Geplaatst: 07 okt 2005, 19:54
Een klein stukje van Internet over een 'godfearer':
Philip, who had pioneered the Samaritan mission, is now called by an angel to head for Gaza. The word "angel" simply means "messenger of God." This being could have a dream, or a vision, or a person whom Philip felt spoke for the Lord in this matter. In any case, he felt compelled to go to Gaza. which has long be a crossroads linking trade routes that went to Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was easy to meet foreigners there.
Philip comes upon an Ethiopian eunuch, an offical in the court of the Queen (Candace) of Ethiopia. Men who worked so closely with femals royalty were often castrated to make sure no half-royal claimants to the throne popped up an an inopportune time. Now that's a demanding job!
The Ethiopian has two strikes against him in the eyes of most Jews. First, he is a Gentile. Second, the Torah stated eunuchs were to be considered outcasts (Deuteronomy 23:1) because they could not fuflfill God's directive to go forth and multiply.
Nonetheless, the man appears to be a "godfearer" a Gentile who strives to worship the God of Israel, without meeting all of the ritual requirments necessary to be defined as a genuine Jew. He is reading from the Book of Isaiah and puzzling over a passage from what is known as the Suffering Servant passage. Evidently, he is reading it outloud, so Philip hears him as he passes and asks if he knows what the passage means?
The eunuch is puzzled and enters into conversation with Philip. who tells him that the Suffering Servant is the Messiah, and that Jesus is that Messiah.
The eunuch is impressed and convinced and asks to be baptized. remember, this is a foreign Gentile whose body has been mutilated in a way which renders him permanently unfit to be a member of the congregation according to the Torah. But Philip sees that his faith is sincere, and he can find no good reason not to welcome him into the congregation of Christians. He baptizes the eunuch.
We never hear anything more about the man, whose name we never learn. But, Ethiopia was one of the first countries to become predominantly Christian. Someone introduced the faith there, very early.
Philip, who had pioneered the Samaritan mission, is now called by an angel to head for Gaza. The word "angel" simply means "messenger of God." This being could have a dream, or a vision, or a person whom Philip felt spoke for the Lord in this matter. In any case, he felt compelled to go to Gaza. which has long be a crossroads linking trade routes that went to Africa, Europe, and Asia. It was easy to meet foreigners there.
Philip comes upon an Ethiopian eunuch, an offical in the court of the Queen (Candace) of Ethiopia. Men who worked so closely with femals royalty were often castrated to make sure no half-royal claimants to the throne popped up an an inopportune time. Now that's a demanding job!
The Ethiopian has two strikes against him in the eyes of most Jews. First, he is a Gentile. Second, the Torah stated eunuchs were to be considered outcasts (Deuteronomy 23:1) because they could not fuflfill God's directive to go forth and multiply.
Nonetheless, the man appears to be a "godfearer" a Gentile who strives to worship the God of Israel, without meeting all of the ritual requirments necessary to be defined as a genuine Jew. He is reading from the Book of Isaiah and puzzling over a passage from what is known as the Suffering Servant passage. Evidently, he is reading it outloud, so Philip hears him as he passes and asks if he knows what the passage means?
The eunuch is puzzled and enters into conversation with Philip. who tells him that the Suffering Servant is the Messiah, and that Jesus is that Messiah.
The eunuch is impressed and convinced and asks to be baptized. remember, this is a foreign Gentile whose body has been mutilated in a way which renders him permanently unfit to be a member of the congregation according to the Torah. But Philip sees that his faith is sincere, and he can find no good reason not to welcome him into the congregation of Christians. He baptizes the eunuch.
We never hear anything more about the man, whose name we never learn. But, Ethiopia was one of the first countries to become predominantly Christian. Someone introduced the faith there, very early.