Journal: Priscilla Papers
Volume: PP 37:4 (Autumn 2023)
Article: The Kandake: A Missing History
Author: Heather Preston

PP 37:4 (Autumn 2023) p. 16

The Kandake: A Missing History

Heather Preston

Heather Preston is a professional writer with a Master of Arts in Theological Studies. As a consultant, she works with churches and pastors and has a passion for academic collaborations. Heather hosts a podcast called Scripts on Scripture where she discusses all things Bible with pastors and fellow writers. Her most recent book is entitled Between the Lines: Discover What You’re Missing in the Story of Biblical Women of Faith (River Birch, 2023).

Without question, one casualty of Western biblical scholarship has been the Kandake (Queen of Ethiopia, pronounced Kan-dák-e, often spelled “Candace”) in Acts 8:27. As a result, the matriarchal history of Africa as it concerns the establishment of Christianity on that continent has also been neglected. She ruled as queen at a pivotal time in human history, and an examination of her “kingdom” as well as the ways her story has been mishandled, is instructive. It challenges us to consider our account of the spread of Christianity in the early centuries after Christ.

The “Kingdom” Of Kush

While Egypt boasts a celebrated history that continues to fascinate the world, most Westerners will draw a blank at the mention of Kush (often spelled “Cush”). Some may recall it as a land mentioned in the OT, but few would dream that the Kushites overran and ruled Egypt by the eleventh century BC.1 Home to the ancient city of Meroe, Kush was located in what is now southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Kushite history was one of exceptional stability at a time when, elsewhere, rulers were almost continuously being overthrown. This region is often referred to as Nubia, its Roman name from the fourth century AD on.2 Its borders depended on its acquisition of tribute-paying vassal states.3 The stability of this remarkable region, however, is without question and is not only confirmed by secular research, but also through an examination of Kush’s mentions throughout Scripture.4 Its wealth and strength as a nation are noted in Isaiah, Nahum, and Job,5 and other biblical books mention it as well, with these references spanning hundreds of years. This is a “kingdom” whose language, Meroitic, was completely independent from Egypt’s and has only recently begun to be understood.6 It recounts a history replete with queens, fascinating enough to have been recorded by Greek historians and geographers alike.