Were there any black characters in the King James Bible?
The King James Bible is a translation of the Christian Bible into English, first published in 1611. It is one of the most widely read and influential works of literature in the English language, and has had a profound impact on the history of Christianity and Western culture. However, the question of whether there were any black characters in the King James Bible is a complex one.
On the one hand, it is true that the King James Bible does not contain any explicit references to black characters or people of African descent. The Bible was written in a historical and cultural context where the concept of race as we understand it today did not exist, and where the distinctions between different groups of people were based on factors like religion, ethnicity, and nationality.
However, it is important to note that there are several biblical characters who are believed to have been of African descent, or who at least had connections to Africa. For example, the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40 is described as a "man of Ethiopia" who was traveling home from Jerusalem, where he had been worshipping at the temple. He is converted to Christianity by the apostle Philip and baptized in a nearby body of water.
Similarly, the queen of Sheba, who appears in the Old Testament book of 1 Kings, is believed by some scholars to have come from the region of modern-day Ethiopia or Yemen. She is described as a wealthy and powerful ruler who traveled to Jerusalem to meet with King Solomon and test his wisdom.