User:Pakalomattam/Saint Thomas Christians

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This article deals with Saint Thomas Christians and the various churches and denominations that form the
Nasrani people
Nasrani Menorah or Syrian Cross
also known as the Mar Thoma cross
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The Saint Thomas Christians are a group of

first century Christian thought, and the seven churches that are believed to have been established by St. Thomas the Apostle. [1]

Nasrani and Saint Thomas Christian tradition

The

Nasranis are an ethnic people and in that sense a single community. [1] However the Nasranis have various denominations as a result of Portuguese persecution. [2] As an ethnic community they refer to themselves as Nasranis referring to the common cultural heritage and cultural tradition. [1] However as a religious group they refer to themselves as the Mar Thoma Khristianis or in English as Saint Thomas Christians referring to their religious tradition, despite a common ancestry of being the descendants of the early Mar Thoma church or Saint Thomas tradition of Christianity. [1]

These first century churches, according to tradition, were, from north to south:

Kodungalloor (believed to be the ancient Muziris of Pliny, and the Periplus, on the north bank of Periyar River today), Paravur on the south side of Periyar, Gokkamangalam or Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Chayal or Nilakkal (the only inland church) and the Lakes or Kaayals, and finally Kollam. The visit of the Apostle Thomas to these places and to Mylapore on the East coast of India can be read in the Ramban Song of Thomas Ramban, set into 'moc', 1500. [3]

Place in Indian culture

Throughout Kerala, one can find Christian families that claim their descent from Brahmin ancestors who were baptized by

Jewish synagogues. [4]

In short, the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala had blended well with the ecclesiastical world of the Eastern Churches and with the changing socio-cultural environment of their homeland. [4] Thus, the Malabar Church was Hindu in culture, Christian in religion, and Judeo-Syro-Oriental in worship. [4]


History of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition

Modern developments in archaeology, anthropology, numismatics, toponymy, geography and trade route investigations have revealed evidence of the trading which forms the background to the St. Thomas tradition of Kerala.

The lure of spices attracted traders from the Middle East and Europe to the many trading ports — Calicut, Cranganore, Cochin, Alleppey and Quilon — long before the time of Christ. According to tradition, it was on a trading vessel plying between Alexandria and the Malabar coast that St. Thomas the Apostle arrived in Cranganore in AD 52.

According to the first century annals of Pliny the Elder and the author of Periplus of the Erythraean sea, Muziris in Kerala could be reached in 40 days' time from the Egyptian coast purely depending on the South West Monsoon winds. The Sangam works Puranaooru and Akananooru have many lines which speak of the Roman vessels and the Roman gold that used to come to the Kerala ports of the great Chera kings in search of pepper and other spices, which had enormous demand in the West.

There Saint Thomas the Apostle is said to have begun preaching the gospel to the already existing Jewish settlers in the Malabar coast and other local people.

The Apostle St.Thomas arrived in Kerala in the 1st century, established contact with some Jews in Varapuzha and Brahmins in Palayur and converted them to the Christian faith.The jewish families which got converted include Thaliath, Petta, Vithayathial etc.The Brahmin families that converted include Kalli, Kallarakal, Kalliyankal,Plavunkal, Pattamukkil or "Bhattathiri Mukhyan", Manavasri, Pakalomattam/Pakalomattom (പകലൊമററം in Malayalam), Sankarapuri, Thayyil, Maliekkal (മാളിയേക്കല്‍ in Malayalam), etc. Then later he also went to what is now named Tamil Nadu and evangelised many families there, among whom some came to Kundara and established the Pallivakkathil family among others.

St. Thomas established seven Christian communities or churches in Kerala. They are in Cranganore, Paravur (Kottakavu), Palayoor, Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Chayal (Nilackal) and Kollam (Quilon). [3]

Malabar Christians and the East Syrian Church

Church of the East traces its origins to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, said to be founded by

Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari. This is the original Christian church in what was once Parthia: eastern Iraq and Iran. Geographically it stretched in the medieval period to China and India. The Church of the East
developing within the Persian Empire, at the east of the Christian world, rapidly took a different course from other Eastern Christians. Prior to the Portuguese arrival in India in 1498, it provided “East Syrian” bishops to the Saint Thomas Christians in India.

Open Air Rock Cross also called Nazraney Sthambams
in front of the Martha Mariam Catholic Church at Kuravilangadu, Kerala

When the Portuguese arrived on the Malabar Coast, the Christian communities that they found there had had longstanding traditional links with the East Syrian Christians in Mesopotamia.

During the subsequent period, in 1552, a split occurred within the Church of the East. Part of it joined Rome, so that besides the Catholicosate of the East another, “Chaldaean,” Patriarchate was founded, headed by the Patriarch Mar John Sulaqa (1553-1555). Both claim to be the rightful heir to the East Syrian tradition. It is very difficult to see the precise influence of this schism on the Church of Malabar as there was always overtones to Rome in earlier centuries. Apparently, both parties sent bishops to India.

The last East Syrian Metropolitan before the schism, Mar Jacob (1504-1552), died in 1552. Catholicos, Simeon VII Denkha sent a prelate to India, in the person of Mar Abraham, who was later to be the last Syrian Metropolitan of Malabar, after having gone over to the Chaldaean side. It is not known when he arrived in Malabar, but he must have been there already by 1556. Approximately at the same time, “Chaldaean” Patriarch

Abdisho IV
(1555-1567), the successor of John Sulaqa (murdered in 1555), sent the brother of John, Mar Joseph, to Malabar as a Chaldaean bishop; although consecrated in 1555 or 1556, Mar Joseph could not reach India before the end of 1556, nor Malabar before 1558. He was accompanied by another Chaldaean bishop, Mar Eliah.

This development in the history of St. Thomas Christians happened at the advent of the Portuguese colonization of the Malabar Coast.

Colonialism and St Thomas Christians

The

Cochin
(1558) in the hope of bringing the Thomas Christians under their jurisdiction. In a Goan Synod held in 1585 it was decided to introduce the Latin liturgy and practices among the Thomas Christians.

Alexis de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa
from 1595 until his death in 1617 decided to bring the Kerala Christians to obedience after the death of Bishop Mar Abraham (the last Syrian Metropolitan of Malabar, laid to rest at St. Hormis church, Angamaly), an obedience that they conceived as complete conformity to the Roman or ‘Latin’ customs. This meant separating the Nazranies not only from the Catholicosate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, but also from the Chaldaean Patriarchate of Babylon, and subjecting them directly to the Latin Archbishopric of Goa.

The Portuguese refused to accept the legitimate authority of the Indian hierarchy and its relation with the East Syrians, and in 1599 at the so called

Propaganda Fide
. Every attempt to resist the latinization process was branded heretical by them. Under the indigenous leader, archdeacon, the Thomas Christians resisted, but the result was disastrous.

The oppressive rule of the Portuguese padroado provoked a violent reaction on the part of the indigenous Christian community. The first solemn protest took place in 1653, known as the Kunan Kurishu Satyam (

Mar Thoma I
.

Later, in 1665, an Antiochean

Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel arrived in India and the dissident group under the leadership of the archdeacon Mar Thoma welcomed him. [5] The Bishop Mar Gregorios was sent by the Antiochian Syrian Orthodox Patriarch
in a Dutch ship, this movement resulted in the Mar Thoma party joining the Antiochian Patriarchate and in the gradual introduction of the West Syrian liturgy, customs and script on the Malabar Coast.

This was the starting point of division among the

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
) in communion with the Catholic Church.

St. Thomas Christians by this process got divided in to East Syrians and West Syrians.

Further divisions

Blessed Chavara
are kept. St. Thomas cross is seen in the picture on the top of church.

In 1772 the West Syrians under the leadership of Kattumangattu Abraham Mar Koorilose, Metropolitan of Malankara, formed the Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyur Sabha).[5]

In 1814 a section of St Thomas Christians from

Qochanis. They follow the East Syrian tradition and are known as Chaldean Syrian Church
.

In 1845, exposure to the doctrines of the

Mar Thoma Church
.

However, in 1912 there was another split in the West Syrian community when a section declared itself an

Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church
(in Oriental Orthodox Communion).

In 1926 a section of West Syrians under the leadership of Mar Ivanios came into communion with the Catholic Church, retaining all of the Church’s rites, Liturgy, and autonomy. They are known as Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.

Today the community is divided into

Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church
(in Oriental Orthodox Communion), and Mar Thoma sect [Mar Thoma Church].

St. Thomas Christian Groups
West Syriac (Antiochian) East Syriac (Chaldean)
Oriental Orthodox
Protestant Oriental
Independent Orthodox
Eastern Catholic
 		Assyrian Church of the East
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church
(Syriac Orthodox Church)		 Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Indian Orthodox Church)
Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
(Mar Thoma Church)		 Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyoor Church) Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
 Chaldean Syrian Church
N.B. The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, while Oriental Orthodox in tradition, is not in communion with the rest of Oriental Orthodoxy. This church is in communion however with the Mar Thoma Church and both churches have assisted each other in the consecration of bishops. The Mar Thoma Church itself, while continuing to maintain a Syrian idenitity, has moved closer to the Anglican Communion and maintains communion with both the Anglican groupings in India - The CNI(Church of North India) and CSI(Church of South India)

Nasrani religious jurisdictions

(in alphabetical order by Communion)

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See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Mundalan, A. M; 1984; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956
  2. ^ Claudius Buchanan, 1811., Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Mundalan, A. M; 1984; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956
  3. ^ a b Menachery G; 1973, 1982, 1998; Leslie Brown, 1956
  4. ^ a b c d Menachery G; 1973, 1998; Leslie Brown, 1956; Vellian Jacob 2001; Poomangalam C.A 1998; Weil,S. 1982
  5. ^ a b Claudius Buchanan 1811 ., Menachery G; 1973, 1982, 1998; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956; Tisserant, E. 1957; Michael Geddes, 1694;

References and bibliography

  • Menachery G (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2,
    ISBN 81-87132-06-X
    , Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568 ; B.N.K. Press --(has some 70 lengthy articles by different experts on the origins, development, history, culture... of these Christians, with some 300-odd photographs).
  • Mundadan, A. Mathias. (1984) History of Christianity in India, vol.1, Bangalore, India: Church History Association of India.
  • Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)
  • Podipara, Placid J. (1970) The Thomas Christians. London: Darton, Longman and Tidd, 1970. (is a readable and exhaustive study of the St. Thomas Christians.)
  • David de Beth Hillel (1832) Travels; Madras publication;
  • Menachery G (ed) (1982) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B.N.K. Press, vol. 1;
  • Acts of St. Thomas (Syriac) MA. Bevan, London, 1897
  • Poomangalam C.A (1998) The Antiquities of the Knanaya Syrian Christians; Kottayam, Kerala.
  • Tisserant, E. (1957) Eastern Christianity in India: A History of the Syro-Malabar Church from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Trans. and ed. by E. R. Hambye. Westminster, MD: Newman Press.
  • James Hough (1893) The History of Christianity in India.
  • Michael Geddes, (1694) A Short History of the Church of Malabar together with the Synod of Diamper, London, 1694(fully reproduced in ICHC I"The Nazranies" ed. George Menachery, Ollur,1998.
  • K.V. Krishna Iyer (1971) "Kerala’s Relations with the Outside World", pp. 70, 71 in The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Celebrations Commemoration Volume, Kerala History Association, Cochin.
  • Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.
  • Koder S. "History of the Jews of Kerala". The St.Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. G. Menachery,1973.
  • Vellian Jacob (2001) "Knanite community: History and culture"; Syrian church series; vol.XVII; Jyothi Book House, Kottayam
  • Weil,S. (1982) "Symmetry between Christians and Jews in India: The Cananite Christians and Cochin Jews in Kerala". In Contributions to Indian Sociology, 16.
  • Claudius Buchanan, (1811) Christian Researches in Asia (With Notices of the Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental Languages). 2nd ed. Boston: Armstron, Cornhill
  • Bjorn Landstrom (1964) The Quest for India, Doubleday English Edition, Stockholm.
  • Menachery G (1987) (Chs. I & II) Kodungallur City of St. Thomas, Mar Thoma Shrine Azhikode. Reprinted 2000 as "Kodungallur Cradle of Christianity in India".
  • T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) The Travancore State Manual; 4 volumes; Trivandrum

External links
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