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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.