Abstract
In his recent article “Philip and the Ethiopian,” F. F. Bruce suggests that Acts 8:26-40 is an isolated and unconnected episode; in fact, he adds: “if it were removed, there would be nothing to indicate that anything of the kind had ever stood there.” Bruce’s source critical reading, while commendable for its goal of reconstructing the history of early Christianity, may be amended however, in light of a literary critical reading of the text. What I propose to do is to show that Acts 8:26-40 is a necessary rhetorical sense unit within Lk-Acts, a two-volume work following the general conventions of the popular ancient Greek novel.