Philip and the Ethiopian Official

Philip meets an Ethiopian official reading Isaiah on a desert road and baptizes him on the spot.

Early ChurchNew Testament

What Happened

An angel directs Philip to a road heading south from Jerusalem to Gaza. He finds an Ethiopian court official riding in his chariot, reading from Isaiah but struggling to understand it. Philip explains that the passage points to Jesus, and the official immediately asks to be baptized when they pass some water. The gospel begins spreading beyond Israel's borders.

Read It

Acts

The Gospel Goes Off-Script

When persecution explodes in Jerusalem, the early church scatters — and the gospel goes everywhere they run. A famous sorcerer meets his match, Peter delivers one of the sharpest rebukes in the New Testament, and a chance encounter on a desert highway becomes a conversion story worth reading twice.

Key People

Philip

Key Places

Gaza

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