As we celebrate Christmas, festivities are in full boom across the globe. Indians took to the spirit of Christmas, exchanged gifts, decorated their Christmas trees, and embraced the winter with beautiful carols. Christianity, like other religions of India, contributed to the culture and traditions that shape the country.
As we seek to learn more, we see parallels in the lessons and legends of various faiths. The Bible, a holy text, is available for everyone today, just like the sacred texts of Hinduism and Islam. They are available in various languages across the world. However, long before the availability of translations, people depended on religious leaders for understanding holy texts. Christians sought advice from the Church Fathers to learn and interpret the Bible.
Throughout the middle Ages, copies of the Bible were not easily available to the public. Religious communities who studied the Bible comprehended it on several levels. As religious heads preached to their followers, they often explained the meaning and morals hidden between the lines of texts. These lessons often became the basis of law and order. Indian history bears testimony to the fact that various religions, patron Kings and Emperors played a significant role in the establishment of religion.
Regardless of their rarity, biblical texts were crucial to Christian life. They were taught as the foundation of education, read aloud from the altar, carried in processions, and exhibited as symbols of God’s word.
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