Appraisals of early Christian leaders in Acts typically neglect or minimize the contribution of Philip the evangelist. This study establishes Philip''s pivotal place in the overall structure of Luke-Acts, stressing the significance of his roles as the first missionary to the marginalized Samaritians and ''God-fearers'' of a charismatic prophet in the tradition of Moses and Elijah, and a versatile servant in both domestic/diaconal and itinerant/kerygmatic capacities. This investigation utilizes close literary analysis of the Lukan narrative informed by social-historical assessments of the ancient Mediterranean world to create a comprehensive, multidimensional portrait of Philip in Acts.
