Ethiopian Eunuch

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

Philip the Deacon’s convert ( Acts 8:27 ff.) is described as Αἰθίοψ εὐνοῦχος δυνάστης Κανδάκης βασιλίσσης Αἰθιόπων, ὅς ἧν ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς γάζης αὐτῆς. Αἰθίοψ has been briefly discussed above, εὐνοῦχος implies that he was one of the Court officials and perhaps subject to the physical disability which the name ordinarily implies, but not ‘chamberlain’ in the strict sense of the term, as he ‘was in charge of all her treasure’ (see Candace), Becker ( Charicles , Eng. translation, 1895, p. 365) notes that eunuchs were prized for their reputed fidelity (παρὰ τοῖσι βαρβάροισι [Herod. viii. 105]), and hence were employed as treasurers (ἐπιεικῶς γὰρ εἰώθεσαν εὐνούχους ἔχειν γαζοφύλακας [Plutarch, Demetr . 25]). δυνάστης suggests that he possessed unusual power and influence at Court; the word is not found in a similar connexion elsewhere in the Nt (it is used of God in  1 Timothy 6:15 and of kings in  Luke 1:52), but we have two good instances in Xenophon ( Anab . i. ii. § 20: τῶν ὑπάρχων τινα δυνάστην, and Cyrop . iv. v. § 40; τοῦ βασιλέως καὶ ἅλλων δυναστῶν; cf. Herod. ii. 32 and Plato, Rep . 473). There are no means hitherto available for identifying this personage who so early in the history of the Church was admitted to her fold by holy baptism*[Note: The formula of faith contained in v. 37 is not found in the oldest Mss, but cannot be later than the 2nd cent., as it is quoted by Irenaeus (Hœr. iii. xii. 8).]from the Gentile world; but the fact that he was returning front worship at Jerusalem, and was reading  Isaiah 53:7-8 in the Septuagintversion, which here differs somewhat from the Hebrew text, shows that he was acquainted with the Greek language and had been drawn to the religion of the Jews, although he was not very deeply versed in the Scriptures (v. 34). He was not actually a proselyte, and in any case his physical condition probably disqualified him.

C. L. Feltoe.

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

Ethiopian Eunuch . According to   Acts 8:27 , an Ethiopian eunuch, minister of Candace , queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, was met shortly after the martyrdom of Stephen by the deacon Philip when returning from a religious journey to Jerusalem, and converted to Christianity. The confession of faith put into his mouth in   Acts 8:37 (Av [Note: Authorized Version.] ) is now universally admitted to be an early interpolation. Assuming the Lukan authorship of the Acts, the source of the above narrative may have been personal information received from Philip (cf.   Acts 21:8 ). Like the baptism of Cornelius by St. Peter, the case of the Ethiopian eunuch marked an important stage in the question of the admission of the Gentiles to the Christian Church.

Holman Bible Dictionary

 Acts 8:27

Easton's Bible Dictionary

 Acts 8:27

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(ἀνὴρ Αἰθίοψ, εὐνοῦχος ), a person described ( Acts 8:27) as a chief officer (vizier) of the Ethiopian queen Candacs (δυνάστης Κανδάκης τῆς βασιλίσσης Αἰθιόπων ), who was converted to Christianity through the instrumentality of the evangelist Philip (q.v.). Ethiopic tradition calls him Indich (see Bzovii Annal. ad 1524, page 542; but comp. Ludolf, Hist. AEth. 3:2), and Irenaseus ( Acts 3:12) and Eusebius (Hist.  Ecclesiastes 2:1) make him thie founder of Christianity in Arabia Felix and Ethiopia, but according to Sophronius he preached in the island of Ceylon, and suffered martyrdom there. His official title does not necessarily indicate an emasculated person (See Eunuch), but probably here denotes a prime minister of state rather than a simple cubicularius or chamberlain (q.v.). Kuindl (ad loc.) thinks he was a Jew of the Diaspora; and certainly he was at least a proselyte (q.v.). As to the place of his power, it is not quite certain that the passage in Pliny (Hist. Nat. 6:5) refers to Meroa as the seat of government of the female sovereigns (comp. βασιλέας, Strabo, 17:2, 3); but possibly rather to Napata (Τανάπη, Dion Cass. 54:5), the capital of a different part of Ethiopia (Rawlinson, Herodotus , 2:35), or perhaps an uncertain locality (Ritter, Erdk. 1:592). On the historical elements of the question, see Laurent, Neutestamen. Studien (Gotha, 1866), page 140 sq.; Bibliotheca Sacra, July 1866, page 515; on the religious teachings of the narrative, (See Sam). Smith, Sermon on the Eth. Eunuch's Con version (Lond. 1632). (See Candace).

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

ē -thi -ō´pi -an ū´nuk εὐνοῦχος , eunoúchos ): A man who occupied a leading position as treasurer at the court of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, and who was converted and baptized by Philip the deacon ( Acts 8:27-39 ). Being a eunuch, he was not in the full Jewish communion (compare  Deuteronomy 23:1 ), but had gone up to Jerusalem to worship, probably as a proselyte at the gate. During his return journey he spent the time in studying Isaiah, the text which he used being that of the Septuagint (compare Professor Margoliouth, article "Ethiopian Eunuch" in Hdb ). On meeting with Philip the deacon, who was on his way to Gaza, he besought of him to shed light upon the difficulties of the Scripture he was reading, and through this was converted. The place of his baptism, according to Jerome and Eusebius, was Bethsura: by some modern authorities, e.g. G. A. Smith, it has been located at or near Gaza. The verse containing the confession of the eunuch, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God," is omitted either in whole or in part by some texts, but Hilgenfeld, Knowling, etc., regard it as quite in keeping with the context. Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, Revised Version (British and American) text, etc., uphold the omission. The verse occurs in the body of the King James Version, but is given only as a footnote in the Revised Version (British and American) and the American Standard Revised Version. The diligence with which the eunuch pursued his reading, the earnestness with which he inquired of Philip, and the promptness with which he asked for baptism - all testify to the lofty nature of his character.