Chapter I1

Early History of St. Thomas Christians

The adve:nt and growth of the St. Thomas Christians in

Kerala is a \palid living historical tradition. The tradition traces

the origin of'lChristianity in Kerala to the visit of St. Thomas,

one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. It has been handed

down fi-om ancient time and is accepted by almost all the

Syrian Christ;~aris of Kerala that St. Thomas landed at the port

of Crangannore on the west coast near Cochin in 52 A.D. He

preached Christianity first to the Jewish settlers in and around

Cochin and the:n worked among the Hindus. The Apostle is

believed to have founded seven and a half churches for the use

of the Christiari converts and ordained presbyters. The seven

churches are those of (i) Malankara (Crangannore) (ii) Palayur

(Chavakad) (iii:) Parur (iv) Gokamangalam (v) Niranam

(vi') Chayyal arid (vii) Korakkonikkollam(Qui1on) and the

half church was at ~hiruvankode. ' Amidst the multitude of

controversies regarding the historicity of St:. Thomas tradition

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru observed thus: "Christianity came to

' he,-',Iu ~'/~ur~rl iruni. 'Vol.II .Compiled by the Kerala History Associatioin, (Mal.)p. IOh5

lndia as early as the first century after Christ long before

Europe turned to it and established a firm foothold in South

India"?

7 he St. Thoinas tradition is not a inere legend but is

founded on fiicts.' Churches and relics associated with the

Apostle seen in South lndia are ample testimony to conclude

that the Apost'le did come to Kerala to make the earliest

beg~nnrng to1 the propagation of Christianity. The contacts that

existed between the bast and the West and the trade routes

followed by early merchants on land and by sea is a clear proof

that St fhoinas followed the trade route to visit peninsular

India. I t is believed that St. Thomas having first planted

Christ~anity in Arabia and in the island of Socotra, Sailed

e:jst\\asd and landed at Malankara near Crangancore in the

west coast of the southern peninsula. It is further believed that

ti-om Malabar %.Thomas proceeded to Mylapore on the

C'orornandal Coast, where he set up his abode in a rock-cave on

the Cllinnalnalai near the present Chennai city, froin where he

used to move out for evangelization. During this period the

1 ia\ral~arlal Nehru. A I ~ .A~rlr~h~ogruphy, p. 273.

4 Sreedlrara Menon, A Survq ~JKerula Hi,stury, p.99

apostle is believed to have visited China. However he returned

to Cl~ennai ant1 continued his work there. His activities brought

hi111 into contlicf with local priests. One of these priests caused

the death of the Apostle by thrusting a lance into the body of

tile Apostle. The Apostle succu~nbed to his injuries three days

later. The body was taken to Mylapore, where the Apostle had

alreadq built a small chapel, and was buried there4

~ i l ~ l o n g tile converts the fanlily of Paltalomatto~n

occt~pies a predominar~t position which liad heen hailed as the

base ot ('haval-a famri).' One of the earliest written works

;11~ot11 t l ~ c ' ti1issiona1-! ,ctivities of' St. Thomas in India is an

apoc.r> /~lial ivork kno\ \n as the acts of (.luclas) Thoma support

I ~ C * ttad~tlon of St rhomas as the founder of the Indian

I he church founded by St. Thomas began to gather

~nornentum. I t traces a continuo~ls history of the St. Thoinas

C'hr-istians in Kerala ~i ' i th certain ups and downs. The materials

4 . C V Cheriyan. A Hisro17. (J[ C'hristia,~ilj. in Kerulu, p.41.

5 . Valerian Plathottarn, BI Kiiriakose Elius Chavura, p 16.

(,. l 'he Acts is a very ancient work written in I " or 2"%entury in Syriac by an Edessan. T l~e book was soon translated into Greek from the original. Fr. Bernard. A Briefsketch r,( fir:, H,.rro:: . %.TI. T??~:'o:::;:r f %ri.~linns.

fol- rile construction of' the history of this church during the

cart\ i.e~l~icries ot'the Christian era are rather limited: History

i i <ilc.nr nhonl the inl'ant chnrch in India ~ ~ n t i l it records the

ii:iir:' or one 1':lntaeniis l~lc is he l ie~ed to have been sent to

l i l i 1 1 ; i i r r I . b I)clmitsins 01' Alexandria. at the recluest of

i.c.l-taili Inciial-I C'hrisria~is. l ie found in India a Gospel of St.

\ I I \\rit\erl in !\r;~maic \i:hich he took back with him to

. I i . His visil to the Malankara church brings into

c \ iilencs contacts between the Malankara church and the

Alexandria church.

The fivst undispcted piece cf evidence on record as to the

existence of a church in Kerala is found in the writings of

8 C'~.~smos. The Knanaya Syrian Christians were led by Knai

Phomman, the Syrian merchant from the middle East who

arrived at th.e Malabar coast in 345 AD. he church founded

b:\. the Apostle was reinvigorated by groups of Christians who

7 C'.P Mathew and M.M. Thomas, npcir.. p.1

X Cosmob was a merchant from Alexandria who had sailed in the Indian seas. Hence \vab called 11idic:oplestus or the sailor to India.

I h M Minpania, The EUI-1). Spread ~?fChri.sliunif); in Inu'ia, p.49

10 came from Babylon. In 345 AD, he brought to Crangannore,

a group of four hundred Christians from Bagdad, Ninevah and

I I Jerusalem. The St. Thomas Christians and. the local Rajah

Cheraman I-'erwmal received them. Peruinal bestowed upon

them s t \ era1 soc:ial p r i ~ ileges and lands for settlement. Most

of these pi-ivileges were not of much intrinsic value, but in a

caste r~dden society they served to secure an assured status to

the ~hristians." The colonization was the first known instance

of'a foreign cornmunitq' being introduced into Malabar. It led

to the introd~~ction of Syrian Christian community into

Malabar.. Thereafter the Malabar Christians were called Syrian

Chrlstlans. Before the corning of Knanaya Christians to

Kodungallor, the Christians in Malankara were known not as

S\ rian C'hrivtians but as Mar Tholna ~azranikal.'"homas of

Cana and his colonists who lived on the southern side of the

river in Crangannore did not freely mix with local Christians

who lived on the northern side. The separatist tendency was

handed down from generation to generation and even today -- ~p

I 0 A M . Mun,daclan, Hi.\rurrs uf Chr;.rt;an;!)~ 117 l17d;a. Vol I , p.89.

I 1 G . l Meckenzie. Chr~.st~uni(v in Travancore, p.4.

1 3 I' C'herian. The Moluluhrrr .~yria17.s and rhe Chlrrch M;ss;onory Sociely. p.4 1 .

! Jm-nI, -r.. CI~.~!!.ikadu, The S),riun Colon1~urkn7 ~ ~ f M u l a h o r : Thekkunt Baga Sarnudqva ( iih~-rrhru/n, p.71

the\ are called Southists while the descendents of the local

Christians a r e called ~ o r t h i s t s . ' ~ The Knanaya Syrian

Christians gained importance in trade and commerce after the

decline of the Roman hmpire. They were engaged in the art of

shipping and excelled themselves in the commercial

transactions. They held the monopoly of the most lucrative

commodities lilke pepper and piece goods. They exported

pepper to f'oreign countries." The ruler of 'lihekkamkur invited

the: members of the Knanaya community to Kottayam. I6

Further they established their commercial settlements which

\\-ere popular1 y known as angadis, thevuvus and colnpolams. 17

Asain about 825 A.D. another immigration under Marwan

Sabir-so . a Persian merchant landed in Quilon with a large

P ~ I T ! \<hic11 rncluded two bishops - Mar Sapro and Mar

~rodh.'"he:~ were warmly received by King Cheraman

Perumal. Siabirso built a new church in Quilon and to this

church grants were made on two sets of copper plates. During

1-1 C.V ('lieri!:an. op.cil.. p 3 .

I i I ' . J Thomas. h4aluyuiu Sahityavunl Chrisrianikalum, p.3.

I < > E M . I'hilip, rllalankur-u Sobhrryude Rahasyapedakan, p.2

17 ( ' \.. (Iiieriyar~, opc~r . p 83.

18 C I' Matlirw and M M Thomas, ol~.cii., pp.20-2 I .

the period of the grant, permission for conversion to

Christianity was given only to those who had real faith in the

teachings of Jesus ~hr i s t . " Among other monuments of the

church's Persi:an connection may be mentioned a Persian cross

with an inscription in Pahalavi language to be found in the

Valiya Palli at Kottayaln and similar crosses discovered at

Kadarnattonl and ~uttuchira.'" It was in communioli with or as

part of the Chaldean church that the Malabar church emerges

into the light of history. From the very early period the

Malabar church established contacts with the church of Persia

proper first alnd then with that of Mesopotamia. It secured its

bishops successively from these churches from which it

~.eceived its East Syriac Liturgy also. '' Though it was not

dominatiohi of any type, the Episcopal supervision was

provided by bishops from Persia, while local administration of

the church was carried out by local priests. Bishop Brown

clarifies that whiie the Malabar church was truly Indian, it

depended on the East Syrian churches for its theology, its

14 Lqheriyan, o p c ~ l . . p.l I S .

20 >1,f(,r 17,on?a Sjjriu17 < 'hurch Dlrecroq~, p. 13

3 1 I'lacid 1. Ipodipara. /'he l~~d ;v~duo / i f y of (he illcrlahur. Church, n.2.

liturgy and its bishops." Though there was Nestorian

episcopacy. the orthodox faith was retained. Shut off by the

mountains on one side and the sea on the other, the Christians

of.Malabal. lived a life of isolation.23

1 , , l l - j n ~ ,,llat I)c. l- iod tlli. I -LI~CI-S 01' Ouilon lnaintained

i . c l l l t a c . ~ , \ \ i l l 1 the r-1.11i.r.s of China. tinblai Khan. \ j ~ h o \\as

,c,,x,,l~ihle tbr s c ~ ~ d i ~ l g to (2~1 i Ion in 1392 t h e V e n e t i a n

, r ; i ,c . l ic .~ \ l j rco [ 'o~o. \He sl,ral<s 01' Nestorian Christians in

3,lalah:il- and m e n t i o n s the tradition that St . Thomas died in

l ~ i d i n .

... Christians who have the administration of the church

posses forests and trees that bear. the Indian nuts and

ti-0171 {.hem they draw the ~ n e a l i s of Livelihood. As tax

they pay ~nonthly to one of the royal brothers (an old

English silver coin worth four pence) for each tree.. . 24

2; . Milile Rae holds the view that the members of the church of Malahar are called Syrians not because they have a Syrian liturgy. They are not of the Syrian nation hut of the Syrian rite. The name in this connection is not an ethnological or geographical desiynatioll but is purely ecclesiastical. George Milne Rae, Christian college Magazine of September 1890, p.184 cited in T.K. Velu Pillai, Travancore State Manual, Vol. I, p.86 I . Aramaic was the lanyuage or Jesus Christ and his Apostles. Syriac is the dialect of the Aramaic and becanle the language of the mother church of Persia and it was tlir xacred la~lguage the daughter church in Kerala. S.G. F'othen , The Syrian Christians 01 Ko.<~lu. p.3(.~. Hence the terms Syrian Christians and Sj.rian Church came into use. 24 (; T. Al<~ckcke~l:ie. tirrio,?. qf C'hr~stfanity in T,uvot~core. p. 144.

The advent of Pdarco polo testifies the simultaneous missionary

activities of the 'Pilgrim Society for Christ' 110th in China and

in Malabal-. I-ke visited Mylapore and recorded in his book as

"tl~e body of Blessed St. Thomas lies in the province of

blalabar at a certain little town having no great

~x)pulation. Both Christians and Saracens, were,

ho\\e\cr greatl! frequent in the pilgrimage. For the

Sai-awns., also do hold the saint in great reverence and

sa) that he was one of their own Saracens and a great

prophet. The ('hristians who go on pilgrimage to the

place '+vhere the saint was killed and a portion thereof to

an) olie who is sick of a quartanor a tertian fever and by

t l~c pmrer of God and St. Thomas the sickman is

~ncominentallq cured.. . 25

fhe Society activel> attained its zenith when Pope John XXII

by a Bull .&id perr~et~rsm veimemoriam dated August 9 , 1329

constituted Quilon as an Episcopal It was the first

diocese in the lndies and at the time the only one in the country

with the Do~i~inican Friar Jordan Catalain of Serverac (France)

as its ish hop." The rare honour was conferred upon Quilon to

be tlre first ever Catholic diocese of India, a decade after the

death of' liavi 'Jarma K~tlasekhara ( 1 299-1 3 13). 111 his letter

dated Augi~st 2 1. 1320 appointing Jorden Catalain Pope John

stated thus:

"John servant of the servants of God to our venerable

Fria~. Jordan C'cithala Bishop of Coulan, greeting:

considering that you.. .. Learned in the science of

theology have personally known of the state the situation

of the people (of India) in the course of our preaching to

thern tlre Divine word and that you htive now the souls of

many faithful to our Lord Jesus, for whom the zeal for

the H'oly Faith is a proof of sanctity (cui sacrue

religic.~nis zelus vitae tnu~zdatio est) we have in

consequence. caused, to be given to you episcopal

consecr;~tion by the hand of our venerable Brother

Bertrand Bishop of Tuscalum. Wherefore, by these

present apostolic letters, we order your Fraternity that

you repair to lour church with the grace of our

henedi~tion."'~

Anothel- Franciscan, Friarodoric of Pordenone visited

).;c.~.ala about i1.U. I334 on his way to China. He halted at the

port of' (r)uilol~ for a \.\-hile. After his return to Europe some

~ea1.s latel- he dictated an account of his inlpressions of

C'hris~ians in Mlalabal- and the Corolnandel coast. He says that

there were Cl~ris~tians at Quilon. He points out also that it was

ten days journ.ey fro111 Malabar to another part of India where

St. rholnas the Apostle was buried and that "his church is

tilled witl? idols and beside it are sonle fifteen houses of

Nestorians that is to say Christians, but vile and pestilent"2"

lie~-c:tics.

In 1348 John de Maringoli, a Franciscan on his return

journey fi-0111 China arrived at Quilon. He was sent to India,

China and other Eastern countries by Pope Benedict XI1 (1334-

1312). He spent several months in the country. In Quilon

alone he remained for sixteen months. At th,at time, there were

two distinct Cl~ristian communities in India one following the

Syso-Chaldean rite and the other adhering to the Latin

comlnunit>,. He has left behind him an account of his stay in

(Juilon as tblll~\vs:

O n Palm Sunday 1348 we arrived at a very noble city of

India called Quilon, where the whole world's pepper is

1.1-oduced. The Christians of St. Thoin~as are the inasters

ot' tlie public lbeighing office (qui habent statevam

/~oritle~-rs rotiu.c nzundi) from which I derived as a

prerequ~site of my office as Pope's Legate every month a

hundrec i;old~far.iunzs and a thousand when 1 left. There

is a church of St. George there of the Latin communion,

at \vhich I dwelt and I adorned it with fine paintings and

taught there the Holy Law. And after I had been there

some time I went beyond the glory of Alexander the

great when he set up this column. For erected a stone as

my lantiiriark and memorial and anointed it with oil. In

sooth i:t was a marble pillar with a stone cross on it,

intended ro last till the world's end. And it had Pope's

arms and my own engraved on it with inscriptions both

in Indian, and Latin characters. I consecrated and blessed

it in the pr'esence of an infinite nlultitude of people and I

was carrietd on the shoulders of the ch ie fs in a litter or

I'alanq~tin like Solotnon's. So after a year and four

montlis I took leave of the brethren (valejaciens

f ) . He preached the word of Ciod and conducted

di \ .~ne services. He also baptized a pagan after

instt-ucting hi111 fix three months. It nlust be admitted that

cordial relations prevailed at that time between the

Latinite:j and Chaldeo-Syrians. The terms cited above

are suffjcient enough to substantiate it . . .."'

Another papal Legate to India whom mention can be

tnatie ot' I S Friar Albert de Sartiano 0 .F .M sent by Pope Eugene

IV ( 143 I - 144'7) to the Asiatic countries. He was the bearer of a

letter sent by the Pope to the Villarvetttain ruler of Kerala.

Addressing the Chaldeo-Syrian ruler as "Beloved son of Christ,

Thomas, the illustrious Emperor of the Indians", the letter,

recom~nended the Papal Legate top? the ruler and said: " There

has often reached us a constant rumour that your serenity and

all who are subjects of your kingdom are true ~h r i s t i ans . "~ ' In

1433 Pope Eugene IV sent several missionaries to the Eastern

countries and Frair Albert de Sartiano was one among them."

Fr. Hosten states that such types of settlements were found

from Karachi to Cape Coinorin and from Cape Conlorin to

. ~ 1 , Mylapore.

When the Portuguese under Alfonso de Albuquerque

landed in Qu~ lon in 1503 they found that there were 25,000

Christians of ~~vhom a good number were Latin Catholics. The

historian who accompanied Vasco da Gama during his second

expedition also visited Quilon and referred to the existence of

numerous churches.''

The accounts furnished by the European travelers shed

immense lighi. o'n the conditions of the church in Malabar from

the 12"' to the 1 :jth centuries. Among the travelers were John of

Monte Carvirio., who remained in India for thirteen months;

Marco Polo, the celebrated Venetian traveler, who stayed in

India on his way back to Rome from China and Oderic, an

~

3 I I'aniikaran. Thc Syrian ( ' h~ r r rh in Malnhur, p.34.

3 2 . A J . Ro~ario (ed.) Kollutr? ('lrrisrunikul. pp.1 10-1 I 1

- . . h~,,u/u l.urrn (',rrholic u.s.%o<.iolron Sorri~e171r., 1955 p.8

Italian I;ranciscan, who on his journey to Quilon and Mylaproe

found several hmilies of Nestorians here. John De Marignolli,

wlio s~aj.ed at Quilon for sixteen nlonths speaks of Indian

( ' I I I - I S L I ~ I I ~ as n-lasters of South India.

1 i l l the arrival of the Portuguese, the Christian church in

Kcrala I-emained an independent body. It was Christian in

1.ellgion. Sy1.o-orien~al in worship and Indian in culture. Until

the 16'' century, there were neither doctrinal nor ritual division

anlong the Si.. Thomas Christians. They had the same faith and

same communiion and had also the same rite which was East

. .

Syian ." Thus they were well placed in the social hierarchy

\\.hen the Portuguese set their foot on the coast of Kerala.

George Woodcock, attested to it as follows:

111 general, the Syrian Christians were unnlolested by the

non-Christians of Kerala. At a later period Tipu Sultan

destroved some Christian churches in. Malabar and made

a few forcible conversions to Islam, but he was an alien

f'so~n fvlysore, unaccustomed to Malayali tradition of

tolerance. The only known persecution by Hindus was

3. X;IVIC~ hudapllzlia. Fairh U I I ~ C'o~irm~inron o/rhe lnd~un Chtirch ufSt. Thomas

('11, ,,Yll<,,,.~. 1 3 10.

the 1lia:;sacre in 1809 of many Syrian Christians,

including some priests, during a Nair rising against the

'ast India. Company, but this was less because of the

religion of the \/ictiins than because they were suspected

ot tavoring the British. There is certainly no record of

an), per:secution, on the part of the rulers of the Brahmins

during the period before the arrival of the Portuguese. ""

L)ul-ilig the coul-se of these centuries, the St. Thomas

Christians became an affluent community. They enjoyed the

same social stztus on par with the caste Hindus and observed

their caste r ~ ~ l e s as their own. They were indifferent t c the

spread of gospel and their spiritual life was on the wane. They

nia111taint.d ecclesiastical relations with the Persian church,

\4,eicoming bisl~ops and ecclesiastic from the region. But the

churc!~ never came under the domination of the Nestorian

, - church. ' The Syrian church developed itself as an indigenous

church except in matters of faith and forms of worship. The

Christian society of' Kerala presented the picture of a

~~~~ -- ~~-~~~

7 h (ieorge Woodcoc:k, Ko-<i/'r- A Por~ru~l of'lhe Malubm Coasr. pp. 1 16- 1 17.

3 7 Alr\!~~ider- h4ar Tho~rw, 7h1, ,if~,r Thuv~u Chl~rch, Herirag:e and Mi,ssiun, p.5.

their religion uriconsciously emulated the fanaticism of the

Moslems. and when persuasion and eloquence failed, they used

intimidation and force to convert the Syrians to their faith.4' It

\ras the first organized move of one set of Christians against

their o\xn kith and ltin in this part of the world." One hundred

and tift) t\\o priests and six hundred and sixty two laymen and

.4schdeacon attended the synod, which colnnlenced on 20 June

1590. I \r o hundred and sixty seven decrees were passed at the

s ) - n ~ d . ~ ' They were calculated to establish the Roman doctrine

and Pope's s,upreinacy in clear terms. The celibacy of the

clergy \\as made a rule. The Udayamperoor sunnahadose took

decisions calculated to wean the Christians away from the

centuries old Hindu inf~uence."~ The Synod of Diainper, to a

u.i.at extent brought LO co~npletion the Catholicization of the <

church in ~ a l a b a r . " The Portuguese efforts to create a pocket

of influence by winning over the local Christians to allegiance

towards the l io~nan Church also left behind a trail of communal

J I C.M. .4 11sul- :'hitrch Hivroi:~: ~fTral,m?core p.22.

42 .lvl,,-~~o/ of h,?rulu Stlrdie.,. Trivandrum. 1975. Vol. 11, p.27.

4; (-. M ,Afur. t~ / i . r i l . . pp.48-50.

44 M (; S Naxiyanan. C'i t / r~iro/ .Sl~t~~bio.si .s in Kerolo, p.7.

45 k .I .lolin (ed.). Ch,-t.\~iu~~ Heritage <J/ Keralu, p. 18.

feuds and bit terne~s.~" The synod touched the very foundation

of the reirg~ous and social life of the St. Thomas ~h r i s t i ans .~ '

I l ie allegiance lasted only for fifty five years. The unwilling

S\I-ians \indicated tlicir ancient faith by requesting the

I'atriarch ot't!gypt at Cairo, the Nestorian Patriarch of Babylon

and the Jacob~te Patriarch at Antioch for a bishop to be sent to

Ilalabal- 1 1 , the meanwhile, they nominated one alnong

ti~emsel\ es n,a~ned 7 holnas of the Pakalomattom family, to act

r .

as the11 bisliop t i l l one would arrive. 1 he response came

immediately from the Patriarch of Babylon who sent Bishop

Icnat~us - Siinon Hidayathulla popularly known as Ahatalla to

h4alahar-. tlu't the Portuguese, out of hostility to the Syrian

C'III-istians, de:ported him to Goa where he was tried by the

I ~ ~ i ~ u ~ s ~ t ~ o n and then burnt or shipped off to Europe. The

success of the Synod was short lived.

rhe Ahattala event brought the discontent which had

heen brew~ng to an open revolt even against the Government

on whose strength the church depended for its existence." A

4% h h kuru%,illa, .4 H I . \ I ~ I ~ I , of il?e Mar Thumos CI~urc,h uf?d 11,s DOCII.III~S, p.1 I

large number of about 25,000 Syrian Christians marched to

Cochin 11ndt:r the leadership of Anjilinnoottil Thomman

1'1 C'athanal.. But the fort was closed against them and cannon

\\ere rnc>i~i~ted on the walls for use in c;3se of emergency.

I-lc~lct. the) ass#-inbled around coonet7 cr.o.s,s, at Mattancherry,

Cuchin and touching the long rope that was tied to it, took an

oat11 11131 the) severed their connection with the Roman church

aiicl that they wlsuld recognize their Archdeacon Thomas as the

si~],renic head of the church. As the news of the coonen cross

oath spread, all the Syrians except a few hundreds joined the

re\ olt. '1~Ii.e event marked a turning point in the history of

Kerala church as i t led to the emergence of two distinct

secrions among Christians, the Romo-Syrians who remained

lo\al ro the Pope known as pazhayakutttr (old section) and

other section who got liberation from the Roman yoke called as

pzrri~enkutr~~ i(new section)."' The general council of the

/~~rr/~enkurru rnet at Alangad, elected a four member committee

to assist the ~rchdeacons" attempt to bring the revolting

Syrians again into the Roman fold met with partial success.

The capture of Cochin by the Dutch on 7 January 1663

con~pletely chan;ged the situatio~i. '~ The new masters ordered

all i<oman ecclesiastics out of their territory and the Syrian

clercv <. and their tollowing were left unmolested on condition

that they would pay no allegiance to the F'ortuguese king."

-1.lie tbrtunes of the church were much affected by the changing

of p o l ~ t ~ c s of the country." In the course of trials and

tribulations the Syrians mustered further strength to restore

their lost status.

The rist* of the Dutch in India enabled the St. Thomas

Christians to revive their contacts with the Eastern churches."

I t ellabled the St. Thomas Christians to seek the good offices of

tastern non-Roman churches and this time ihe Jacobites came

to their aid.'" The bishop, the Jacobite Patriarch sent was Mar

Gregorios. Birjhop of ~erusalen~." One of his first acts was to

~

52 h4.C). li,>sh!. l'ilr DI,/c/T P O I ~ C I . 117 KCI.U/U 1729-1 7 j R . p 19.

5.; I . K . Anantakrishna lyer. A17lhropolo~- of r/?e .Sy!.ion Chvisliu~~s. p.33.

4 A M Mundad,ui. u l~c i r . . pX4. . . M.O. liosh!. til?.i.ir.. p. 7 13

i(, S ~ C O ~ I I C S belonfed to the g o u p o f churches historically called Monophysite and 111~11. patt.ial-cI1 was know11 a5 the Jacobite Patriarch o f Antioch.

consecrate Archdeacon 'Thomas as Mar Thonia I. It marked the

beginning of the long connection between the two churches.

Episcopal continuity was restored with Mar T h o ~ n a 1 as the

first Indian Metropolitan. His successors were known by the

name Mar Thon~a up to Mar Thotna V and thereafter four of

the Metropolitar~s were known by the title Dionysius. S o ~ n e of

these consecrations were conducted by visiting bishops from

the West Asia as before and some by the loci11 ~ e t r o ~ o l i t a n s . ~ ~

During the eighteen centuries of its existence in Kerala

Christianity developed a s an indigenous religion. It became

possible under the patronage extended by the local rulers and

with the friendship and tolerance extended by the natives.

Althougll the Portuguese could destroy the liturgy of the

Syrians and create a division ainong them, they could not

completely destroy the community.

Under the Dutch and the British East India Companies

the Syrian Christians sincerely tried to strengthen their status.

With their suppol-t, the Syrian Church revived its religious,

educational and social activities." Claudius Buchanan who

58 . Alexa~ider Mar Tliorna. O / J 1 1 . p.9

59 1' C'her~ati. ,,/i cil.. p. 160

visited the Malabar Church at the instance of Lord Wellesley

prepared his report in the famous document known as Christian

Re.s~~urcIie.s in A.Y~LI. CoI. John Monroe, the British resident of

TI-alancore and Cochin states fi-0111 18 10 to 1820, took a furthei-

initiati\c. He was a devoted Christian with evangelical

con\,ictions."" Col. John Monroe who took keen interest in the

social and religious renovation of the St. Thomas Community,

wl-ole to the Church Missionary Society of England to send

missionaries to revive the Old Church. The Anglican Church

Missionary Soci.ety sponsored the 'Mission of Help' to the

Orthodox Church established in 18 16."' The first missionary to

arri1.e was Norton. Benjamin Baily, Joseph Fenn and Henry

Baker, the first triumvirate of English missionaries to the

Syrian C'hurch, of South India, followed him."' They were to

regenerate the St. Thomas church. They were not to make

Syrians Anglicans or assume authority over them, but to bring

nen ideas which would work from within and help the Syrian

00 I 1 . . Kra!. .4 Ni.slory ufriic Si,rian ('hut-ch in India, p.69.

01 O ~ t t i c t ~ ~ i 1 3 . Forrester, np ' , ! I . { l . l O l

6 2 1 it.01-sc M~li i r Rae. <J/,/,C,l , p 2 8 5 .

church to retirrn itself'."' Being conscious of the needs of his

church. Punnathara Mar Dionysius, the Metran, welco~ned the

C l i ~ ~ r c h Miss~,onary Society missionaries to work in the St.

I liomas church At tirst the native Metrans welcorned the co-

operation of ):he missionaries but later on a hostile spirit was

inanif'ested towards them. The rapid spread of protestant

helie& among the Syian Christians led t o the Synod of

Mavelikara which decided to stop all connection with the

Anglican inissionaries."'

Besidels the Rorno-Syrian church arid Jacobite Syrian

ch~lrch. there were sonle minor churches tracing their origin to

the Apostle Thomas. The Chaldean or Nestrorian church,

which is 'still following Syrian liturgy has considerable

his~orical im~portance. It maintained connection with the

church of' Balbylon even during the middle ages. The Chaldean

Church also lcnown as The Church of the East has developed in

and around Trichur. At present the Church is under the

episcopal supervision of Mar Aprem and Paulose Mar Paulose.

.

0 3 ('.R l111h. o/~.crl.. p. 164.

04 Iiurlan Kani!/aniparamb~l. Sli1.iu171 Suhhu, pp. 194-198

.I he Thozhiyoor Suriyani Sabha is an independent Syrian

I , , . Chruch. The origin of the church goes back to the 18"'

centur>. when a foreign Jacobite bishop by name Mar

Ciregor~us consecrated a priest, belonging to Katturnangattu

t jn~i ly . as Bishop \+,it11 the title Mar Kurilos, without consulting

the reigning Metran, Mar Thonla ~ 1 . " " l'his led to dispute

between Mas .I:'homa VI and Mar Kurilos;. Mar Thoma VI

appealed to the Rajas of Travancore and Cochin. Fearing

persecution, JVar KUI-ilos escaped to a place called Thozhiyoor

or- Anjur in British ~a l aba r . " ' He gathered some followers

there and tht* church founded by him became an independent

one. f h e church had played a significant role in critical stages

in the h~story of the Syrian church by consecrating bishops for

it 1-here 1s a strong relation between the Mar Thoina Syrian

Church and Thozhiyoor church since 1893. When Thomas

Mar Athanasius died in 1893, his successor was consecrated by

Mar Athanasiu~s and Mar Kurilose V of the Thozhiyoor church.

-~ .

h5 (3 (hediatli. Kcrolurl~~le ( '17rr,s/hwu SuDhukul, pp. 134-1 3 5 .

oh k 1 lo!. I'lri. ? , h r Th,~l,l,i ('l7urch : A Budv ofits Grou~lh and ('onrriruion, p. 19

7 \. I iruh \'alphese. (;/,iii,,ii..~ of /he H,.YIoJ~; qfthr ('hri.stiu17 (%urches in ind~u .

1 1 - 1 .

Ever since bisltlops of' two churches help each other for inter

church consecration oi'bishops.

Thc Roman Catholic Church estat-dished its roots in

Mulabar with the advent of' the Pol-tuguese in the 16"' century.

The St. 1 hornas Christians maintained contacts wit11 the eastern

churches oiTI'ersia through centuries. But they maintained their

special identity and status. Though the Portuguese tried their

hest to tbrce them to accept papal supremacy, a large number

of them resisted. 'They struggled hard to keep their identity

against the Portuguese domination. It was only with the

expulsion of' t:he Portuguese, the St. Thomas Christians were

able to renew their contacts with the eastern churches. The St.

.l'llomas Christians had the full support of the Dutch. When the

H~.itish became a dominant political power in India, they tried

to reform tht: church of the St. Thoinas Christians. Though all

the nla.jor political developlnents affected their lives, society

and religious practices, they remained Indian, retaining their

special characteristic features. The St. Thomas Christians had

a rightful place in the society and shared common interests and

took pride with the rest of the people of Kerala that they were

all 'Malayalees' speaking the sanle Malayalam language and

wearing the same: dress. They were staunch in their adherence

to their faith and proitd of the apostolic origin of their church.

I-he majoriry of the Syrian Christians in Kerala belong to the

[tornan ('atliolic Church.