Emily Dickinson Lexicon

Philip, proper n. [Gk 'fond of horses'.]

1. Disciple of Jesus; one of the twelve original apostles of Christ; New Testament follower known for his inquisitive mind (see John 14).
2. Philip van Artevelde (1340?-1382); hero of Sir Henry Taylor's 1834 verse play; man who led the men of Ghent against the forces of the Count of Flanders in the 12^th Century; tragic character who died an inglorious death by being trampled.