-of-anatolia — Coptic Orthodox Wiki (updated 2026-10-02)

Philip of Anatolia is a bishop mentioned in the Coptic History of the Church and the attributed author of an Encomium of the Virgin Mary whose authorship is uncertain.[^1][^3][^7]

## Historical account

Philip of Anatolia appears as a bishop in the *Coptic History of the Church*. According to its account, he observed that soldiers at the command headquarters in Damascus, described as pagans and heretics, unjustly persecuted Christians when levying taxes.[^1]

The narrative relates that Philip wrote to the emperors Valens and Valentinianus to draw attention to this treatment. He also explained that Christians could not become soldiers because of the apostles’ commandments. According to the same account, the emperors took measures to alleviate the situation.[^2]

## Encomium of the Virgin Mary

Philip is otherwise unnamed in Coptic or Greek traditions, but an *Encomium of the Virgin Mary* is attributed to him. The work survives in two fragmentary, unedited manuscripts: a ninth-century manuscript from the White Monastery, also called Dayr Anba Shinudah, and an eleventh-century manuscript preserved in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin as MS 819.[^3]

The surviving fragments apparently represent the beginning of the work. They open with praises of Mary and an explanation of the significance of each letter of her name. The text then narrates Mary’s birth, describes the rivers of Paradise, traces Joseph’s lineage, recounts the marriage of Joseph and Mary, and tells of Jesus’ birth.[^4]

## Dating and attribution

On the basis of its content and style, the encomium could belong to the homiletic literature of the seventh to eighth centuries.[^5]

It offers two hypotheses about the attribution. If the account of Philip belonged to the fifth-century redaction of the *Coptic History of the Church*, the homily’s author may have adopted Philip’s name for unknown reasons.[^6]

Alternatively, if the historical account was a seventh-century interpolation—a possibility considered reasonable because of its mention of Damascus—the historical passage and the homily could have been produced by the same editor. These are hypotheses rather than established conclusions about authorship.[^7]

## Sources
[^1]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^2]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^3]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^4]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^5]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^6]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)
[^7]: The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6, Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 644)