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Ethiopian Eunuch
[People]The Ethiopian eunuch is the treasury official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who appears in Acts 8. After Philip the evangelist explained a passage from Isaiah to him and proclaimed the gospel of Jesus, he was baptized.
Eunuch
[Bible]In the Bible, a eunuch is a castrated male official who served in an ancient royal court; more broadly, the term can denote any high-ranking court official. Eunuchs appear in several Old Testament court narratives and in the account of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.
Philip the Evangelist
[People]Philip the Evangelist appears in the Acts of the Apostles as one of "the seven" chosen in the early Jerusalem church. He preached the gospel in Samaria and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch. He is distinct from Philip the Apostle.
Acts 8
[Bible]Acts 8 describes the great persecution that followed the martyrdom of Stephen and the scattered believers who preached the gospel wherever they went. It recounts Philip's preaching in Samaria and on the desert road to Gaza, including the accounts of Simon the sorcerer and the Ethiopian eunuch.
Gaza
[Bible]Gaza was a major Philistine city on the Mediterranean coast in southwestern Canaan. It appears in the Samson narrative in Judges and in Acts 8, where Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch on "the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza."
Azotus
[Bible]Azotus is the Greek name of Ashdod, an ancient Philistine city on the Mediterranean coast. In the New Testament it is the place where Philip the evangelist was found after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:40).
Ebed-melech
[People]Ebed-melech was a Cushite eunuch in the palace of King Zedekiah during the final years of the Kingdom of Judah. He rescued the prophet Jeremiah, who had been left to die in a cistern, and for this deed he received God's promise of deliverance.
Acts 8:32–35
[Bible Verses]In this passage Philip explains to an Ethiopian eunuch, who was reading the passage in Isaiah 53 about the one "led as a sheep to the slaughter," that the words refer to Jesus. Because it is a leading text identifying the "Suffering Servant" of Isaiah 53 with Jesus, it is frequently cited and discussed.
The Cushite Woman
[People]The Cushite woman (KJV: "Ethiopian woman") is the wife whom Moses married, according to Numbers 12. She appears in the account in which Miriam and Aaron used this marriage as a pretext for speaking against Moses. Her name is not recorded.
Zerah (the Cushite)
[People]Zerah was a Cushite who led a vast army as far as Mareshah in the days of King Asa of Judah and was defeated. He appears only in 2 Chronicles 14.
Ethiopian Orthodox Church
[Denominations]The Ethiopian Orthodox Church, officially the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, is an ancient Christian church centered in Ethiopia. It belongs to the Oriental Orthodox churches, which did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon.
Valley of Zephathah
[Bible]The Valley of Zephathah is a valley near Mareshah where King Asa of Judah confronted the vast army of Zerah the Cushite (Ethiopian). In the Old Testament it appears only in 2 Chronicles 14.
Jeremiah 39
[Bible]Jeremiah 39 records the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonian army, the capture of King Zedekiah, the release of Jeremiah, and the promise of deliverance given to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian.
Mareshah
[Bible]Mareshah was a city in the lowland (Shephelah) of Judah. Rehoboam fortified it, Asa defeated the army of Zerah the Ethiopian there, and it appears among the cities against which Micah pronounced judgment.
2 Chronicles 14
[Bible]2 Chronicles 14 records how Asa, king of Judah, came to the throne, removed idols, and fortified cities so that the land enjoyed peace, and how he met and defeated the vast army of Zerah the Ethiopian (Cushite) through prayer.
Azariah (Son of Oded)
[People]Azariah, the son of Oded, was a prophet during the reign of King Asa of Judah. In 2 Chronicles 15 he urged Asa to seek the LORD, prompting the removal of idols and a renewal of the covenant.
2 Chronicles 15
[Bible]2 Chronicles 15 tells how Asa, king of Judah, heeds the exhortation of the prophet Azariah son of Oded, removes the idols, and makes a covenant with the people in Jerusalem to seek the LORD.
Oriental Orthodox Churches
[Denominations]The Oriental Orthodox Churches are a communion of ancient Eastern churches that did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon (451) and recognize only the first three ecumenical councils. Members include the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, and Ethiopian churches.
Coptic Orthodox Church
[Denominations]The Coptic Orthodox Church is a church of the Oriental Orthodox family centered in Egypt. It regards Mark the Evangelist as its founder and is known for not accepting the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Armenian Apostolic Church
[Denominations]The Armenian Apostolic Church is the traditional church of the Armenian people. It belongs to the Oriental Orthodox family of churches, which did not accept the Christological definition of the Council of Chalcedon. It traces its origins to the tradition that the apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew founded it.