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Why did the Ethiopian eunuch go to Jerusalem?

The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home. Sitting in his chariot, he was reading the Book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8.

How long was the road from Jerusalem to Gaza?

(The road from Jerusalem to Gaza is 50 miles long, and leads to the main coastal trade route going to Egypt.) Commentators point out that the word “desert” in Luke’s account can refer either to Gaza or to the road.

What happened to the Ethiopian eunuch in the Bible?

The eunuch, we are told, is an Ethiopian official who has journeyed to Jerusalem to worship and is now returning to Ethiopia (vv. 26–8). The eunuch’s journey accounts for his presence on the ‘way’ (ὁδός, vv. 26, 36), and, after his conversion, he continues on ‘his way’ (ὁδὸν αὐτου, v.

Where was the eunuch going after he was baptized?

This man, evidently converted to Judaism, was returning to his home following a trip to Jerusalem, was reading the Jewish scriptures as he traveled. Approached by Philip, a preacher, at the command of the Spirit of God, he was asked if he understood what he read.

What was Africa called in the Bible?

Cush, Cushitic and Cushi

In the Major Prophets, the terms used to refer to Africa and Africans appear more than 180 times. Cush appears also as a geographical location.

What happened to Philip after he baptized the eunuch?

There he instructed and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch; next he was “caught away” by the Spirit and “found at Azotus” (Ashdod); and then “passing through he preached in all the cities till he came to Caesarea” (Acts 8).

How long did it take Jesus to walk from Nazareth to Jerusalem?

The geography and distances involved naturally allow the Jesus Trail to be walked as a series of day-hikes for a total of four days, with each day’s hike being between 13 and 19 km (8 to 12 mi) in length.

How many miles did Jesus walk a day?

We know Jesus walked between Jerusalem and Nazareth which is about 137km/85miles. Experts estimate he walked an average of 32km/20miles a day during his ministry in Galilee. On a visit to Israel, you can walk the Jesus Trail which is 65km/40miles long and connects significant places in the life of Jesus.

How long is the journey from Nazareth to Jerusalem?

If you want to go by car, the driving distance between Nazareth and Jerusalem is 145.97 km. If you ride your car with an average speed of 112 kilometers/hour (70 miles/h), travel time will be 01 hours 18 minutes.

What is a female eunuch called?

As “gelding” is the equine equivalent of eunuch, so “mare” is the equivalent of woman. As a woman disguised as a man, the Pardoner would belong to a long tradition of female-to-male cross dressing in the Middle Ages.

What was Ethiopia called in the Bible?

The name “Ethiopia” (Hebrew Kush) is mentioned in the Bible numerous times (thirty-seven times in the King James version), and is in many ways considered a holy place.

Where was Ethiopia mentioned in the Bible?

Isaiah 43:3 – For I [am] the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt [for] thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Amos 9:7 – [Are] ye not as children of the Ethiopians unto me, O children of Israel? saith the LORD.

What is a eunuchs purpose?

Eunuchs would usually be servants or slaves who had been castrated to make them less threatening servants of a royal court where physical access to the ruler could wield great influence.

What is the story of the Ethiopian eunuch?

To become a eunuch his testicles were crushed to stop him producing testosterone. Because he had no testosterone, this altered his growth and changed his appearance. His voice never broke, so as an adult he still had the voice of a boy.

What is the purpose of a eunuch?

eunuch, castrated human male. From remote antiquity, eunuchs were employed in the Middle East and in China in two main functions: as guards and servants in harems or other women’s quarters, and as chamberlains to kings.

What was the purpose of the Peter and John’s visit from Jerusalem?

Peter and John go to Samaria (8:14)

For one, it is a mission of goodwill — to show that the church is one body. By sending the apostles to Samaria, the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem are demonstrating their brotherly bond with the Samaritan disciples.

What does the Ethiopian Bible say about Jesus?

Additionally, unlike many other Christians, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church believes that Jesus Christ has one nature that is solely divine, instead of two that are both divine and human. “The Ethiopian Church goes down from King Solomon,” the Rev. Gebra Mariam, speaking in Amharic, said through an interpreter.


The REAL story of the Ethiopian Eunuch! || Acts: Episode 15
The REAL story of the Ethiopian Eunuch! || Acts: Episode 15


The Eunuch of Ethiopia – JourneyOnline

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The land of Ethiopia was also called Cush

Here are some observations that I have concerning this story

1 His Journey’s Purpose

2 His reception was Proscribed

3 His Understanding was Perplexed

4 His heart and mind were Persuaded

5 He Proclaimed the Good News

Stand Firm

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What’s Next

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The Eunuch of Ethiopia - JourneyOnline
The Eunuch of Ethiopia – JourneyOnline

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Ethiopian eunuch – Wikipedia

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Biblical narrative[edit]

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Assessment and interpretation[edit]

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Ethiopian eunuch – Wikipedia

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Studies in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40

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‘Neither Male nor Female’: The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.26–40* | New Testament Studies | Cambridge Core

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‘Neither Male nor Female’: The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.26–40* | New Testament Studies | Cambridge Core
‘Neither Male nor Female’: The Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.26–40* | New Testament Studies | Cambridge Core

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After baptism, the eunuch ‘went on his way, rejoicing’ – Statesboro Herald

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    After baptism, the eunuch ‘went on his way, rejoicing’ – Statesboro Herald
    Updating Writing to the early Christians in the ancient city of Philippi, in what was then the Grecian province of Macedonia, the apostle Paul encouraged them to “Rejoice in the Lord always.” He went so far as to repeat himself: “…again I will say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
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                After baptism, the eunuch 'went on his way, rejoicing' - Statesboro Herald
After baptism, the eunuch ‘went on his way, rejoicing’ – Statesboro Herald

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Acts 8 — An Ethiopian | Ferrell’s Travel Blog

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  • Most searched keywords: Whether you are looking for Acts 8 — An Ethiopian | Ferrell’s Travel Blog The distance from Jerusalem to Ethiopia could be as much as 1500 miles. Quite a trip in a chariot. Check the posts about Aswan here, and one … So he [Philip] got up and went; and there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, (Acts 8:27 NAU) Where was Ethiopia in the first century? One might immediately think of the modern…
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Acts 8 — An Ethiopian | Ferrell's Travel Blog
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Studies in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40

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Studies in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40
Studies in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40

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The Expanding Kingdom: Philip & The Ethiopian Eunuch – Red Letter Christians

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The Expanding Kingdom: Philip & The Ethiopian Eunuch – Red Letter Christians
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Ethiopian eunuch – Wikipedia

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Acts 242 Study | The Ethiopian Eunuch

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acts – How far into the temple did the Ethiopian eunuch worship? – Biblical Hermeneutics Stack Exchange

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The Ethiopian eunuch in transit: A migrant theoretical perspective

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The Ethiopian eunuch in transit: A migrant theoretical perspective
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Who was the Ethiopian eunuch? | GotQuestions.org

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The Eunuch of Ethiopia

The Eunuch of Ethiopia Author: Jim Cole-Rous

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The land of Ethiopia was also called Cush.

In Biblical times Ethiopia encompassed the territory of what we now see as Ethiopia, as well as Sudan and Somalia. In the times of the Patriarchs there were historically recurring invasions between Egypt and Ethiopia (Cush).

During the early life of Moses there was an ongoing battle which was finally won by Moses as general of the Egyptian Army. The historian Josephus, quoting Herodotus, in his Antiquities Ch.10 tells us that Moses married Tharbis, the Daughter of the King of Ethiopia, and obtained a peaceful surrender.

There are a few major references to Ethiopia found in Isaiah, 18:1, 20:3-4, and 45:14.

The King of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, claimed that the royal ancestry of the Kings of Ethiopia went back to King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Certainly there was a Semitic strain in the royal line. There is an interesting quotation in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia that states,

“The Sabean inscriptions found in Abyssinia go back some 2,600 years and give a new value to the Bible references as well as to the constant claim of Josephus that the queen of Sheba (Saba), was a “Queen of Ethiopia.”

In Ethiopia there were many Black Jews, who claimed the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as their God. I observed many Black Jews in Jerusalem in November 1966, all of them wearing the Kippah, and obviously Jewish in dress.

In the days of the early church, very shortly after Jesus had been raised from the dead and ascended to His father in Heaven, an important Ethiopian Government Official came to Jerusalem to Worship the God of Israel. The story of this event is recorded by Dr. Luke in Acts 8:26.

Here are some observations that I have concerning this story.

First, the story begins with a miraculous intervention in the ministry of Philip. Philip, during the persecution of the church in Jerusalem had gone to the city of Samaria, and was engaged in Revival meetings that were accompanied with signs and wonders. He is told by an Angel to leave immediately and go southwards along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is Desert. He is not told why, but he knew enough to obey when God so ordered. Finally he is directed by the Spirit to approach the chariot carrying the Ethiopian Eunuch.

Here are five things that give us understanding of this Ethiopian dignitary.

1. His Journey’s Purpose.

We are told in the 27th verse that he had made the long journey for the purpose of coming to worship the God of Israel. Literally this involved coming to the Temple in Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice. This would have taken several weeks each way. For a man in his position as Minister of the Treasury of Ethiopia, this meant the expense of a long journey for not only himself but for his entire entourage. He was a Cabinet Minister to the Queen, and would never travel alone. Travel would likely be by boat and then overland using chariots. At the outset of this narrative, he is returning to his homeland.

2. His reception was Proscribed.

He finds that on arrival in Jerusalem, he has several strikes against him. First, he cannot actually enter the Temple. No Eunuch was permitted to enter the Temple. Second, he was a Gentile, and at best could have only entered the Court of the Gentiles, but that too was now unattainable. (Deut. 23:1; Lev.22:25) So he could not fulfill his objective; to worship God directly, as he had purposed.

3. His Understanding was Perplexed.

The rules and regulations of the Temple Worship had perplexed him, but he procured a copy of the holy writings upon which so much of the religion was based. It was a copy of the book of the Prophet Isaiah, a book that would have taken a scribe a year to write. There were many detailed rules that were required of a scribe, to ensure that the book was perfectly copied from a master copy. It must have cost the Eunuch an enormous sum of money. Having invested a small fortune in this book, he commenced to read it as he traveled homewards. Again he is Perplexed as he reads this book of Isaiah. He did not understand what the Prophet was saying. He desperately wishes for someone to unravel all this mystery.

4. His heart and mind were Persuaded.

God, who knew this man’s heart, had already decided to intervene.

Now God’s man Philip was walking the road to Gaza; and the Spirit of God instructs him to join himself to this chariot. The Eunuch is reading aloud, as all the People of Jewish faith are instructed to do from Isaiah 53. Acts 8:32-33 tells us what Philip heard the man read. This is a prophecy concerning the Judgment and Crucifixion of Jesus. Philip asks the Eunuch if he understands what he is reading, and is invited to explain this writing.”He promptly baptizes the Eunuch in the water”

Philip realized God had put him there in that place and time; to lead this hungry searching man to know the God of Israel and His Son, Jesus the Anointed One. Believing in his heart what he hears, the Eunuch requests the Jewish rite of Mikvah. By the time Philip had explained the good news to the Eunuch, the chariot had reached the watered plain near Gaza, and there was the water needed for the new believer to make his ‘Mikvah’, being baptized by immersion in water in the name of Jesus.

Philip asks for a spoken affirmation of his faith and upon hearing that he now believes Jesus is the Messiah, the prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah’s writings, he promptly baptizes the Eunuch in the water.

5. He Proclaimed the Good News.

The story concludes with the words, ‘he went on his way rejoicing’. That was all the information Dr. Luke had when he wrote the Book of Acts. Perhaps he went on reading and found Isaiah 56:3-5! “And do not let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree… I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”

This Eunuch returned to his land, and began to spread abroad the news that the awaited Messiah had come and fulfilled the Prophetic writings and that salvation was the gift of God to all who believe in and follow Jesus. Other Ethiopians believed, and for 1,800 years the Christian church flourished in Ethiopia.

This was unknown to the outside world until the 18th century, the Ethiopian believers proclaimed the message, because one man heard from God and left a revival to walk along a desert road.

So the first Missionary to Africa seems to have been this dear African Convert to Christianity.

Will you tell this story to someone God puts in your pathway? The outcome could be history making!

Enjoyed reading this story? You can get the whole book, with fifty-two more stories. Choose Print or Kindle at Amazon.com Published as ‘God’s Honorable Mentions’.

Ethiopian eunuch

Figure in the New Testament’s Acts chapter 8

The Ethiopian eunuch (Ge’ez: ኢትዮጵያዊው ጃንደረባ) is a figure in the New Testament of the Bible; the story of his conversion to Christianity is recounted in Acts 8.

Biblical narrative [ edit ]

Philip the Evangelist was told by an angel to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, and there he encountered the Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of the Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians (Ancient Greek: Κανδάκη, the “Candace” was the Meroitic language term for “queen” or possibly “royal woman”). The eunuch had been to Jerusalem to worship[Acts 8:27] and was returning home. Sitting in his chariot, he was reading the Book of Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8. Philip asked the Ethiopian, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He said he did not (“How can I understand unless I have a teacher to teach me?”), and asked Philip to explain the text to him. Philip told him the Gospel of Jesus, and the Ethiopian asked to be baptized. They went down into a water source, traditionally thought to be the Dhirweh fountain near Halhul,[1] and Philip baptized him.

In the King James Version and the Catholic Douay-Rheims Version, the Ethiopian says, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (verse 37), but this is omitted in most modern versions. D.A. Hubbard suggests that confession is “not supported in the better manuscripts [i.e. the Alexandrian text-type])”, although the Ethiopian is still “one of the outstanding converts in Acts.”[2]

After this, Philip was suddenly taken away by the Spirit of the Lord, and the eunuch “went on his way rejoicing” (verse 39).

Christian traditions [ edit ]

Church Father St. Irenaeus of Lyons in his book Adversus haereses (Against the Heresies, an early anti-Gnostic theological work) 3:12:8 (180 AD), wrote regarding the Ethiopian eunuch, “This man (Simeon Bachos the Eunuch) was also sent into the regions of Ethiopia, to preach what he had himself believed, that there was one God preached by the prophets, but that the Son of this (God) had already made (His) appearance in human flesh, and had been led as a sheep to the slaughter; and all the other statements which the prophets made regarding Him.” In Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo tradition he was referred to as Bachos and is known as an Ethiopian Jew with the name Simeon also called the Black, a name used in Acts 13:1.[3][4]

One of the traditional sites of the baptism is the Ein Hanya Spring.[5] Others place the traditional site of baptism at the Dhirweh fountain, near Halhul.[1]

Assessment and interpretation [ edit ]

Religion [ edit ]

The Ethiopian eunuch’s religion of origin is significant because of the subsequent implications of his conversion to Christianity. There are many competing theories for the eunuch’s pre-conversion religious status in relation to Judaism and Christianity.

Modern scholarship tends to place the Ethiopian eunuch in the “intermediate position between Jew and Gentile.”[9] Scott Shauf suggests that the “primary point of the story is about carrying the gospel to the end of the earth, not about establishing a mission to Gentiles,” and thus Luke “does not bring the Gentile status of the Ethiopian into the foreground.” However, “the suggestion that the eunuch is or at least might be a Gentile in the story, by both his ethnic and possibly physical description” may leave more formative possibility than if he had been explicitly categorized.[18] Ernst Haenchen builds on Ferdinand Christian Baur’s work (1792–1860) in concluding that “the author of Acts made the eunuch’s religious identity ambiguous intentionally” so as to preserve the tradition that claimed Cornelius as the first Gentile convert as well as the tradition that claimed the Ethiopian Eunuch as the first Gentile convert.[9]

Sexuality [ edit ]

Commentators generally suggest that the combination of “eunuch” together with the title “court official” indicates a literal eunuch, who would have been excluded from the Temple by the restriction in Deuteronomy 23:1.[19][20] Some scholars point out that eunuchs were excluded from Jewish worship and extend the New Testament’s inclusion of these men to other sexual minorities; gay Catholic priest John J. McNeill, citing non-literal uses of “eunuch” in other New Testament passages such as Matthew 19:12,[21] writes that he likes to think of the eunuch as “the first baptized gay Christian,”[22] while Jack Rogers writes that “the fact that the first Gentile convert to Christianity is from a sexual minority and a different race, ethnicity and nationality together”[23]: 135 calls Christians to be radically inclusive and welcoming.

Race and origins [ edit ]

“Candace” was the name given in Greco-Roman historiography to all the female rulers or consorts of the Kingdom of Kush (now part of Sudan). The capital city was Meroë, and the title of “Candace” derives from a Meroitic word, kdke, that referred to any royal woman.[24] “Ethiopian” was a Greek term for black-skinned peoples generally, often applied to Kush (which was well known to the Hebrews and often mentioned in the Hebrew Bible). The eunuch was not from the land today known as Ethiopia, which corresponds to the ancient Kingdom of Aksum, which conquered Kush in the fourth century. The first writer to call it Ethiopia was Philostorgius around 440.[25]

Some scholars, such as Frank M. Snowden, Jr., interpret the story as emphasizing that early Christian communities accepted members regardless of race: “Ethiopians were the yardstick by which antiquity measured colored peoples.”[26][27] Others, such as Clarice Martin, write that it is a commentary on the religion rather than on its adherents, showing Christianity’s geographical extent; Gay L. Byron goes further, saying, “The Ethiopian eunuch was used by Luke to indicate that salvation could extend even to Ethiopians and Blacks.”[28] David Tuesday Adamo suggests that the word used here (Αίθίοψ, aithiops) is best translated simply as “African.”[29]

Related figures [ edit ]

C. K. Barrett contrasts the Ethiopian eunuch’s story with that of Cornelius the Centurion, another convert. He notes that while the Ethiopian continues on his journey home and passes out of the narrative, Cornelius and his followers form another church in Judea, and speculates that this reflects a desire to focus on Peter rather than Philip.[16]: 421 Robert O’Toole argues that the way Philip is taken away parallels the way Jesus disappears after he has been talking to the disciples on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.[30]

There are literary parallels between the story of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts and that of Ebed-Melech, an Ethiopian eunuch in the Book of Jeremiah.[31]

Further reading [ edit ]

Knecht, Friedrich Justus (1910). “The Sacrament of Confirmation — Baptism of the Officer of Queen Candace.” A Practical Commentary on Holy Scripture. B. Herder.

Studies in the Book of Acts: Acts 8:26-40

An angel directs Philip to Gaza (8:26)

Philip’s role in Samaria may be over, but he is about to play another important part in spreading of the gospel. An angelic messenger appears to Philip and instructs him: “Go south to the road — the desert road — that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (8:26). Commentators point out that when Luke wants to stress the presence and activity of God, he often uses an expression like “the angel of the Lord” (as he does in 8:26) rather than “the Spirit of the Lord.” [Some examples are in Luke 1:11, 13, 26, 28; 2:9, 13; 22:43; Acts 5:19; 7:30, 35, 38; 8:26; 10:3, 7, 22; 11:13; 12:7, 11, 23; 27:23.] Used here, the expression is a vivid way of describing Philip’s divine guidance.

This is another opportunity for Luke to stress that the evangelistic work of the church is initiated by God, who sends his divine messenger to Philip. Whatever mission work Philip is about to do is not based on a program the church has thought out. After all, in this case, what would be the point of traveling to a “desert road” that leads to Gaza, and preach the gospel there?

But that’s what Philip is told to do — go down the road that leads to the edge of the desert. (The road from Jerusalem to Gaza is 50 miles long, and leads to the main coastal trade route going to Egypt.) Commentators point out that the word “desert” in Luke’s account can refer either to Gaza or to the road. Most likely the former is in view here. Apparently, the old town of Gaza is referred to as “Desert Gaza,” in distinction to a newer town named Gaza. This is the southernmost of the five main Philistine cites in southwestern Judea. It is also the last settlement before a traveler encounters the barren desert stretching to Egypt.

The Ethiopian official (8:27-28)

As Philip travels the road to “Desert Gaza,” he meets an Ethiopian eunuch. This man is what we might call the Secretary of the Treasury or the Chancellor Exchequer for Kandake, the Ethiopian queen (8:27). As a minister of finance, he is an important official in the queen’s “cabinet.” The Ethiopians are Nubians, living in Southern Egypt and the Sudan, between modern Aswan and Khartoum. (The modern nation of Ethiopia is further south.) Kandake is a dynastic title, such as Pharaoh, not a personal name. All Ethiopian queens have that name. According to ancient writers, the Nubian king is said to be too holy to become involved with profane matters of state, [Strabo, Geography 17.1.54; Pliny the Elder, Natural History 6.186.] so the mother of the king rules on behalf of her son.

Luke says of Kandake’s eunuch that he went “to Jerusalem to worship” (8:27). Therefore, though he is probably a Gentile, he is most likely a proselyte or “God-fearer.” This is indicated by the fact that the eunuch makes a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and is now studying the book of Isaiah. (It would be difficult for a non-Jew to get a copy of the Isaiah scroll, but a minister of finance would no doubt have more ability than the average Gentile.)

Israel’s law excludes the sexually deformed from being able to “enter the assembly of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:1), and eunuchs were not allowed in the innermost court of the temple. Yet, Isaiah predicts a time when this ban will be removed (56:3-5). It’s not clear how first-century Judaism regards eunuchs, and whether they are allowed even in the outermost courts. Some commentators feel that Luke does not mean to say that the Ethiopian is truly a “eunuch.”

The word eunuch (eunochos) frequently appears in the LXX and in Greek vernacular writings “for high military and political officials; it does not have to imply emasculation”… Therefore, we are probably justified in taking “eunuch” to be a governmental title in an Oriental kingdom. [Longenecker, 363.]

Other commentators disagree. They point out that both the word “eunuch” and “official” describe the Ethiopian in the same verse (8:27). If “eunuch” simply means “official” here, then Luke would be redundant. Because Luke used both terms in the same sentence, it seems he intends us to understand that the Ethiopian is sexually mutilated, or a eunuch. In ancient times it was common for male servants of a queen to be eunuchs.

Eunuch baptized (8:29-38)

As Philip, at the behest of the Spirit, runs up to the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot, he hears him reading from the book of Isaiah (8:32-33). It is hardly an accident that at the precise moment of Philip’s arrival the Ethiopian is reading a passage that makes him open to the good news about Jesus. The Ethiopian is reading from the Suffering Servant section in Isaiah 53. As Philip approaches the chariot, the eunuch asks him whether the prophet is talking about himself or someone else (8:34).

Philip immediately takes advantage of this God-given opportunity. “Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus” (8:35). Jesus quoted from Isaiah 53, saying it would be fulfilled in his death (Luke 22:37). Now, Philip is preaching the same message. Philip, like Peter, apparently tells the eunuch that anyone who accepts Jesus as Messiah should be baptized for the remission of sins, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit (2:38). Thus, when somewhere along the road the Ethiopian sees water (a rarity in this area, except for the Mediterranean Sea), he asks for baptism.

The eunuch halts his chariot, goes to the water and both of them go “down into the water and Philip baptized him” (8:38). The phrase “went down into” implies that the baptism was done by immersion. Jesus himself was baptized this way (Mark 1:9-10). The fact that the official goes “on his way rejoicing” indicates that he has received the Holy Spirit (8:39). Luke often sees joy as a response to God’s work in the world. [Luke 1:14, 28; 2:10; 6:23; 8:13; 10:17, 20; 13:17; 15:5, 7, 10, 32; 19:6, 37; 24:41, 52.]

Africa has now been reached by the gospel in the person of the Ethiopian eunuch. In him, the prophecy of Psalm 68:31 is beginning to be fulfilled: “Ethiopia [Cush] will quickly stretch out her hands to God” (New King James Version).

The evangelization and baptism of a high-ranking Ethiopian represents another step in the advance of the gospel from its Jewish origins to a wider Gentile world. However, the church is still far from engaging in a full-bore missions effort directly to pagan Gentiles. “As with the Samaritans, the conversion of the Ethiopian does not yet represent a formal opening to the Gentiles, but rather to those who were marginalized within the people of God” [Johnson, page 160].Most modern translations omit verse 37 from the text and place it in a footnote, because the oldest manuscripts do not have this verse. The verse reads: “Philip said, ‘If you believe with all your heart, you may.’ The eunuch answered, ‘I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.’” The verse simply makes explicit something that the other verses imply; it seems that an early scribe thought it should be more explicit, added it to the text, and many copyists followed suit.

Angel takes Philip away (8:39)

Having fulfilled his role with the Ethiopian eunuch, Philip is suddenly snatched away by “the Spirit of the Lord” (8:39). The story of the eunuch’s conversion ends where it began, with God’s presence and direct intervention. Luke is again making the point that the gospel is being preached and people are being converted at God’s direction, not by human desire.

The presence of the gospel out here in the desert of Gaza with this Ethiopian of somewhat murky physical, religious, and ethnic status can only be attributed to the constant prodding of the Spirit. If the good news is being preached out there, it is the work of God, not of people. No triumphal, crusading enthusiasm has motivated the church up to this point, no mushy all embracing desire to be inclusive of everyone and everything. Rather, in being obedient to the Spirit, preachers like Philip find themselves in the oddest of situations with the most surprising sorts of people. [Willimon, Acts, page 72.]

Philip preaches along the coast (8:40)

Luke next recounts Philip’s sudden appearance at the coastal town of Azotus. Philip travels in the area, “preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea” (8:40). Azotus is the old Philistine city of Ashdod, about 20 miles north of Gaza. Philip works his way north along the coastal road that runs through the coastal plain. He apparently preaches the gospel in such coastal cities as Lydda, Joppa, Jamnia and Antipatris. He probably spends considerable time in each town. What we have in Luke’s brief notation is a missionary journey of substantial duration. Luke passes over in only one sentence the details of what may have been a months-long work.

Philip’s final destination is Caesarea, which is either where he lived or later settled. After arriving in Caesarea, he disappears from Luke’s account for 20 years. He reappears as Paul’s host in chapter 21. By this time he is the father of four daughters, all four of whom prophesy (21:8-9).

Philip may have been Luke’s source for much of the information in Acts 8. Luke is with Paul when they stay with Philip’s family in Caesarea before the final Jerusalem visit (21:8). He would have ample opportunity to discuss the events described in chapter 8. If Luke gathers his material at a later time, he could still interview one or more of Philip’s daughters about the early days of the church.

Author: Paul Kroll, 1995, 2012

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