The Bible Book

288

L

ife for most of the believers

in Jerusalem is relatively

peaceful in the period after

Pentecost, despite some conflicts

between the Sanhedrin and the

Apostles. However, this changes

when the Sanhedrin, alarmed

by the evangelical success of

a Hellenistic Christian called

Stephen, sentences him to death

by stoning. Stephen’s execution

begins “a great persecution”

against the Jerusalem Church,

masterminded by a young man

called Saul, at whose feet Stephen’s

killers had laid their outer

garments. Luke’s Gospel describes

Saul going from house to house,

dragging off men and women

and throwing them into prison.

From curse to blessing

The Apostles stay in Jerusalem to

face the persecution, while the rest

of the community scatter across

Judea and Samaria to escape the

violence. However, what at first

seems like a setback leads to the

fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy

at His ascension: “You will be my

witnesses in Jerusalem, and ...

to the ends of the Earth” (Acts 1:8).

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

Acts 7:54–8:40

THEME

God’s word is for everyone

SETTING

c. 32–35 ce The countryside

around Jerusalem.

KEY FIGURES

Saul of Tarsus A Hellenistic

(Greek-speaking) Jew later

known as Paul. At this stage,

he is a diehard persecutor of

the fledgling Church.

Philip One of the “Seven”

appointed to oversee the

distribution of food to widows

in Jerusalem. He spreads the

word of God.

Ethiopian official Chief

treasurer to the Queen of

Ethiopia; a eunuch who is

baptized by Philip.

HE TOLD HIM

THE GOOD NEWS

ABOUT JESUS

ACTS 8:35, THE WORD SPREADS

Proselytes and God-fearers

In the period after Jerusalem’s

Temple was rebuilt in the 6th

century bce, there was a growth

in the number of “proselytes”—

those who went through the full

rites of conversion to Judaism,

including circumcision—and

“God-fearers,” who followed

many Jewish religious practices

without full conversion. This

growth resulted partly from

increased contact between

Jews and non-Jews, and partly

because of the missionary zeal

of the Pharisees. Later, many

proselytes and God-fearers were

drawn to the teaching of Jesus

and His disciples.

In Matthew’s and Luke’s

Gospels, a Roman centurion

whose servant Jesus heals may

well be a God-fearer, as may the

Ethiopian official in Acts. Two

converts in Acts—the centurion

Cornelius, and Lydia, a cloth

dealer in Philippi—are described

as God-fearers. Cornelius and

his household are baptized after

hearing Peter preach, Lydia and

hers after hearing Paul.

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289

The Ethiopian eunuch is baptized

by Philip the Evangelist, in a

stained-glass window in Brackley,

England. This act symbolized the

start of the Ethiopian Church.

See also: Ruth and Naomi 108–09 ■ The Suffering Servant 154–55 ■ The Great Commission 274–77 ■

The Day of Pentecost 282–83 ■ The Road to Damascus 290–91

ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION

Wherever the believers go, they

“preach the word” to the great joy

of those who hear and accept it.

The Ethiopian

In Samaria, Philip, a former

associate of the martyred Stephen,

makes an impact. He was one of

seven men appointed to oversee

the distribution of food to widows

in Jerusalem. Now in Samaria,

he preaches to large crowds and

performs dramatic healings.

Luke describes two aspects

of the events that follow. On one

level is the persecution that

scatters the believers, who then

set out to preach the word. On the

other is the direct intervention of

God, whose influence becomes

clear when He sets Philip a new

task. As Philip returns to Jerusalem

from Samaria, an angel tells him to

take the road to Gaza. He sets out

and sees a chariot ahead. God’s

Spirit tells Philip to catch up with

it, and there he finds a high official

of the Queen of Ethiopia, a eunuch

who has been to Jerusalem to

worship. The man is reading one

of the Suffering Servant Songs

from the Book of Isaiah, which

speaks of the arrival and suffering

of the Messiah. Philip asks the

eunuch if he understands what

he is reading. The eunuch replies

that he does not and invites Philip

to sit with him to explain the

passage. Philip agrees and tells

the man “the good news about

Jesus,” as predicted by Isaiah.

Later, when they pass a stretch

of water, the eunuch asks Philip

to baptize him. Philip does so,

and then the “Spirit of the Lord”

miraculously takes Philip away,

depositing him on the coast near

Caesarea. The eunuch, meanwhile,

continues on his way, rejoicing.

Joy thus marks the spreading

of the Gospel—a process that

Saul’s persecution has only, in the

end, promoted. As Jesus foretold,

the “good news” has spread from

Jerusalem into Judea and Samaria.

Now, with the conversion of the

Ethiopian, it pushes farther afield.

God of all

The conversion of the eunuch

shows a key difference between

Judaism and Christianity. For Jews,

castration was unlawful, so, as a

eunuch, the Ethiopian would not

have been allowed to worship in

the Temple. God, however, prompts

Philip to baptize the man. The

episode is seen as proof that the

word of God was meant for the

whole world—not just the Jews. ■

They all paid close attention

to what He said. For with

shrieks, impure spirits came

out of many, and many

who were paralyzed or

lame were healed.

Acts 8:6–7

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