Great Lights of the Early Church
The next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him. He had four unmarried daughters, who had the gift of prophecy. Acts 21:8-9
So many of the women who appear in the New Testament appear with only a few tantalizing details. The same is true for these four daughters of the evangelist Philip, one of the seven chosen along with Stephen to minister to the needs of widows in the early Church.
While the New Testament does not list their names, we find them given in various forms in other sources and traditions. Iconographer Heather MacKean, when putting together her icon of Women of the New Testament, determined on three names: Enkhidia, Charilene and Hermione (Irais is a possible fourth name, and some sources even posit that the fourth “sister” was adopted into the family at a later age).
From the early Christian historian Papias, we are told that these four daughters could have potentially been miracle-workers, as one account survives of their raising someone from the dead. We do know, from the details that have survived about her life, that St. Hermione went on to become an unmercenary healer in Ephesus for much of her life.
Eusebius (who quoted Papias as he wrote about Philip’s daughters) considered all four women examples of “right living” and refers to them as “great lights” or “mighty luminaries"; he shared that people would travel long distances to consult them.
In such ways, these sisters accompany us now in discernment, integrity, and courage: women who were known for speaking wisdom and truth, who gave of themselves to bring healing to others, and who are remembered today as shining examples of what it means to live in the light of Christ. May we stand in the same Light and so become beacons of healing to others.
In Heather MacKean’s icon of the Women of the New Testament, these sisters are in the center-right of the icon. We are nearing the end of our Mythbearing Women Fundraiser, and we’d love to send you a high-quality 8×10 print of this icon as our thank you gift to everyone who donates $100 or more—or a monthly commitment of $10 or more!
If you are already a monthly donor, thank you! Any amount you are able to increase your donation will come with a thank-you gift of an icon to your mailbox! Your support directly makes possible gatherings, scholarships, and resources that enable Orthodox women to come together across differences, deepen in faith, and find the encouragement and training they need to live out their callings in the Church.