The Ethnic-Religious Identity of the Ethiopian in Acts 8: 26-40 - Paperback

by Jongmun Jung (Author)

This work examines the background of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. For a comprehensive study, it utilizes echoic allusion, cultural background, and narrative criticism. It explores the textual tradition of Deut 23:1-8 in Jewish literature, with a particular focus on Isaiah's inclusive presentation of ""eunuchs"" and ""foreigners"" in contrast to the Deuteronomy stipulation for the assembly of the Lord. This work also explores the ancient practice of castration, the Jewish exiles in Elephantine, and Jewish pilgrimage to reconstruct the cultural background of the Ethiopian eunuch. Additionally, it focuses on Luke's authorial role in presenting the gospel's geographic, ethnic, and religious expansion to identify the Ethiopian's ethnic and religious identity in the narrative development of the three trajectories. The conclusion drawn is that the Ethiopian eunuch cannot be identified as an uncircumcised gentile. Instead, he is more like an African man of Jewish descent, included in the Abrahamic covenant but excluded from the cultic setting of worship in the temple.

Author Biography

Jongmun Jung was born in South Korea and became a Christian in 1998 while in Brisbane, Australia. He pursued further studies at Liberty and Dallas Theological Seminary, completing his PhD in New Testament studies at DTS in 2023. Currently, Jung serves as a teacher at Bible Baptist Seminary in Incheon, South Korea, and at Alphacrucis College in New Zealand.