The Apostolic Age · AD 4–70
The Ethiopian Eunuch
fl. c. 36 (death unrecorded) · Treasurer of Candace · First African convert · Meroë (Kush) ↔ Jerusalem
The Apostolic Age
Who The Ethiopian Eunuch was
“A man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure” — reading Isaiah 53 in his chariot on the Gaza road when Philip, sent by the Spirit, opened the passage “and preached unto him Jesus.” Baptized in roadside water, he “went on his way rejoicing,” carrying the gospel toward the upper Nile. Irenaeus already counts him a missionary to his own people; later Ethiopian tradition names him Simeon Bachos. Known to scripture only by title, he receives — per the anonymity rule — his own card.
Common questions
When was The Ethiopian Eunuch active?
The Ethiopian Eunuch is dated fl. c. 36 (death unrecorded) in the archive, which places The Ethiopian Eunuch in the Apostolic Age (AD 4–70). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.
Which early sources mention The Ethiopian Eunuch?
The Ethiopian Eunuch is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Luke the Evangelist, Irenaeus of Lyon and Eusebius of Caesarea. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was The Ethiopian Eunuch from?
The archive associates The Ethiopian Eunuch with Meroë (Kush), Jerusalem. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were The Ethiopian Eunuch’s contemporaries?
The archive links The Ethiopian Eunuch to 1 other figure, including Philip the Evangelist. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Scripture record
Primary-source mentions (3)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Acts 8:27
c. AD 62Behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure.Luke the Evangelist · read ↗
Against Heresies III.12.8
c. AD 180This man was also sent into the regions of Ethiopia, to preach what he had himself believed.Irenaeus of Lyon · III.12.8 · source text
Ecclesiastical History II.1 (first fruits of the faithful in the world)
c. AD 325He is said to have been the first fruits of believers throughout the world.Eusebius of Caesarea · Ecclesiastical History II.1 · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 30 · Crucifixion, Resurrection and Pentecost, AD 30–33
- AD 44 · Persecution under Herod Agrippa I, AD 44
- AD 49 · The Council of Jerusalem, AD 49
- AD 57 · Paul writes Romans, AD 57
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put The Ethiopian Eunuch, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.