I absolutely love the story of Deacon Philip and the Ethiopian!
Many Preachers of the Good News
First, it shows how the whole body of believers went out and evangelized after Pentecost, not just the apostles. Unfortunately we have a small written record of the Church after Pentecost, and most of it describes the apostolates of Peter and Paul. But we know that the faith quickly spread throughout the whole Roman Empire and even beyond the eastern and southern boundaries of the Empire. This is due to a horde of believers eager to spread the Good News.
Originally, the primary purpose of deacons was to minister to the material needs of all believers. We see here, though, that deacons, too, evangelized. Philip recognized the divine intent behind his meeting with the Ethiopian and taught him the faith.
A Man Desirous of the Faith
Second, we see in the Ethiopian a man truly desirous of the faith. In a materialistic society as ours, most people care little about truth unless it involves acquisition of material goods or pleasures. But in most societies in human history, people know that ultimate truth is spiritual, and it is beautiful to see avid seekers of truth.
The Ethiopian is a Jew, having just made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which would have been an extremely important event in his life. He is eagerly seeking knowledge from the Scriptures on his way home. He is pondering precisely over a prophecy in Isaiah which refers to the future Messiah. Philip joyfully explains how Jesus fulfils this prophecy.
The Importance of Oral Tradition
Third, we see here the importance of oral tradition. Today Bible-only Christians often do not esteem baptism much (I know this from personal encounters). In fact, if you read the New Testament straight through, you do not see baptism emphasized a lot. But it is very clear that Deacon Philip and the Ethiopian thought baptism was important. After Philip’s instruction of the Ethiopian, which must have lasted several hours and which we do not have written down, the Ethiopian excitedly cries: “Look, there is water. What is to prevent my being baptized?”
In the sixth chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews, the author writes that he is not going to repeat the basic teachings that his audience already knows: “repentance from dead works and faith in God, instruction about baptisms and laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.” Unfortunately for us, some of these basic teachings are doubted today exactly because they are not emphasized or explained in the New Testament. We rely on a Tradition which dates back to the oral teachings of the apostles.
There is a (non-inspired) tradition that says that the Apostle Matthew traveled to Ethiopia preaching the Good News. When he arrived there, he would have found that the queen’s treasurer was already an enthusiastic believer. Certainly this helped him preach and spread the faith in the country, which has kept the faith throughout centuries of persecution and difficulties.
May our enthusiasm for seeking the truth never wane. God will use it to bring others to Him.
[…] see this joy in the first reading with the baptism of the Ethiopian Eunuch by Philip. We heard that the Ethiopian Eunuch went his way rejoicing. The question I am asking myself today […]
Great reflection – very helpful to remind me of the letter to the Hebrews emphasizing the teachings that were considered basic and well known by the audience. I am reminded also of the writings of Hippolytus, regarding baptism in a third century in “Apostolic Tradition” where he describes the children coming down and speaking for themselves if they are of appropriate age, or having godparents speak for the child if the child was too young to speak for itself.
Thank you for this stirring reflection! How true that many people are avid seekers of truth. I pray we may all reach out to the seekers around us, as Philip did to the Ethiopian. God bless.