(βασίλισσα)

The only person bearing this title that meets us in the apostolic writings is Candace, queen of the Ethiopians (Acts 8:27). This people appear frequently to have had female sovereigns, and the name Candace seems to have been handed on from one to another, as we meet with several queens of this name in their early history. The only other passage in which the title occurs is Revelation 18:7, where Babylon is represented as sitting as a queen, priding herself upon her power and immunity from sorrow (cf. Isaiah 47:7).

G. Wauchope Stewart.