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Candace's Treasurer
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Kendall K. Down
Sep 10, 2021, 11:40:07 PM9/10/21
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I've put together a sermon/talk on the story in Acts 8, with suitable
pictures culled from the internet or my own picture library. Some of the
material may be of interest to anyone who gives talks in their church
and if you would like the whole presentation, complete with pictures,
just let me know.
God bless,
Kendall K. Down
SLIDE 1
Sermon
(Candace's Treasurer)
:
SLIDE 2
Candace’s Treasurer
So he started out, and on his way he met an
Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in
charge of all the treasury of Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians.
Acts 8:27
Acts tells us that Philip met the treasurer of Candace, who is queen of
the Ethiopians - and he actually uses the word "Ethiopia", not "Cush".
:
SLIDE 3
Pliny
“The actual town of Meroe, they said,
is at a distance of 70 miles from the
first approach to the island. ... They
said that it is ruled by a woman,
Candace, a name that has passed on
through a succession of queens for
many years.”
Natural History, VI.xxxv
The first clue we have to the identity of this queen is a statement by
Pliny in his "Natural History". The interesting thing is that Meroe is
in Nubia, not Ethiopia.
:
SLIDE 4
I have never been to Meroe, but I would love to go! These small,
steep-sided pyramids belong to a culture that tried to imitate all
things Egyptian.
:
SLIDE 5
The pyramids were built between 300 BC and AD 350, so Queen Candace may
be buried in one of them!
:
SLIDE 6
Unlike Egypt, where the burial ground is on the west bank of the Nile -
the dead go into the sunset - at Meroe the burial ground is out in the
desert on the east!
:
SLIDE 7
Some of the pyramids have been damaged by treasure hunters, but others
are remarkably well preserved (and one or two have been restored).
:
SLIDE 8
As well as the pyramids there are the remains of temples, also
constructed on the Egyptian model.
:
SLIDE 9
Some miles to the north is another collection of these Meroitic
pyramids. This is what they looked like in 1821.
:
SLIDE 10
This is what they look like today - but notice the curious mountain
behind them. It is Jebel Barkal.
:
SLIDE 11
It is a remarkable sight, rising out of the desert. Thutmoses III of the
18th Dynasty regarded it as the southern border of Egypt.
:
SLIDE 12
He built a temple to the god Amun at the base of the mountain and later
kings, particularly Kushite kings, enlarged the temple and made it more
magnificent. You can see the pyramids in the distance at top left.
:
SLIDE 13
It was, in a way, the last outpost of Egypt in the south, with
ram-headed sphinxes forming an avenue leading to the front of the temple.
:
SLIDE 14
There is not much left of the temple today, mainly due to stone robbing
by later builders.
:
SLIDE 15
The Hathor pillars from the later temple are extremely crude, showing
that the local craftsmen were not as skilled as the Egyptians themselves.
:
SLIDE 16
Candace appears to be a title for the queen mother, rather than a
personal name and the Berlin Egyptian Museum has a picture of one of
these queens called Kandake Amanitore, who lived AD 1-20.
:
SLIDE 17
This is her pyramid at Meroe.
:
SLIDE 18
These queen mothers - sisters of the king of Kush - lived in
considerable splendour. This is some of the jewellery of Kandake
Amanishakheto, 10 BC-AD 1, Amanitore's predecessor and possibly mother.
:
SLIDE 19
This is another view of Kandake Amanitore, who is probably appearing as
a man, rather like Hatshepsut did before her (she adopted all the kingly
titles apart from "Great Royal Bull"!)
:
SLIDE 20
She is shown on the side of an offering table, holding up her hands in
worship.
:
SLIDE 21
The Kandake at this time was Amanitaraqide, AD 22-41. This offering
table is labelled by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts as belonging to King
Amanitaraqide (no such king!). The date is about the same and the figure
is wearing a typical dress.
:
SLIDE 22
Here is a Kushite prince from about this time. Notice the short kilt he
is wearing, which confirms that the long dress of the previous picture
is that of a queen.
:
SLIDE 23
And this is some of the jewellery belonging to the same King (Kandake?)
Amanitaraqide.
:
SLIDE 24
It is 300 miles in a straight line from Cairo to Luxor and 935 miles
from Cairo to Meroe, but of course on the ground the distance would be
much greater. This was a man who was serious about his faith.
:
SLIDE 25
But how did this man come to know about the true God? One possibility is
the Jewish colony that existed in Elephantine, in Aswan, at the time of
Nehemiah.
:
SLIDE 26
We know from the documents that they left behind that they had a temple.
We also know that they suddenly disappeared at the time of an Egyptian
revolt against the Persians. Did some of them flee south to Napata and
Meroe?
:
SLIDE 27
Psammetichus
Before this time large numbers of Jews had
come into Egypt with the Persians, and in
an earlier period still others had been sent
to Egypt to help Psammetichus in his
campaign against the king of the
Ethiopians.
Letter of Aristeas 13
Two centuries before the Jews of Elephantine, other Jews had been
dispatched to help the Egyptians in their war with Ethiopia (Cush) in
592 BC. Some of them may have stayed in the country - willingly or
unwillingly.
:
SLIDE 28
Kushites are among those bringing tribute as depicted on the Apadana
stairway in Persepolis, showing that there was contact between Persia
and Kush - some even claim that Persia conquered at least part of Kush,
in which case Jewish mercenaries may well have been involved.
:
SLIDE 29
Another possibility is when the fierce, one-eyed Kandake Amanirenas
attacked the Romans in Egypt and captured Aswan in 27 BC. Did she carry
off Jewish captives, who either converted locals or may themselves have
risen to power?
:
SLIDE 30
According to Strabo, Kandake Amanirenas carried off a bronze head of
Augustus which she buried beneath the steps of a temple to victory. To
the astonishment of archaeologists, it was discovered in 1912 precisely
where Strabo said it would be!
:
SLIDE 31
But another possibility is trade, either by river or by caravans along
the river bank. Jews were adventurous traders, so a family may have
migrated south to Meroe. Again, they may have converted natives or
entered court circles themselves.
:
SLIDE 32
Trusted
A eunuch, however, points more towards slavery and perhaps a prisoner of
war. Society had ambivalent attitudes towards eunuchs. Because they
could not have children it was believed that they were without ambition.
They were trusted with money and with armies.
:
SLIDE 33
Trusted
Despised
On the other hand, for obvious reasons they were despised. They tended
to be vain, greedy, effeminate. Their squeaky voices were mocked in
theatres and plays.
:
SLIDE 34
This man had risen to a responsible position and, even more significant,
was trusted enough to be allowed to travel to Jerusalem, a journey that
probably took six months or more.
:
SLIDE 35
Excluded
No man with a crippled foot or hand, or
who is hunchbacked or dwarfed ... or
damaged testicles ... he must not come
near to offer the food of his God.
Leviticus 21:19-21
Especially in Jerusalem the eunuch would face discrimination and
prejudice. God decreed that any descendant of Aaron who had a physical
defect was excluded from the priesthood.
:
SLIDE 36
Castration
No one who has been emasculated by
crushing or cutting may enter the assembly
of Yahweh.
Deuteronomy 23:1
Even entering the assembly - joining the rest of the Jews for worship -
was forbidden to those who had been castrated.
:
SLIDE 37
Remember Me
“Remember me for this, O my God, and do
not blot out what I have so faithfully done
for the house of my God and its services. ...
Remember me for this also, O my God,
and show mercy to me according to Your
great love. ... Remember me with favour,
O my God.”
Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 31
This, incidentally, is why poor Nehemiah kept begging God to remember
him! He couldn't have any children to carry on his name, he was excluded
from the assembly, but he longed to be part of God's people.
:
SLIDE 38
Promise to Eunuchs
For this is what Yahweh says: “To the
eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who
choose what pleases Me and hold fast to
My covenant - to them I will give within
My temple and its walls a memorial and a
name better than sons and daughters; I will
give them an everlasting name that will not
be cut off.”
Isaiah 56:4, 5
Three chapters further on in Isaiah the eunuch would have come across
this promise, which must have been very meaningful to him.
:
SLIDE 39
So why did he undertake this journey? The Elephantine Papyrii reveal
that the Jews in Egypt worshipped Yaho and his wife! Was this man
travelling to Jerusalem in search of truth?
:
SLIDE 40
I am sure that when he reached Jerusalem he was not disappointed by the
temple. Herod's temple was one of the wonders of the age. The entire
front was covered with a golden vine whose leaves shimmered in the breeze.
:
SLIDE 41
This is how the Jews of Dura Europus remembered the temple, with its
gates of Corinthian bronze. But if the Jews applied their law, the
Ethiopian eunuch would have been excluded from the temple.
:
SLIDE 42
Josephus tells us that warning notices were placed around the temple,
telling Gentiles to keep out. Two of these notices have been found and
traces of red paint in the letters shows that they were intended to be seen!
:
SLIDE 43
No stranger is to enter
within the balustrade
round the temple and
enclosure. Whoever is
caught will be himself
responsible for his
ensuing death.
The Jews were very protective about who could enter their temple.
:
SLIDE 44
Defiled
Some Jews from the province of Asia saw
Paul at the temple. They stirred up the
whole crowd and seized him, shouting,
“Men of Israel, help us! ... he has
brought Greeks into the temple and defiled
this holy place.”
Acts 21:27, 28
It was no idle warning - Paul was nearly killed because people thought
he had brought gentiles into the temple. There was a risk that the
eunuch would be treated to the same sort of violent discrimination.
:
SLIDE 45
Of course, money talks and very likely Candace's treasurer was received
with honour - but still excluded from the temple or at most admitted to
the Court of the Gentiles!
:
SLIDE 46
When the Falasha Jews were airlifted to Israel, the rabbis were very
dubious and demanded that they be re-circumcised! The Falashas refused,
they were already circumcised - what did the rabbis want them to cut off?
:
SLIDE 47
Would being a eunuch count as circumcised or not?
:
SLIDE 48
Colour Prejudice
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against
Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he
had married a Cushite.
Numbers 12:1
As the story of Moses shows, colour prejudice was alive and well in
ancient Israel. Whether this man was an enslaved Jew or a native
Cushite, he was certainly darker than the average Jew, so that would
have been another count against him.
:
SLIDE 49
The Desert Road
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip,
“Go south to the road - the desert road -
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 8:26
Philip's instructions were to go to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza.
:
SLIDE 50
There were two main routes; the first went down to the coast and
followed it, the second (press any key) kept to the hills before turning
west. This route would take him through Bethlehem (David's birthplace)
and Hebron (Patriarchs' burial place).
:
SLIDE 51
If Philip was to meet this man on the desert road, he must have nearly
reached Gaza! Quite apart from reading all the way to chapter 53, it is
only in the last few miles that the road passes through desert. This is
what the area around Gaza looks like in summer.
:
SLIDE 52
In spring, provided there has been good rain, some of the area can be
quite fertile though still very sandy.
:
SLIDE 53
Chariot
This man had gone to Jerusalem to
worship, and on his way home was sitting
in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the
prophet.
Acts 8:27, 28
When Philip met the eunuch he was sitting in his chariot reading the
book of Isaiah.
:
SLIDE 54
The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran is 24' long and 10.5" high. I don't
know how much it weighs, but it was certainly not light reading - 17
sheets of parchment or dried leather! Quite possibly it was a new
purchase, a souvenir of his stay in Jerusalem.
:
SLIDE 55
Either he started reading it before he left Jerusalem, or he just picked
a spot at random and began to read.
:
SLIDE 56
Fellow Travellers
The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that
chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:29
It is highly unlikely that so important a person would be travelling on
his own. There were guards, servants, camels carrying tents, bedding,
cooking equipment. No surprise that a chance-met stranger would seek to
join the caravan for company and protection.
:
SLIDE 57
As well as camels there would have been donkeys and horses, but probably
not many carts. Wheeled vehicles were too easily bogged down in the sand.
:
SLIDE 58
Instructions
This man had gone to Jerusalem to
worship, and on his way home was sitting
in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the
prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to
that chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:27-29
There were no car radios in those days, so to wile away the tedious
journey the eunuch was reading. Philip was told to go right to the heart
of the caravan.
:
SLIDE 59
Reading Aloud
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard
the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
Acts 8:30
Luke specifically notes that Philip heard the eunuch reading.
:
SLIDE 60
Not everyone could read and those who could tended to read aloud. Silent
reading was a bit of an abberation.
:
SLIDE 61
An Odd Habit
But when Ambrose was reading, his eye
glided over the pages, and his heart
searched out the sense, but his voice and
tongue were at rest.
Augustine ¬IConfessions¬ Book VI
St Augustine, who greatly admired bishop Ambrose of Milan, specifically
mentions his unusual habit of reading to himself silently. The eunuch
was not necessarily reading aloud for everyone to hear, most likely just
muttering to himself.
:
SLIDE 62
A Leading Question
“Do you understand what you are
reading?” Philip asked.
Acts 8:30
Fortunately Philip recognised the opportunity that he had been given and
acted upon it.
:
SLIDE 63
The Invitation
“How can I,” he said, “Unless some-
one explains it to me?”
So he invited Philip to come up and sit
with him.
Acts 8:31
The eunuch was not too proud to accept instruction, even from a complete
stranger. Perhaps he was impressed the Philip did not show any distaste
for his company - a black and a eunuch.
:
SLIDE 64
One thing is certain: if there was room for both Philip and the eunuch
to sit, the eunuch was not riding in a chariot!
:
SLIDE 65
This is one of Tutankhamun's chariots. There wasn't enough room for two
men and the driver, and the wheels would have collapsed under the added
weight.
:
SLIDE 66
Isaiah 53
The eunuch was reading this passage of
Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to
the slaughter, and as a lamb before the
shearer is silent, so he did not open his
mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived
of justice. Who can speak of his
descendants? For his life was taken from
the earth.”
Acts 8:32, 33
It just so happened that at the moment Philip came close enough to hear
what the eunuch was reading, the man had reached the Messianic passage
in Isaiah 53. What a remarkable co-incidence!
:
SLIDE 67
Puzzled
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me,
please, who is the prophet talking about,
himself or someone else?”
Acts 8:34
Remember, there were no chapter and verse divisions and the context was
all about the Jews being delivered from Babylonian captivity.
:
SLIDE 68
The Answer
Then Philip began with that very passage
of Scripture and told him the good news
about Jesus.
Acts 8:35
The eunuch's reading had stopped too soon, for the very next phrase
says, "for the transgression of My people He was punished". The good
news is that Jesus has taken our punishment on Himself.
:
SLIDE 69
Baptised
As they travelled along the road, they came
to some water and the eunuch said,
“Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t
I be baptised?”
Acts 8:36
Philip must have been travelling with the man for a considerable
distance, for he not only told about Jesus' death but also told of the
beginning of His ministry, when He was recognised by John the Baptist.
:
SLIDE 70
The Missing Verse
And Philip said, “If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mayest.” And he
answered and said, “I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.”
Acts 8:37 (KJV)
Many modern versions of the Bible either leave this verse out or put it
in brackets. It would appear that it is not in the very earliest
manuscripts of Acts, so possibly Luke didn't write it. On the other
hand, it is a clear statement of what is necessary for baptism.
:
SLIDE 71
To be a Christian, all you need is to believe that Jesus is the Son of
God and that He died for our sins, as Isaiah said. All else may be
interesting or even important, but it is not vital.
:
SLIDE 72
It is interesting that although they were within sight of the sea,
neither man thought of baptism in the sea. Rain water as a source for
cleansing must be still - and the ocean is not still. (Modern rabbis
class the ocean as a spring, so that's all right!)
:
SLIDE 73
I don't know how much water there was nor how it got there. Perhaps it
was just a relatively shallow puddle of water left by a rain shower.
:
SLIDE 74
Cutting across their route just south of Gaza, however, is the Nahal or
River Besor. Whether a river is kosher depends on whether it dries up -
but how would Philip know?
:
SLIDE 75
The Nahal Besor or River Besor can be quite a decent body of water in
the winter and spring - and no one would plan to travel through the
desert in the summer! There are even pools along its length deep enough
for a Jewish immersion, but there is a problem.
:
SLIDE 76
Both
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then
both Philip and the eunuch went down into
the water and Philip baptised him.
Acts 8:38
Both men went down into the water.
:
SLIDE 77
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 78
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 79
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 80
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 81
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 82
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 83
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 84
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 85
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 86
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 87
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 88
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 89
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 90
Ancient pictures and modern icons all show John standing on the river
bank and performing the same function as the attendant at the mikveh.
:
SLIDE 91
But if Philip stood on the bank of this shallow pool, he would not be
able to see whether the eunuch out in the middle was properly immersed!
So they both had to go down into the water.
:
SLIDE 92
Disappearance
When they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip
away, and the eunuch did not see him
again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 8:39
There are plenty of stories of angels who have appeared to help people,
but when they looked round - there was no one there! The eunuch must
have gone on home convinced that he had been talking to an angel!
:
SLIDE 93
Ashdod
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and
travelled about, preaching the gospel in all
the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Acts 8:40
I wonder what Philip thought, to suddenly find himself miles away?
:
SLIDE 94
It is 28 miles in a straight line from the Besor river to the centre of
Ashdod or Azotus.
:
SLIDE 95
Eusebius
As the preaching of the Saviour's Gospel
was daily advancing, a certain providence
led from the land of the Ethiopians an
officer of the queen of that country, for
Ethiopia even to the present day is ruled,
according to ancestral custom, by a
woman.
Church History I.xiii
The Bible doesn't tell us what happened next, but Eusebius, the church
historian, does.
:
SLIDE 96
Eusebius
He, first among the Gentiles, received of
the mysteries of the divine word from
Philip in consequence of a revelation, and
having become the first-fruits of believers
throughout the world, he is said to have
been the first on returning to his country to
proclaim the knowledge of the God of the
universe and the life-giving sojourn of our
Saviour among men.
Church History I.xiii
The eunuch went back to Nubia and began to teach people there about
Jesus - probably no more than what Philip had explained to him, but that
was sufficient.
:
SLIDE 97
Eusebius
Through him in truth the prophecy
obtained its fulfillment, which declares that
“Ethiopia stretches out her hand unto
God.”
Church History I.xiii
Eusebius regards that as the fulfilment of prophecy.
:
SLIDE 98
The remains of many Christian churches and cathedrals were found. This
is the church of St Raphael near Dongola in northern Sudan.
:
SLIDE 99
This cross is from al-Ghazali monstery near Karima in the Sudan.
:
SLIDE 100
Wonderful frescoes have been found in churches and tombs such as this
one from Faras. Amazingly, many Sudanese will wash a newborn baby in the
Nile in a practice that is believed to be a survival of infant baptism!
:
SLIDE 101
Christianity continued in Nubia until 1372 and it was the lack of
priests and bishops which caused the church to wither and die. We may
not like clergy, but strong leadership makes all the difference to the
survival or not of a church.
:
SLIDE 102
I am pleased to tell you that despite persecution, the Christian church
has taken root again and is growing in the Sudan as the spiritual heirs
of the Ethiopian eunuch reclaim their heritage.
:
SLIDE 103
The moral of the story, I suppose, is to be always ready to follow the
Spirit's leading. You may influence a single individual for Christ - or
you may influence an entire nation! Only God knows the results of our
faithfulness.
pictures culled from the internet or my own picture library. Some of the
material may be of interest to anyone who gives talks in their church
and if you would like the whole presentation, complete with pictures,
just let me know.
God bless,
Kendall K. Down
SLIDE 1
Sermon
(Candace's Treasurer)
:
SLIDE 2
Candace’s Treasurer
So he started out, and on his way he met an
Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in
charge of all the treasury of Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians.
Acts 8:27
Acts tells us that Philip met the treasurer of Candace, who is queen of
the Ethiopians - and he actually uses the word "Ethiopia", not "Cush".
:
SLIDE 3
Pliny
“The actual town of Meroe, they said,
is at a distance of 70 miles from the
first approach to the island. ... They
said that it is ruled by a woman,
Candace, a name that has passed on
through a succession of queens for
many years.”
Natural History, VI.xxxv
The first clue we have to the identity of this queen is a statement by
Pliny in his "Natural History". The interesting thing is that Meroe is
in Nubia, not Ethiopia.
:
SLIDE 4
I have never been to Meroe, but I would love to go! These small,
steep-sided pyramids belong to a culture that tried to imitate all
things Egyptian.
:
SLIDE 5
The pyramids were built between 300 BC and AD 350, so Queen Candace may
be buried in one of them!
:
SLIDE 6
Unlike Egypt, where the burial ground is on the west bank of the Nile -
the dead go into the sunset - at Meroe the burial ground is out in the
desert on the east!
:
SLIDE 7
Some of the pyramids have been damaged by treasure hunters, but others
are remarkably well preserved (and one or two have been restored).
:
SLIDE 8
As well as the pyramids there are the remains of temples, also
constructed on the Egyptian model.
:
SLIDE 9
Some miles to the north is another collection of these Meroitic
pyramids. This is what they looked like in 1821.
:
SLIDE 10
This is what they look like today - but notice the curious mountain
behind them. It is Jebel Barkal.
:
SLIDE 11
It is a remarkable sight, rising out of the desert. Thutmoses III of the
18th Dynasty regarded it as the southern border of Egypt.
:
SLIDE 12
He built a temple to the god Amun at the base of the mountain and later
kings, particularly Kushite kings, enlarged the temple and made it more
magnificent. You can see the pyramids in the distance at top left.
:
SLIDE 13
It was, in a way, the last outpost of Egypt in the south, with
ram-headed sphinxes forming an avenue leading to the front of the temple.
:
SLIDE 14
There is not much left of the temple today, mainly due to stone robbing
by later builders.
:
SLIDE 15
The Hathor pillars from the later temple are extremely crude, showing
that the local craftsmen were not as skilled as the Egyptians themselves.
:
SLIDE 16
Candace appears to be a title for the queen mother, rather than a
personal name and the Berlin Egyptian Museum has a picture of one of
these queens called Kandake Amanitore, who lived AD 1-20.
:
SLIDE 17
This is her pyramid at Meroe.
:
SLIDE 18
These queen mothers - sisters of the king of Kush - lived in
considerable splendour. This is some of the jewellery of Kandake
Amanishakheto, 10 BC-AD 1, Amanitore's predecessor and possibly mother.
:
SLIDE 19
This is another view of Kandake Amanitore, who is probably appearing as
a man, rather like Hatshepsut did before her (she adopted all the kingly
titles apart from "Great Royal Bull"!)
:
SLIDE 20
She is shown on the side of an offering table, holding up her hands in
worship.
:
SLIDE 21
The Kandake at this time was Amanitaraqide, AD 22-41. This offering
table is labelled by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts as belonging to King
Amanitaraqide (no such king!). The date is about the same and the figure
is wearing a typical dress.
:
SLIDE 22
Here is a Kushite prince from about this time. Notice the short kilt he
is wearing, which confirms that the long dress of the previous picture
is that of a queen.
:
SLIDE 23
And this is some of the jewellery belonging to the same King (Kandake?)
Amanitaraqide.
:
SLIDE 24
It is 300 miles in a straight line from Cairo to Luxor and 935 miles
from Cairo to Meroe, but of course on the ground the distance would be
much greater. This was a man who was serious about his faith.
:
SLIDE 25
But how did this man come to know about the true God? One possibility is
the Jewish colony that existed in Elephantine, in Aswan, at the time of
Nehemiah.
:
SLIDE 26
We know from the documents that they left behind that they had a temple.
We also know that they suddenly disappeared at the time of an Egyptian
revolt against the Persians. Did some of them flee south to Napata and
Meroe?
:
SLIDE 27
Psammetichus
Before this time large numbers of Jews had
come into Egypt with the Persians, and in
an earlier period still others had been sent
to Egypt to help Psammetichus in his
campaign against the king of the
Ethiopians.
Letter of Aristeas 13
Two centuries before the Jews of Elephantine, other Jews had been
dispatched to help the Egyptians in their war with Ethiopia (Cush) in
592 BC. Some of them may have stayed in the country - willingly or
unwillingly.
:
SLIDE 28
Kushites are among those bringing tribute as depicted on the Apadana
stairway in Persepolis, showing that there was contact between Persia
and Kush - some even claim that Persia conquered at least part of Kush,
in which case Jewish mercenaries may well have been involved.
:
SLIDE 29
Another possibility is when the fierce, one-eyed Kandake Amanirenas
attacked the Romans in Egypt and captured Aswan in 27 BC. Did she carry
off Jewish captives, who either converted locals or may themselves have
risen to power?
:
SLIDE 30
According to Strabo, Kandake Amanirenas carried off a bronze head of
Augustus which she buried beneath the steps of a temple to victory. To
the astonishment of archaeologists, it was discovered in 1912 precisely
where Strabo said it would be!
:
SLIDE 31
But another possibility is trade, either by river or by caravans along
the river bank. Jews were adventurous traders, so a family may have
migrated south to Meroe. Again, they may have converted natives or
entered court circles themselves.
:
SLIDE 32
Trusted
A eunuch, however, points more towards slavery and perhaps a prisoner of
war. Society had ambivalent attitudes towards eunuchs. Because they
could not have children it was believed that they were without ambition.
They were trusted with money and with armies.
:
SLIDE 33
Trusted
Despised
On the other hand, for obvious reasons they were despised. They tended
to be vain, greedy, effeminate. Their squeaky voices were mocked in
theatres and plays.
:
SLIDE 34
This man had risen to a responsible position and, even more significant,
was trusted enough to be allowed to travel to Jerusalem, a journey that
probably took six months or more.
:
SLIDE 35
Excluded
No man with a crippled foot or hand, or
who is hunchbacked or dwarfed ... or
damaged testicles ... he must not come
near to offer the food of his God.
Leviticus 21:19-21
Especially in Jerusalem the eunuch would face discrimination and
prejudice. God decreed that any descendant of Aaron who had a physical
defect was excluded from the priesthood.
:
SLIDE 36
Castration
No one who has been emasculated by
crushing or cutting may enter the assembly
of Yahweh.
Deuteronomy 23:1
Even entering the assembly - joining the rest of the Jews for worship -
was forbidden to those who had been castrated.
:
SLIDE 37
Remember Me
“Remember me for this, O my God, and do
not blot out what I have so faithfully done
for the house of my God and its services. ...
Remember me for this also, O my God,
and show mercy to me according to Your
great love. ... Remember me with favour,
O my God.”
Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 31
This, incidentally, is why poor Nehemiah kept begging God to remember
him! He couldn't have any children to carry on his name, he was excluded
from the assembly, but he longed to be part of God's people.
:
SLIDE 38
Promise to Eunuchs
For this is what Yahweh says: “To the
eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, who
choose what pleases Me and hold fast to
My covenant - to them I will give within
My temple and its walls a memorial and a
name better than sons and daughters; I will
give them an everlasting name that will not
be cut off.”
Isaiah 56:4, 5
Three chapters further on in Isaiah the eunuch would have come across
this promise, which must have been very meaningful to him.
:
SLIDE 39
So why did he undertake this journey? The Elephantine Papyrii reveal
that the Jews in Egypt worshipped Yaho and his wife! Was this man
travelling to Jerusalem in search of truth?
:
SLIDE 40
I am sure that when he reached Jerusalem he was not disappointed by the
temple. Herod's temple was one of the wonders of the age. The entire
front was covered with a golden vine whose leaves shimmered in the breeze.
:
SLIDE 41
This is how the Jews of Dura Europus remembered the temple, with its
gates of Corinthian bronze. But if the Jews applied their law, the
Ethiopian eunuch would have been excluded from the temple.
:
SLIDE 42
Josephus tells us that warning notices were placed around the temple,
telling Gentiles to keep out. Two of these notices have been found and
traces of red paint in the letters shows that they were intended to be seen!
:
SLIDE 43
No stranger is to enter
within the balustrade
round the temple and
enclosure. Whoever is
caught will be himself
responsible for his
ensuing death.
The Jews were very protective about who could enter their temple.
:
SLIDE 44
Defiled
Some Jews from the province of Asia saw
Paul at the temple. They stirred up the
whole crowd and seized him, shouting,
“Men of Israel, help us! ... he has
brought Greeks into the temple and defiled
this holy place.”
Acts 21:27, 28
It was no idle warning - Paul was nearly killed because people thought
he had brought gentiles into the temple. There was a risk that the
eunuch would be treated to the same sort of violent discrimination.
:
SLIDE 45
Of course, money talks and very likely Candace's treasurer was received
with honour - but still excluded from the temple or at most admitted to
the Court of the Gentiles!
:
SLIDE 46
When the Falasha Jews were airlifted to Israel, the rabbis were very
dubious and demanded that they be re-circumcised! The Falashas refused,
they were already circumcised - what did the rabbis want them to cut off?
:
SLIDE 47
Would being a eunuch count as circumcised or not?
:
SLIDE 48
Colour Prejudice
Miriam and Aaron began to talk against
Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he
had married a Cushite.
Numbers 12:1
As the story of Moses shows, colour prejudice was alive and well in
ancient Israel. Whether this man was an enslaved Jew or a native
Cushite, he was certainly darker than the average Jew, so that would
have been another count against him.
:
SLIDE 49
The Desert Road
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip,
“Go south to the road - the desert road -
that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 8:26
Philip's instructions were to go to the desert road from Jerusalem to Gaza.
:
SLIDE 50
There were two main routes; the first went down to the coast and
followed it, the second (press any key) kept to the hills before turning
west. This route would take him through Bethlehem (David's birthplace)
and Hebron (Patriarchs' burial place).
:
SLIDE 51
If Philip was to meet this man on the desert road, he must have nearly
reached Gaza! Quite apart from reading all the way to chapter 53, it is
only in the last few miles that the road passes through desert. This is
what the area around Gaza looks like in summer.
:
SLIDE 52
In spring, provided there has been good rain, some of the area can be
quite fertile though still very sandy.
:
SLIDE 53
Chariot
This man had gone to Jerusalem to
worship, and on his way home was sitting
in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the
prophet.
Acts 8:27, 28
When Philip met the eunuch he was sitting in his chariot reading the
book of Isaiah.
:
SLIDE 54
The Great Isaiah Scroll from Qumran is 24' long and 10.5" high. I don't
know how much it weighs, but it was certainly not light reading - 17
sheets of parchment or dried leather! Quite possibly it was a new
purchase, a souvenir of his stay in Jerusalem.
:
SLIDE 55
Either he started reading it before he left Jerusalem, or he just picked
a spot at random and began to read.
:
SLIDE 56
Fellow Travellers
The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that
chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:29
It is highly unlikely that so important a person would be travelling on
his own. There were guards, servants, camels carrying tents, bedding,
cooking equipment. No surprise that a chance-met stranger would seek to
join the caravan for company and protection.
:
SLIDE 57
As well as camels there would have been donkeys and horses, but probably
not many carts. Wheeled vehicles were too easily bogged down in the sand.
:
SLIDE 58
Instructions
This man had gone to Jerusalem to
worship, and on his way home was sitting
in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the
prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to
that chariot and stay near it.”
Acts 8:27-29
There were no car radios in those days, so to wile away the tedious
journey the eunuch was reading. Philip was told to go right to the heart
of the caravan.
:
SLIDE 59
Reading Aloud
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard
the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
Acts 8:30
Luke specifically notes that Philip heard the eunuch reading.
:
SLIDE 60
Not everyone could read and those who could tended to read aloud. Silent
reading was a bit of an abberation.
:
SLIDE 61
An Odd Habit
But when Ambrose was reading, his eye
glided over the pages, and his heart
searched out the sense, but his voice and
tongue were at rest.
Augustine ¬IConfessions¬ Book VI
St Augustine, who greatly admired bishop Ambrose of Milan, specifically
mentions his unusual habit of reading to himself silently. The eunuch
was not necessarily reading aloud for everyone to hear, most likely just
muttering to himself.
:
SLIDE 62
A Leading Question
“Do you understand what you are
reading?” Philip asked.
Acts 8:30
Fortunately Philip recognised the opportunity that he had been given and
acted upon it.
:
SLIDE 63
The Invitation
“How can I,” he said, “Unless some-
one explains it to me?”
So he invited Philip to come up and sit
with him.
Acts 8:31
The eunuch was not too proud to accept instruction, even from a complete
stranger. Perhaps he was impressed the Philip did not show any distaste
for his company - a black and a eunuch.
:
SLIDE 64
One thing is certain: if there was room for both Philip and the eunuch
to sit, the eunuch was not riding in a chariot!
:
SLIDE 65
This is one of Tutankhamun's chariots. There wasn't enough room for two
men and the driver, and the wheels would have collapsed under the added
weight.
:
SLIDE 66
Isaiah 53
The eunuch was reading this passage of
Scripture: “He was led like a sheep to
the slaughter, and as a lamb before the
shearer is silent, so he did not open his
mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived
of justice. Who can speak of his
descendants? For his life was taken from
the earth.”
Acts 8:32, 33
It just so happened that at the moment Philip came close enough to hear
what the eunuch was reading, the man had reached the Messianic passage
in Isaiah 53. What a remarkable co-incidence!
:
SLIDE 67
Puzzled
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me,
please, who is the prophet talking about,
himself or someone else?”
Acts 8:34
Remember, there were no chapter and verse divisions and the context was
all about the Jews being delivered from Babylonian captivity.
:
SLIDE 68
The Answer
Then Philip began with that very passage
of Scripture and told him the good news
about Jesus.
Acts 8:35
The eunuch's reading had stopped too soon, for the very next phrase
says, "for the transgression of My people He was punished". The good
news is that Jesus has taken our punishment on Himself.
:
SLIDE 69
Baptised
As they travelled along the road, they came
to some water and the eunuch said,
“Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t
I be baptised?”
Acts 8:36
Philip must have been travelling with the man for a considerable
distance, for he not only told about Jesus' death but also told of the
beginning of His ministry, when He was recognised by John the Baptist.
:
SLIDE 70
The Missing Verse
And Philip said, “If thou believest with
all thine heart, thou mayest.” And he
answered and said, “I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God.”
Acts 8:37 (KJV)
Many modern versions of the Bible either leave this verse out or put it
in brackets. It would appear that it is not in the very earliest
manuscripts of Acts, so possibly Luke didn't write it. On the other
hand, it is a clear statement of what is necessary for baptism.
:
SLIDE 71
To be a Christian, all you need is to believe that Jesus is the Son of
God and that He died for our sins, as Isaiah said. All else may be
interesting or even important, but it is not vital.
:
SLIDE 72
It is interesting that although they were within sight of the sea,
neither man thought of baptism in the sea. Rain water as a source for
cleansing must be still - and the ocean is not still. (Modern rabbis
class the ocean as a spring, so that's all right!)
:
SLIDE 73
I don't know how much water there was nor how it got there. Perhaps it
was just a relatively shallow puddle of water left by a rain shower.
:
SLIDE 74
Cutting across their route just south of Gaza, however, is the Nahal or
River Besor. Whether a river is kosher depends on whether it dries up -
but how would Philip know?
:
SLIDE 75
The Nahal Besor or River Besor can be quite a decent body of water in
the winter and spring - and no one would plan to travel through the
desert in the summer! There are even pools along its length deep enough
for a Jewish immersion, but there is a problem.
:
SLIDE 76
Both
And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then
both Philip and the eunuch went down into
the water and Philip baptised him.
Acts 8:38
Both men went down into the water.
:
SLIDE 77
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 78
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 79
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 80
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 81
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 82
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 83
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 84
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 85
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 86
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 87
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 88
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 89
Animation of washing in a mikveh.
:
SLIDE 90
Ancient pictures and modern icons all show John standing on the river
bank and performing the same function as the attendant at the mikveh.
:
SLIDE 91
But if Philip stood on the bank of this shallow pool, he would not be
able to see whether the eunuch out in the middle was properly immersed!
So they both had to go down into the water.
:
SLIDE 92
Disappearance
When they came up out of the water, the
Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip
away, and the eunuch did not see him
again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Acts 8:39
There are plenty of stories of angels who have appeared to help people,
but when they looked round - there was no one there! The eunuch must
have gone on home convinced that he had been talking to an angel!
:
SLIDE 93
Ashdod
Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and
travelled about, preaching the gospel in all
the towns until he reached Caesarea.
Acts 8:40
I wonder what Philip thought, to suddenly find himself miles away?
:
SLIDE 94
It is 28 miles in a straight line from the Besor river to the centre of
Ashdod or Azotus.
:
SLIDE 95
Eusebius
As the preaching of the Saviour's Gospel
was daily advancing, a certain providence
led from the land of the Ethiopians an
officer of the queen of that country, for
Ethiopia even to the present day is ruled,
according to ancestral custom, by a
woman.
Church History I.xiii
The Bible doesn't tell us what happened next, but Eusebius, the church
historian, does.
:
SLIDE 96
Eusebius
He, first among the Gentiles, received of
the mysteries of the divine word from
Philip in consequence of a revelation, and
having become the first-fruits of believers
throughout the world, he is said to have
been the first on returning to his country to
proclaim the knowledge of the God of the
universe and the life-giving sojourn of our
Saviour among men.
Church History I.xiii
The eunuch went back to Nubia and began to teach people there about
Jesus - probably no more than what Philip had explained to him, but that
was sufficient.
:
SLIDE 97
Eusebius
Through him in truth the prophecy
obtained its fulfillment, which declares that
“Ethiopia stretches out her hand unto
God.”
Church History I.xiii
Eusebius regards that as the fulfilment of prophecy.
:
SLIDE 98
The remains of many Christian churches and cathedrals were found. This
is the church of St Raphael near Dongola in northern Sudan.
:
SLIDE 99
This cross is from al-Ghazali monstery near Karima in the Sudan.
:
SLIDE 100
Wonderful frescoes have been found in churches and tombs such as this
one from Faras. Amazingly, many Sudanese will wash a newborn baby in the
Nile in a practice that is believed to be a survival of infant baptism!
:
SLIDE 101
Christianity continued in Nubia until 1372 and it was the lack of
priests and bishops which caused the church to wither and die. We may
not like clergy, but strong leadership makes all the difference to the
survival or not of a church.
:
SLIDE 102
I am pleased to tell you that despite persecution, the Christian church
has taken root again and is growing in the Sudan as the spiritual heirs
of the Ethiopian eunuch reclaim their heritage.
:
SLIDE 103
The moral of the story, I suppose, is to be always ready to follow the
Spirit's leading. You may influence a single individual for Christ - or
you may influence an entire nation! Only God knows the results of our
faithfulness.
Mike Davis
Sep 12, 2021, 1:40:07 PM9/12/21
to
On 11/09/2021 04:37, Kendall K. Down wrote:
> I've put together a sermon/talk on the story in Acts 8, with suitable
> pictures culled from the internet or my own picture library. Some of the
> material may be of interest to anyone who gives talks in their church
> and if you would like the whole presentation, complete with pictures,
> just let me know.
[snip]
> I've put together a sermon/talk on the story in Acts 8, with suitable
> pictures culled from the internet or my own picture library. Some of the
> material may be of interest to anyone who gives talks in their church
> and if you would like the whole presentation, complete with pictures,
> just let me know.
Thanks, Kendall! Nicely put together!
Mike
--
Mike Davis
--
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