Why was the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isaiah in Acts 8:28? Historical Setting of Acts 8 Acts 8:26–28 situates the scene “on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” The timeframe is only months after Jesus’ resurrection, when many diaspora Jews and God-fearers had travelled to Jerusalem for Passover and Pentecost. The Ethiopian court official is “returning from worship in Jerusalem,” placing his journey immediately after one of those feasts, both of which feature prophetic readings from Isaiah in Second-Temple liturgy. Identity of the Ethiopian Eunuch Luke calls him “a eunuch, an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians” (Acts 8:27). Ancient Meroë (modern Sudan) was wealthy from gold and trade; its royal household employed literate officials capable of acquiring costly scrolls. As a eunuch he was excluded from full Temple participation (Deuteronomy 23:1), yet he is described as having gone up “to worship,” marking him as a God-fearer eager for covenant fellowship. Why Isaiah in Particular? 1. Most-Copied Prophet: Isaiah is the best-attested prophetic scroll among the Dead Sea discoveries; more than twenty copies were found at Qumran, indicating its popularity in first-century Judaism. 2. Feast Readings: The synagogue Haftarah for Passover week included Isaiah 52-53. If the eunuch had attended these readings in Jerusalem, he likely purchased the scroll to study the very passage that stirred his conscience. 3. Promise to Foreigners and Eunuchs: Isaiah 56:3-5 expressly welcomes “the eunuch” and “the foreigner” who “hold fast My covenant.” No other prophetic book extends such explicit hope to someone of his social status; this personal relevance would have drawn him. 4. Messianic Expectation: Isaiah contains more than sixty direct or indirect Messianic prophecies (e.g., 7:14; 9:6; 11:1-10; 53). First-century God-fearers were intensely interested in the coming Redeemer promised in these passages. Accessibility of a Personal Scroll Scrolls were expensive (hand-copied on parchment or papyrus) but treasury officials commanded resources. Alexandria, a hub on his return route, housed a thriving Jewish community and scriptoria where Isaiah copies were sold. Papyrological finds (e.g., P. Ryl. 458, an Isaiah fragment dated 2nd century BC) confirm wide commercial circulation. Divine Preparation for the Gospel Encounter Acts 8:28 says he was “reading the prophet Isaiah.” Verse 32 identifies his place in the scroll: Isaiah 53:7-8 (LXX ordering). This precise location—“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter…”—provides Philip with the clearest Messianic text to present Jesus’ substitutionary death and resurrection. The Holy Spirit orchestrated both the reader’s curiosity and the evangelist’s arrival, illustrating Romans 10:17: “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” The Eunuch’s Spiritual Quest Behavioral studies on conversion show seekers often experience cognitive dissonance between felt exclusion and divine invitation. The eunuch’s marginal status (physically altered, ethnically distant, ritually restricted) collided with Isaiah’s promise of covenant inclusion. His audible reading (a common ancient practice) externalized that tension, allowing Philip to answer, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30). Theological Significance of Isaiah 53 for a First-Time Reader Isaiah 53:5 declares, “He was pierced for our transgressions… and by His stripes we are healed.” This direct statement of redemptive suffering explains both the universal problem of sin and God’s solution in the Messiah. For someone returning from sacrifice-filled festivals yet still conscious of unatoned guilt, the passage unveils the ultimate, once-for-all Lamb. Providence and Mission Strategy By leading Philip southward instead of north toward more populous Samaria, the Spirit demonstrates God’s care for an individual foreign seeker. The conversion of this high-ranking traveler opened a gateway for the gospel into Nubia and, by extension, the African continent—fulfilling Isaiah 11:11’s promise that the Root of Jesse would draw “from Cush” a remnant. Archaeological Corroboration of Candace’s Court Royal inscriptions from Meroë (e.g., Begrawiya tablets) list successive queens titled “Kandake,” verifying Luke’s historical accuracy. Such synchronisms reinforce confidence in Acts’ narrative precision and, by extension, in Scripture’s broader historical claims. Summary Answer The Ethiopian eunuch was reading Isaiah because: • Isaiah was the most widely copied prophetic book and central to festival readings he had just heard. • Its promises uniquely addressed foreigners and eunuchs, answering his deepest personal longing. • Messianic anticipation made Isaiah’s servant songs the primary focus for seekers of God’s salvation. • His social rank enabled him to obtain a costly scroll. • The Holy Spirit sovereignly positioned him at Isaiah 53 to prepare for Philip’s gospel presentation. Thus his reading was simultaneously a natural outflow of spiritual hunger and a divinely arranged step toward his baptism and the spread of the gospel “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). |
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