Topic: Persons Of The Bible -- Candace

The name "Candace" means "prince of servants".

The name "Candace" was not a proper name of an individual, but that of a dynasty of Ethiopian queens.

Candace was 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 Candace ruled was called by the Greeks "Meroe", in Upper Nubia. It was long the centre of commercial trade 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.

Adapted from Easton's and Smith's Bible Dictionary.

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