India and the Bible, An Ancient Exchange
The text mentions the country only twice, yet the region’s influence runs far deeper.
Some 3,000 years ago, around 950 B.C., while Athens was still a backwater and Rome just a cluster of hills, a weathered trading vessel sailed through the Indian Ocean. King Solomon’s boat was three years into what had become a regular pilgrimage between the port of Ezion Geber, modern-day Eilat, and the mysterious lands of the East. Below deck, unusual cargo shifted with the waves: silver-gray langurs, shimmering peacocks, precious ivory tusks, and stacks of gold and silver.
The Bible mentions India by name only twice, yet their relationship is more profound than explicit references suggest. The stories of the definitive text of Christianity and Judaism depict an India that was more than just a distant eastern boundary, a land whose culture, people, and goods helped shape the biblical narrative.