Candace
Summary
The title borne by the queens of Ethiopia (Meroë), one of whom employed the eunuch who was converted by Philip the evangelist.
☩The Title and Kingdom
Candace was not a personal name but a distinctive title common to every successive queen of Ethiopia, similar to 'Pharaoh' for Egyptian kings or 'Caesar' for Roman emperors. Pliny recorded that the name had been borne by the queens of Ethiopia for many years. The kingdom she ruled was not modern Abyssinia but the region in Upper Nubia called Meroë by the Greeks, corresponding roughly to the present province of Atbara, lying between the Nile and the Atbara River.
☩Historical Context
Female sovereignty was characteristic of Ethiopia for some time before and after the Christian era. Ethiopian monuments singularly confirm the prominence of women as queens and warriors, with no parallels in Egyptian remains. Strabo and Dion Cassius both mention a warrior-queen named Candace who invaded Egypt around 22 B.C. and confronted Roman forces under Augustus. Eusebius reported that in the fourth century, queens of Ethiopia continued to be called Candace.
☩The Conversion of the Treasurer
The eunuch mentioned in Acts 8:27 was 'a man of great authority' who was 'over all her treasure.' He had been to Jerusalem to worship, indicating either Jewish proselytism or that some form of Judaism was professed in Ethiopia at this period. On his return journey, while reading Isaiah 53, he was approached by Philip the evangelist, who explained the Scripture and preached Jesus to him. The eunuch believed and was baptized, becoming the first-fruits of the Gentile world from Ethiopia to Christ.
☩Legacy
According to Irenaeus and Eusebius, the converted treasurer brought Christianity to Queen Candace herself and propagated the Gospel throughout her kingdom. Ethiopian tradition holds that he was also the apostle of Tigre, that part of Abyssinia nearest to Meroë. The wealth of Meroë, having been a center of commercial intercourse between Africa and Asia, gives emphasis to the phrase 'all her treasure' describing the eunuch's responsibility.
Related Verses1 mention
Acts· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Candace," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Candace," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Candace," in Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, vol. I (T. & T. Clark, 1915–1918).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Candace," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 5.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Candace," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).