Tradition holds that St. Thomas came to Kerala on A.D.52, established seven churches during his sojourn in Kerala and was martyred in A. D. 72 in Mylapore, Madras. His body was later taken by the disciples of St. Thomas to Edessa where the Edessans believe that he had preached the faith before coming to India.
The seven communities of early Christians known as the seven churches established by St. Thomas are the following: Cranganore, Palayur, Kottakkavu, Kokamangalam, Niranam, Quilon and Nilackal.
There are no concrete and visible evidences existing at present to indicate the presence of Christianity in India from the first century onwards. But from the references of early visitors, historians and poets, we can deduce the fact of the preaching of St. Thomas in India as well as of the presence of Christians in India.
The earliest source of the ministry of St. Thomas in India comes from the Acts of Thomas, written in Edessa around 200 A. D. in Syriac. It is divided into 13 acts that are followed by the “Matryrdom of the Holy and esteemed Apostle Thomas.” “The Acts of Thomas is the source of the connection between Thomas and India…The work follows Thomas in his journey to India, describing his adventures and conversions and ends with his martyrdom…Coins found in Indian excavations speak of the kings mentioned in the legend…”(Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, Second Edition, Grand Publishing, Inc., New York,1998,p.18)
St. Ephrem, (306-373) the Syrian poet, known as the “Harp of the Spirit” is another author who mentions the ministry of St. Thomas in India. Ephrem was born in Nisbis, worked there for sometime but when Nisbis was given to the Persians in 363 by Rome, he moved to Edessa.
Ephrem’s hymns became central to both east and west Syrian liturgical tradition and his works have influenced all aspects of Syrian ecclesiastical life. In one of his poems he mentions the connection of St. Thomas with India: “The evil one wails, “Where then can I flee from the righteous? I incited Death to kill the apostles. The apostle I killed in India (has come) to Edessa before me.”(Kathlen E.McVey, Ephrem the Syrian, Paulist Press, NY, 1989,Tr.,p. 25).
According to scholars, Eusebius of Caesaria(260-339) and Hippolitus(170-236) have mentioned in their works the ministry of St. Thomas in India.
Another ancient author who mentions the ministry of St. Thomas in India is Cosmas Indicopleustes, an Alexandrian merchant who sailed to India in A.D.520.In his work Christianiske Topografia, Bk, X1 he refers to the presence of Christians on the isle of Socotra, in the coastal regions of Kerala and in the isle of Sri Lanka.(J.P.M.Van Der Ploeg,O.P., the Syriac Manuscripts of St.Thomas Christians, Dharmaram Publications, Bangalore, 1983,p.2)
These are some of the ancient works which are still extant that give us some kind of indication of the presence of the Christianity right from the time of the Apostles and about the preaching of St. Thomas in India.
There is no other country in the word that claims St. Thomas as its apostle as India does. It is also very probable for the apostle to have made the trip to India because of the trade routes existing in those days between India and the Middle East.
By the end of 2nd C. B.C., sea routes linking China via South East Asia were in common use. It is noted by historians that by the first millenium B.C. both the Arabians and the Indians were familiar with these trade routes and that they were using Monsoon winds to cross the ocean. On account of the knowledge of these trade routes existing between India and other countries, it is not impossible for St. Thomas to have accompanied some of these traders in coming to India. India was already familiar to the Jews as we find references to India in the Bible(The Book of Esther makes references to Jews living in India)
“According to the historian Strabo, Nicolaus of Damascus met Indian ambassadors in Antioch of Syria on their way to visit Emperor Augustus. While traveling in Egypt, he learned that as many as 120 ships sailed to India each year from the Egyptian port of Mylos Hormos….A monk named Theodore told Gregory of Tours(538-593) about his visit to an Indian Christian center with both a church and a monastery….In A.D. 425 at Edessa, Paul’s Epistle to the Romans was translated from Greek into Syriac by Mar Komai and Daniel the Indian. In a.470, Mana , Bishop of Riwardashir in Persia, sent to India all the books he had translated from Greek into Syriac, including volumes by Diodore of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia….The fifth-century report from Gelsius of Cyzicus that John the Persian (Jacob of Nisbis), representing the Persian and Indian churches, signed the creed of the council of Nicaea in 325 contains some truth.”(Encyclopedia of Early Christianity,p.571)
Eusebius, the Bishop of Caesaria(265-340), reports that Pantaenus, an Alexandrian scholar came to India in A.D.190 to assist the Indian Christians in their dispute with non-Christians. St. Jerome also refers to the visit of Pantaenus to India.(Xavier Koodapuzha, Christianity in India, Oriental Institute of Religious Studies, Kottayam, India,p,56)
According to the local tradition, a group of Christians from Persia immigrated to India under the leadership of Thomas of Kinayi in A.D.345 and their descendants are known as Knanaya Christians .They keep their separate identity in their customs and traditions but they belong to the community of Syrian Christians of Kerala.
Syrian connection:
St. Thomas Christians are called Syrians because of the use of Syriac in their liturgy and not because they came from Syria. All the liturgical prayers were said in Aramaic which is also known as Syriac.
The Christian community in Kerala had also contacts with Syriac-speaking Edessa as it was also a place associated with St. Thomas the Apostle. Later when the theological school at Edessa was closed, most of the theologians who then came to be known as Nestorians moved to Persia as the Persian emperor offered protection to them in order to counter the power of the Byzantine Empire.
Contacts with the Persian Church :
The Syrian Christians of Kerala maintained long and enduring ties with the Persian Church . There is evidence that the Seleucian Patriarach Iso’ Yahb (628-646) had sent bishops to India even as early as the 7th C. Patriarch Sliba Zka of Seleucia (714-728) raised the Indian Church to the Metropolitan status.
The Persian Cross:
The cross that was found at St. Thomas Mount, Madras had inscriptions in Pahlavi around it. It has the figure of a dove at the top, representing the Holy Spirit and petals of a lotus flower at the bottom. This cross was believed to have been in use in Kerala from very early times. It is believed to have come into existence around the 6th or 7th century and is also found at the tomb of St.Thomas in Mylapore.
Further contacts :
In the year 1490 A. D., in response to the requests made by two Christians who came from Kerala, the Patriarch Katholikos Mar Simon 1V(1437-1497), sent two bishops to India: Mar Thomas and Mar John. Mar John remained in India while Mar Thomas returned to Mesopotamia.
After the death of Simon V, his successor Eliah V(1502-1503)consecrated three monks of the monastery of Mar Awgin and sent them to India with Mar Thomas who had been previously sent to India with Mar John. These bishops were Mar Yahballah, Mar Denha and Mar Jacob. One of them sent a letter back to the patriarch informing him about the number of Christian families here. Mar Jacob became the successor of Mar John who passed away after the arrival of these three bishops.
Mar Jacob experienced a lot of problems with the Portuguese who tried to interfere with the administration of the Church. But St Francis Xavier who came to know him respected him and recommended him to the King of Portugal in a letter written at Cochin on Jan.26,1549 (J.P.M.Van Der Ploeg,p.8).
After the death of Mar Jacob around the year 1553, two other Mesopotamian bishops came to India: Mar Joseph and Mar Abraham. Mar Joseph was the brother of the Patriarch Simon V111 Sulaqa who acknowledged the supremacy of Rome and died as a martyr for the union of his Church with Rome(1551-1555).His successors also were also in union with Rome.
Mar Joseph died in Rome in 1569 while Mar Abraham died in Malabar in 1597.It is after their deaths that Portuguese tried to establish their control over the Syrian Christians of Kerala .
The Archbishop of Goa took control of the administration of the Christians of Kerala and with out paying any attention to the tradition, customs and liturgy of the Church, he began to introduce changes and ordain priests. Until that time, the spiritual affairs of the Church were managed by the Bishops who came from Persia and the temporal administration was done by the Archdeacon, a senior priest chosen for this post from a respected family.
Synod of Diamper:
The Synod of Diamper held by the Archbishop of Goa in June 1599 was a turning point in the history of this ancient church. The Archbishop took control of the church when the last bishop from Persia, Mar Abraham, died. Suspecting the Church of Nestorian heresies, the Archbishop held a synod which came to be known as the Synod of Diamper. Through that Synod he tried to impose the liturgical practices of the Latin rite on this Eastern rite.
Fr. Francis Roz S.J. was made the first Latin Bishop over the Thomas Christians and after his death other Jesuit Bishops succeeded him.
In response to a request by the Archdeacon of that time, a Syrian Bishop, Ahathalla was sent to Malabar but he was not allowed to function in Kerala.
Out of great resentment and desperation, a few of the faithful under the leadership of the Archdeacon took an oath in a church in Mattancherry, Cochin, that they would not obey the Portuguese .This oath is known as Koonan Cross Oath (1653,jan.3).
Twelve priests imposed their hands on Archdeacon Thomas and made him their bishop and he took the title, Mar Thoma I. By that time, the Portuguese were defeated by the Dutch and hence the Portuguese had to leave Kerala. A bishop, Mar Gregorios, from the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate arrived in 1665.He was a Monophysite. He was followed by more West Syrian bishops and slowly the breakaway community absorbed Syrian Orthodox liturgical customs. Mar Thoma V1 submitted himself to reconsecration by Syrian Orthodox Bishops as the consecration of the first Mar Thoma was called into question.
St.Thomas Christians who remained loyal to Rome thus came under the influence of the Portuguese and later under the Propagation of the Faith. It was in 1896 that an independent hierarchy was established for St.Thomas Christians.In 1954 Holy Father Pius XII initiated attempts to revive the old East Syrian liturgy that was used in Kerala until the Synod of Diamper. With the establishment of the hierarchy, restoration of the East Syrian Rite and with the appointment of the Major Bishop, the St. Thomas Christians of India regained their unique position in the communion of the Churches that comprise the Catholic Church.
No comments:
Post a Comment