4. Language, etc. — The chief monuments of Nubian monarchs are in the Egyp. character and language ; although, in the opinion of experts, niany of them display a very imperfect acquaintance with both. Ergamenes, however, in the 3rd cent. B.C., after overthrowing the power of the priests (it is thought), introduced the native language of Nubia into the monuments, using for it modifica- tions of the hieroglyphic and demotic writin", in wliich the phonetic value of the Egyp. symbols seems to have been shifted. In his Nubian grammar (1880) Lepsius speaks of these inscrip- tions as a still unsolved mj-stery ; and the import- ant study of them by Brugsch (Entziff. dtr Meroit. Den/cm., Leipzig, 1887) is not regarded as having finally solvetl it, although the discovery by Schiifer (Zschr.fiir A'jijptologie, 1896) of elements of modern Nubian in the Nubian words recorded by classical writers makes in favour of Brugsch's system. While the basis of the language is, according to these authorities, to be aou<jht, not in the Beja dialect (as Lepsius had imagined), but in modern Nubian, Brugsch has made it probable that the language of the inscriptions was largely intermixed with Egyp. words, and indeed he fancies that
many such are to be detected in the existing lan- guage. While tbe Ethiopian Pantheon was largely peopled with Egyp. gods, a few native names are recorded by the ancients, as may be made out from the inscriptions ; and likewise Ethiopian civilization, though largely borrowed from Egypt, retained not a few native peculiarities.
D. S. Margououth.
ETHIOPIAN EDNUCH.— According to Ac 8" an Ethiopian eunuch, minister of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, shortly after the martyrdom of Stephen was met by the deacon PhUiii when returning from a religious journey to Jerusalem, and converted to Christianity, trora the authorities cited in the article ETHIOPIA Ave know that Gr. literature had spread to the kingdom of Meroe as early as the 3rd cent. B.C.: there is therefore nothing improb- able in the LXX translation, which this Ethiopian was found reading, having penetrated thither by the same channels ; but whether he also belonged to the Jewish community cannot be made out with certainty. While his journey to Jerusalem ' to worship' (cf. the inscription quoted in ETHIOPIA) might imply it, his apparent unfamiliarity with OT (v.") and his physical condition render it improbable. The word ' eunuch ' might indeed be regarded as a mistranslation for ' minister ' if there were any likelihood that this narrative was originally in Aramaic, since in some dialects of that language the same word signifies both j but the fact that the passage of Isaiah quoted (Is 53'- *) is given according to the LXX, takes away the ground from any such supposition.
The notices of the Eth. kingdom for this period failing us altogether, it is impossible to identify this personage from external sources ; but the historical character of the narrative seems to be acknowledged in most quarters.
The confession of faith put into his mouth in v.'^ AV is now universally admitted to be an early interpolation. Assuming the Lucau authorship of the Acts, the source of the above narrative may have been personal information received from Philip (cf. Ac 21*). Like the baptism of Cornelius by St. Peter, the case of the Ethiopian eunuch marked an important stage in the {question of the admission of the Gentiles to the Christian Church. Its bearing from this point of view will be dis- cussed in art. Philip (the evangelist). See also Cornelius. D. S. Makgoliouth.
ETHIOPIAN WOMAN (n-ifhs).— According to Nu 12' (JE), when the children of Israel were at Haze- roth, Miriam and Aaron ' spake against ' Moses on account of his marriage with an Ethiopian (RV 'Cushite') woman. In the sequel, however, Moses' conduct in this matter is neither impugned nor defended ; for the complaint brought by Sliriam and Aaron turns into a claim of equal inspiration with Moses (v.^) — a claim which is refuted by J " in a theophany, while Miriam is punished with leprosy, from which she is immediately relieved through Moses' intercession made at Aaron's request, but has nevertheless to be confined for seven days (v.*"-). As the ' Ethiopian woman' is mentioned nowhere else, and the death of Moses' wife Zipporah is not recorded, some of the early interpreters thought the two must be identical ; and this view is favoured by the .Jewish expositors, who assign reasons for Zipjiorah's being CAflcd Eth. that are either frivolous (as Rashi) or merely un- critical (as Ibn Ezra) ; Rashi's interpretation being as old as Targ. Onk. On the other hand, LXX has kWibinaaa., and Jos. (Ant. II. x. 2) makes her an Eth. princess. If the woman mentioned in Nu be identical with Zipporah, the word Kiishith must be used in the sense of non-Isr.aelite — a usage which
ETHIOPIC VEKSIO.N
ETHIOPIC VERSION
791
is found in late Kabliin. writings {hevj, NHWB), and cannot be dissociated from the similar employ- ment of A'l/Mi (proi)erlj' Samaritan). But besides the improbability of this usage being found in the Bible, the text implies (though it does not expressly assert) that the marriage was of recent occurrence. It is therefore more likely that a black slave-girl Is meant, and that the fault found by Miriam and Aaron was with the indignity of such a union : and this accords with the statement (v.') that Moses was the 'meekest' of mankind. The employment of Nubians as slaves dates back to t^ie early dynasties of Egypt (cf. Hrugsch, Gesch. A^gi/p. p. 266). Although no etym. of the name Hazerotli 18 given in the text, this word (from the Arab. hofara, 'confine') would seem to stand in some etymological connexion with the confinement of Miriam. Perhaps it is merely accidental that the word /yizir in .\rab. is employed in an idiom mean- ing to 'calumniate' (Maydani, c. 3); albeit this double etym. would contain implicitly a large portion of the narrative. D. S. Marooliouth.