Stephen and the Ethiopian Eunuch

The 12" x 12" collage on canvas below is a good example of the surrealistic results one gets by starting with a text and trying to render it fairly literally using only available magazine illustrations. The subject is the meeting of Stephen with the Ethiopian eunuch in the desert and joining him in his chariot (Acts 8:26-40). The modern parallel that struck me was that of hitchhiking. This, in turn, led me to the picture of a Roman statue with his thumb raised.  This story has a dual importance in the early life of the church since it shows the incorporation of groups excluded from much of Jewish sacrimonial life: eunuchs and gentiles.

Hitchhiker (2012)