candace

1 definition found

candace - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :

  Candace
  the queen of the Ethiopians whose "eunuch" or chamberlain was
  converted to Christianity by the instrumentality of Philip the
  evangelist (Acts 8:27). The country which she ruled was called
  by the Greeks Meroe, in Upper Nubia. It was long the centre of
  commercial intercourse between Africa and the south of Asia, and
  hence became famous for its wealth (Isa. 45:14).
  
    It is somewhat singular that female sovereignty seems to have
  prevailed in Ethiopia, the name Candace (compare "Pharaoh,"
  "Ptolemy," "Caesar") being a title common to several successive
  queens. It is probable that Judaism had taken root in Ethiopia
  at this time, and hence the visit of the queen's treasurer to
  Jerusalem to keep the feast. There is a tradition that Candace
  was herself converted to Christianity by her treasurer on his
  return, and that he became the apostle of Christianity in that
  whole region, carrying it also into Abyssinia. It is said that
  he also preached the gospel in Arabia Felix and in Ceylon, where
  he suffered martyrdom. (See PHILIP.)