What did the Ethiopian eunuch say he believed before being baptized?
Before being baptized, the Ethiopian eunuch confessed, "I believe that Jesus the Christ was the Son of the Living God." This confession identified Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God, and King of Israel, not as one who died for him and rose again.
Les explains that in Acts chapter 8, Philip had explained to the Ethiopian eunuch that Jesus of Nazareth had done three years of miracles, but Israel had crucified Him, and God had raised Him from the dead. When Philip said, "If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest," the eunuch's confession of faith was, "I believe that Jesus the Christ was the Son of the Living God." Les points out that he does not say, "Who died for me and rose from the dead." That was their statement of faith, that Jesus was the Christ, the King of Israel. This matches Peter's confession and Martha's confession that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God.