The Ethiopian Eunuch and His Bible: a Social-Science Analysis

Abstract

A critical but neglected issue in interpreting the incident in Acts 8:26-40 involving the Ethiopian eunuch has been the relevance of his reading of Isaiah 53 to his peculiar identity as a eunuch in first-century society. Social and cultural scenarios pertaining to honor and shame, purity and pollution, temple and household, and ritual and status transformation enable us to depict multiple dimensions of the eunuch's precarious place in the Jewish world of his day. But they also allow us to chart the process whereby Isaiah 53, interpreted christologically, challenges this traditional world and ultimately makes room for the devout eunuch within the scriptural-messianic community.

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