110-813: The Congregation of the Sisters of the Imitation of Christ (SIC) , also known as Bethany Madhom , is a congregation in the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church . It was founded by the Servant of God Archbishop Geevarghese Mar Ivanios on 1 May 1925, originally in the Malankara Orthodox Church . The entire congregation reunited with the Catholic Church in 1930 following the reunion movement. The Bethany Sisters are
220-667: A Catholicate here. Accordingly, Ignatius Abdul Masih II went to Malankara in 1912 and established the Catholicate in Malankara. This created a split in the church: Baselios Paulose I (1912–1913), the first Catholicos, died after a short period of five months on 13 May 1913; the See remained vacant until 1925. That was a period of litigation in the Malankara Church. The litigation for Vattippanam (a fixed deposit of money in
330-813: A Cistercian monk, came to the Eparchy of Tiruvalla. In the year 1957 he founded the Kristiya Sanyasa Samaj, Kurisumala Ashram in the high ranges of Vagamon. In 1958 the territorial boundary of the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was extended north to include the Malabar region of Kerala, the civil districts of Coimbatore and Nilgiris and Karoor Taluk in Tiruchirappally District of Tamil Nadu and districts of Mysore, Mandya, Coorg, Hasan, Chickamangalore, Shimoga and South Kanara of Karnataka State. Athanasios died in 1977. Paulos Philoxenos ,
440-1002: A Christian community in India using the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew language in the 2nd century. The tradition of origin of the Christians in Kerala is found in a version of the Songs of Thomas or Thomma Parvam , written in 1601 and believed to be a summary of a larger and older work. Thomas is described as arriving in or around Maliankara and founding Ēḻarappaḷḷikaḷ (Seven great churches): Kodungallur , Kottakavu , Palayoor , Kokkamangalam , Nilackal , Niranam and Kollam . Some other churches, namely Thiruvithamcode Arappally (a "half church"), Malayattoor and Aruvithura are often called Arappallikal . The Thomma Parvam also narrates
550-563: A bishop sent by the Syrian Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius ʿAbdulmasīḥ I, arrived in India and the faction under the leadership of Thoma I welcomed him. The bishop was sent in correspondence to the letter sent by Thoma I to the Oriental Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch . Bishop Abdul Jaleel consecrated Thoma I canonically as a bishop and regularised his episcopal succession. This led to
660-688: A center for spiritual renewal and monastic life, with an additional outreach for orphan care. His monastic vision expanded in 1925 with the founding of the Bethany Madhom, a convent for women religious, inspired by the Epiphany Sisters of England. Ivanios was consecrated as a bishop in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church by Catholicos Beselios Geevarghese I on 1 May 1925, taking the name Geevarghese Ivanios. However, he later advocated for reunification with
770-814: A hierarchical ecclesiastical structure, often aligning with the East Syriac Church (under the Church of the East) and later the Chaldean Catholic Church . The community largely followed Eastern Christian liturgy, practiced Syriac liturgical traditions, and were in communion with the Patriarch of the East based in Persia . The arrival of Portuguese explorers in India in the late 15th century marked
880-693: A master’s degree. In 1908, he was ordained as a priest by Vattasseril Geevarghese Dionysius and appointed principal of M.D. Seminary, a position that allowed him to shape future church leaders. Later, he accepted an invitation to teach at Serampore College in Calcutta , where he also founded a monastic community. Upon returning to Kerala, Ivanios established the Bethany Ashram on land donated by his friend E. John Vakeel in Mundanmala, Ranni-Perunadu. This ashram, founded on 15 August 1919, served as
990-648: A move designed to increase Quilon's trade and wealth. Thus began the Malayalam Era, known as Kollavarsham after the city, indicating the importance of Kollam in the 9th century. The great distances involved and the geopolitical turmoil of the period caused India to be cut off from the church's heartland in Mesopotamia at several points. In the 11th century the province was suppressed by the church entirely, as it had become impossible to reach, but effective relations were restored by 1301. However, following
1100-595: A native Archdeacon , who had authority over the clergy and who wielded a great amount of secular power. Some contact and transmission of knowledge of the Saint Thomas Christians managed to reach the Christian West, even after the rise of the Islamic empires . Byzantine traveller Cosmas Indicopleustes wrote of Syrian Christians he met in India and Sri Lanka in the 6th century. In 883
1210-520: A new ecclesiastical leader to free his people from the Padroado, travelled to Cochin and demanded to meet Ahatallah and examine his credentials. The Portuguese refused, stating the ship had already left for Goa. Ahatallah was never heard from in India again, inspiring false rumours that the Portuguese had murdered him and inflaming anti-Portuguese sentiments even more. This was the last straw for
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#17327731281071320-530: Is Malayalam . Nasrani or Nazarene is a Syriac term for Christians , who were among the first converts to Christianity in the Near East . Historically, this community was organised as the Province of India of the Church of the East by Patriarch Timothy I (780–823 AD) in the eighth century, served by bishops and a local dynastic archdeacon . In the 14th century, the Church of the East declined in
1430-629: Is a lectionary of Pauline Epistles copied on AD 1301 (1612 AG ) in Kodungallūr (Cranganore, Classical Syriac : ܫܸܢܓܲܲܠܐ , romanized: Shengala ) at the Church dedicated to Mar Quriaqos . This holy book has been copied in the royal, renowned and famous town Shengala, which is in Malabar in the land of India, in the holy Church dedicated to the Mar Quriaqos, the glorious martyr... whilst our blessed and holy father Mar Yahballaha
1540-808: Is an evangelical faction that split off from the Marthoma Church in 1961. Meanwhile, the CSI Syrian Christians represents those Malankara Syrian Christians , who joined the Anglican Church in 1836 and eventually became part of the Church of South India , a United Protestant denomination. The C.S.I. is in full communion with the Mar Thoma Syrian Church. By the 20th century, various Syrian Christians joined Pentecostal and other evangelical denominations like
1650-767: Is in full communion with the Holy See in Rome. This includes the aforementioned Syro-Malabar Church, which follows the East Syriac Rite, as well as the West Syriac Syro-Malankara Catholic Church . The Oriental Orthodox faction includes the autocephalous Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and Malabar Independent Syrian Church along with the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church , an integral part of
1760-680: Is much doubt on the cultural background of early Christians, there is evidence that some members of the St Thomas Christian community observed Brahmin customs in the Middle Ages, such as the wearing of the Upanayana (sacred thread) and having a kudumi . The medieval historian Pius Malekandathil believes these were customs adopted and privileges won during the beginning of the Brahmin dominance of medieval Kerala. He argues that
1870-568: Is noted to have enhanced the social position of all the ancient Christians of India and secured for them royal protection from the Chera dynasty. The Thomas of Cana copper plates were extant in Kerala until the 17th century after which point they were lost. As the community grew and immigration by East Syriac Christians increased, the connection with the Church of the East, centred in the Persian capital of Seleucia-Ctesiphon , strengthened. From
1980-741: Is one of India's biggest church evangelical establishments. The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church traces its origins to the missions of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The Church employs the West Syriac Rite Divine Liturgy of Saint James . It is one of the two Eastern Catholic churches in India, the other being the Syro-Malabar Church which employs the East Syriac Rite liturgy. The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church
2090-503: The Church of the East , or East Syriac Church. Internally the Saint Thomas Christian community is divided into two ethnic groups, the majority Vadakkumbhagar or Northist and the minority Tekkumbhagar or Southist. Saint Thomas Christian tradition traces the origin of these ethno-geographical epithets to the city of Kodungallur , the historic capital of the medieval Chera dynasty . The early converts of Saint Thomas
2200-699: The Coonan Cross Oath (Oath of the bent cross). Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, the Thomas Christians publicly took an oath that they would not obey the Jesuit Bishops. Church historian KOOTHUR observes that "the 'Coonan Cross' revolution obviously was the final outbreak of the storm that had been gathering on the horizon of the ecclesial life of the St. Thomas Christians for over a century." Rome sent Carmelites in two groups from
2310-552: The Eparchy of Marthandom bifurcating the Metropolitan Eparchy of Thiruvananthapuram. Lawrence Ephrem was appointed as its first bishop. He died after a few months of his enthronement as Bishop of Marthandom, on 8 April 1997. In the meantime the Eparchy of Tiruvalla was blessed with an auxiliary bishop in the person of Thomas Koorilos , who was consecrated bishop on 17 July 1997. On 29 June 1998 Yoohanon Chrysostom
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#17327731281072420-632: The Indo-Parthian Kingdom is the Acts of Thomas , likely written in the early 3rd century, perhaps in Edessa . A number of 3rd and 4th century Roman writers also mention Thomas' trip to India, including Ambrose of Milan , Gregory of Nazianzus , Jerome , and Ephrem the Syrian , while Eusebius of Caesarea records that St. Clement of Alexandria's teacher Pantaenus from Alexandria visited
2530-589: The Kerala Brethren , Indian Pentecostal Church of God , Assemblies of God , among others. They are known as Pentecostal Saint Thomas Christians . The Saint Thomas Christians have also been nicknamed such due to their reverence for Saint Thomas the Apostle , who is said to have brought Christianity to India. The name dates back to the period of Portuguese colonisation . They are also known, especially locally, as Nasrani or Nasrani Mappila . The former means Christian ; it appears to have been derived from
2640-537: The Knanaya migration. The two bishops were instrumental in founding many Christian churches with Syrian liturgy along the Malabar coast and were venerated as Qandishangal (saints) since then by the Thomas Christians. It is believed that Sapir Iso also proposed that the Chera king create a new seaport near Kollam in lieu of his request that he rebuild the almost vanished inland seaport at Kollam (kore-ke-ni) near Backare (Thevalakara), also known as Nelcynda and Tyndis to
2750-519: The Malabar Coast were facing new challenges, caused by the establishment of Portuguese presence in India. The Saint Thomas Christians first encountered the Portuguese in 1498, during the expedition of Vasco da Gama . At the time the community was in a tenuous position: though thriving in the spice trade and protected by their own militia, the local political sphere was volatile and
2860-871: The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church , is an Eastern Catholic sui iuris particular church in full communion with the worldwide Catholic Church possessing self-governance under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches . It is one of the major archiepiscopal churches of the Catholic Church. It is headed by Major Archbishop Baselios Cardinal Cleemis Catholicos of the Major Archdiocese of Trivandrum based in Kerala , India . With more than 1096 parishes, it
2970-627: The Near East , due to persecution from Tamerlane . Portuguese colonial overtures to bring St Thomas Christians into the Latin Church of the Catholic Church , administered by their Padroado system in the 16th century, led to the first of several rifts ( schisms ) in the community. The attempts of the Portuguese culminated in the Synod of Diamper , formally subjugating them to the Portuguese Padroado and imposing upon them
3080-634: The Propagation of the Faith to Malabar headed by Fr. Sebastiani and Fr. Hyacinth. Fr. Sebastiani arrived first in 1655 and began to speak directly with the archdeacon, Thoma I. Fr. Sebastiani, with the help of Portuguese, gained the support of many, especially with the support of Palliveettil Chandy , Kadavil Chandy Kathanar and Vengoor Geevarghese Kathanar. These were the three of the four counselors of Thoma I, who along with Thoma I, had defected with Francisco Garcia Mendes, Archbishop of Cranganore , before
3190-690: The Puthenkoor . Those who were in the communion of Rome after the Synod of Daimper and remained in the communion even after the oath of bent cross, and those who rejoined the Catholic communion from the Puthenkoor church during the Carmelite period, came to be known as the Pazhayakoor . Both factions continued to use the name "Malankara", the real name of the St. Thomas Christian community for
3300-752: The Reconquista . Facilitating their goals was the Padroado Real , a series of treaties and decrees in which the Pope conferred upon the Portuguese government certain authority in ecclesiastical matters in the foreign territories they conquered. They set up in Goa , forming a colonial government and a Latin church hierarchy under the Archbishop of Goa , and quickly set to bringing the Saint Thomas Christians under his authority. The Portuguese subjection of
3410-426: The Roman Rite of worship. The Portuguese oppression provoked a violent resistance among the Thomasine Christians, that took expression in the Coonan Cross Oath protest in 1653. This led to the permanent schism among the Thomas' Christians of India, leading to the formation of Puthenkur or Puthenkūttukār ("New allegiance" ) and Paḻayakūṟ or Pazhayakūr ("Old allegiance") factions. The Paḻayakūṟ comprise
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3520-456: The Synod of Diamper in 1599, which formally placed the St. Thomas Christians under the jurisdiction of the Catholic Archbishopric of Goa and imposed Latin rites and customs. These measures sparked resistance among the St. Thomas Christians, who sought to preserve their traditions and ecclesiastical autonomy. By the mid-17th century, these grievances intensified, setting the stage for the historic Coonan Cross Oath. A protest took place in 1653 with
3630-416: The Synod of Diamper , which implemented various liturgical and structural reforms in the Indian church. The Synod brought the parishes directly under the Archbishop's purview; anathematised certain "superstitious" social customs characteristic of their Hindu neighbors, including untouchability and a caste hierarchy; and purged the liturgy, the East Syriac Rite , of elements deemed unacceptable according to
3740-495: The West Syriac liturgy, customs and script to the Malabar Coast. The visits of prelates from the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch continued since then and this led to gradual replacement of the East Syriac Rite liturgy with the West Syriac Rite and the Malankara Church affiliated to the Miaphysite Christology of the Oriental Orthodox Communion . Furthermore, ʿAbdulmasīḥ I sent Maphrian Baselios Yaldo in 1685, along with Bishop Ivanios Hidayattullah who vehemently propagated
3850-401: The 4th or 8th century. The subgroup of the Saint Thomas Christians known as the Knanaya or Southists trace their lineage to Thomas of Cana, while the group known as the Northists claim descent from the early Christians evangelized by Thomas the Apostle. The traditional histories of the Thomas Christians note that the immigration of the Knanites reinvigorated the church of India, which was at
3960-426: The Apostle and those who later joined the faith in India are believed to have initially resided on the northern side of the city of Kodungallur and for that reason became known as Vadakkumbhagar or Northist. In either the 4th or 8th century, the Syriac Christian merchant magnate Knai Thoma is noted to have arrived and settled in southern Kodungallur with a cohort of merchants and clergymen. Because they dwelled on
4070-411: The Apostle came to Muziris on the Kerala coast in AD 52 which is in present-day Pattanam , near Kodungallur , Kerala . The Cochin Jews are known to have existed in Kerala in the 1st century AD, and it was possible for an Aramaic -speaking Jew , such as St. Thomas from Galilee , to make a trip to Kerala then. The earliest known source connecting the Apostle to Northwest India, specifically
4180-451: The Apostolic Nuncio in India, read the official declaration at St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram . The Hierarchical Head of the Church became a Major Archbishop who exercises patriarchal powers and governs the Church assisted by the Holy Synod of Bishops of the Church. On 19 February 2005, Joseph Thomas was consecrated as auxiliary bishop of Thiruvananthapuram and apostolic visitor to North America and Europe. On 11 April 2005
4290-431: The Catholic Church, leading a movement that ultimately established the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. On 20 September 1930 Ivanios, Bishop Jacob Theophilos , Fr. John Kuzhinapurath OIC , Dn. Alexander OIC, and Chacko Kilileth embraced and united with the Catholic Church. The Union Movement under the leadership of Ivanios gave rise to Malankara Catholic Church. This took place in the Quilon bishop’s chapel. The members of
4400-457: The Coonan Cross Oath as an explosion against decades long suppression and overbearing attitude of Padroado Latin prelates. After the events of Coonan Cross Oath three letters were circulated claiming that they had been sent by Ahathalla . One such letter was read at a meeting at Edappally on 5 February 1653. This letter granted to the archdeacon some powers of the archbishop. On hearing it, a vast crowd enthusiastically welcomed Archdeacon Thomas as
4510-430: The Curia building. Baselios soon constituted the first synod of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, convened from 16 to 18 August 2005 at the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, Thiruvananthapuram. It constituted the Permanent Synod and the various Synodal Commissions headed by bishops to take care of various apostolates of the Church. The official bulletin, Malankara is published from the Major Archiepiscopal Curia, to communicate
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4620-417: The English king Alfred the Great reportedly sent a mission and gifts to Saint Thomas' tomb in India. During the Crusades , distorted accounts of the Saint Thomas Christians and the Nestorian Church gave rise to the European legend of Prester John . The port at Kollam , then known as Quilon, was founded in 825 by Maruvān Sapir Iso, a Persian Christian merchant, with sanction from Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal,
4730-417: The Eparchy of Tiruvalla as its suffragan. The Metropolitan Eparchy of Thiruvananthapuram was established in 1933. Ivanios was enthroned as its first Metropolitan Archbishop . The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was established in 1933. Jacob Theophilos was enthroned as its first bishop. In 1937 Joseph Severios of the Malankara Orthodox Church joined the Catholic Church. In 1939, Thomas Dioscoros, the metropolitan of
4840-404: The Eparchy of Tiruvalla, the Eparchy of Muvattupuzha was erected on 15 January 2003 and Thomas Koorilos was appointed as its first bishop. On 29 March 2003 Bishop Timotheos resigned due to his age, and the Holy See appointed Isaac Cleemis, the apostolic visitor to Europe and America, as the bishop of Tiruvalla. Cleemis took charge of the diocese on 2 October 2003. On 5 January 2005 Joseph Thomas
4950-400: The Exterior. After this point the Province of India was headed by a metropolitan bishop , dispatched from Persia, the "Metropolitan-Bishop of the Seat of Saint Thomas and the Whole Christian Church of India". His metropolitan see was probably in Cranganore , or (perhaps nominally) in Mylapore , where the shrine of Thomas was located. Under him were a varying number of bishops, as well as
5060-424: The Faculty of Theology of St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary became affiliated to the Pontifical Urban University , Rome. The enthronement of the major archbishop as the head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church took place on 14 May 2005. The Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Curia (Catholicate Centre) started functioning at the St. Mary's Campus, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram. On 20 May 2005, Cyril Baselios blessed
5170-573: The Hebrew word Netzer or the Aramaic Nasraya from Isaiah 11:1. Nasrani is evolved from the Syriac term for "Christian" that emerges from the Greek word Nazōraioi , Nazarene in English. Mappila is an honorific applied to members of non-Indian faiths and descendants of immigrants from the middle east who had intermarried with the local population, including Muslims ( Jonaka Mappila ) and Jews ( Yuda Mappila ). Some Syrian Christians of Travancore continue to attach this honorific title to their names. The Government of India designates members of
5280-412: The High Court of Travancore ). To ward off the undue interference of the Patriarch in the administration of the temporalities of the Church, Fr. P.T. Geevarghese with the blessing of Vattasseril Thirumeni contacted Ignatius Abdul Masih II , the 117th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch , who had been excommunicated by the Ottoman government in 1906, and invited him to visit Malankara and to establish
5390-427: The Jacobite Church were received by his Lordship Bishop Aloysius Maria Benziger (Bishop of Quilon), whom Ivanios approached for help and who was deputed by the Holy See to perform the reception. Pope Pius XI , through the Apostolic Constitution Christo Pastorum Principi of 11 June 1932, established the Syro-Malankara Catholic hierarchy for the reunited community and erected the Archeparchy of Thiruvananthapuram with
5500-400: The Knanaya Jacobite Church , joined the Catholic Church. In 1938, the missionary congregation of the Daughters of Mary was founded at Marthandom in Kanyakumari District. Bishop Dioscoros died in 1943. Ivanios consecrated Benedict Gregorios as his auxiliary bishop in 1953. Ivanios died on 15 July 1953. The Eparchy of Tiruvalla was led by Jacob Theophilos and Joseph Severios. Severios
5610-399: The Latin protocol. A number of Syriac texts were condemned and ordered burnt, including the Peshitta , the Syriac version of the Bible. Some of the reforms, especially the elimination of caste status, reduced the Saint Thomas Christians' standing with their socially stratified Hindu neighbors. The Synod formally brought the Saint Thomas Christians into the Catholic Church but the actions of
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#17327731281075720-421: The Portuguese over the ensuing years fueled resentment in segments of the community, and ultimately led to open resistance to their power. Over the next several decades, tensions seethed between the Portuguese and the remaining native hierarchy, and after 1641 Archdeacon Thomas , the nephew and successor to Archdeacon George of Cross, was often at odds with the Latin prelates. In 1652, the escalating situation
5830-567: The Puthenkur faction (Malankara Syrians) claimed 32. The remaining 12 churches were shared between the two factions until the late nineteenth century. The Paḻayakūṟ faction is the body from which the modern Syro-Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church descend. The Puthenkur faction is the body from which the Jacobite , Orthodox , CSI Syrian Christians , Marthoma , St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India , Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Malabar Independent Syrian Church originate. This visit of Gregorios Abdal Jaleel gradually introduced
5940-431: The Romans and Greeks and as Thondi to the Tamils, which had been without trade for several centuries because the Cheras were overrun by the Pallavas in the 6th century, ending the spice trade from the Malabar coast. The Tharisapalli plates presented to Maruvan Sapor Iso by Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal granted the Christians the privilege of overseeing foreign trade in the city as well as control over its weights and measures in
6050-416: The Saint Thomas Christians found themselves under pressure from the rajas of Calicut and Cochin and other small kingdoms in the area. The Saint Thomas Christians and the Portuguese newcomers quickly formed an alliance. The Portuguese had a keen interest in implanting themselves in the spice trade and in spreading their version of Christianity, which had been forged during several centuries of warfare in
6160-434: The Saint Thomas Christians from their hierarchy in 1575, when the Padroado legislated that neither patriarch could send representatives to India without Portuguese approval. By 1599 the last Metropolitan, Abraham , had died, and the Archbishop of Goa, Aleixo de Menezes , had secured the submission of the young Archdeacon Givargis , the highest remaining representative of the native church hierarchy. The Archbishop convened
6270-429: The Saint Thomas Christians was relatively measured at first, but they became more aggressive after 1552, the year of the death of Metropolitan Mar Jacob and of a schism in the Church of the East , which resulted in there being two rival Patriarchs—one of whom entered communion with the Catholic Church. Both patriarchs sent bishops to India, but the Portuguese consistently managed to outmaneuver them, and effectively cut off
6380-413: The Saint Thomas Christians; in 1653, Thomas and community representatives met at the Church of Our Lady in Mattancherry to take bold action. In a great ceremony before a crucifix and lighted candles, they swore a solemn oath that they would never obey Padroado Archbishop Francisco Garcia or the Portuguese again, and that they accepted only the Archdeacon as their shepherd. There are various versions about
6490-426: The Synodal acts and voice of the Syro-Malankara Major Archiepiscopal Church. The platinum jubilee of the Reunion Movement and the Year of the Eucharist were celebrated jointly at Mar Ivanios Nagar, Punnamoodu, Mavelikara, on 19–21 September 2005. By decrees of Baselios, the Metropolitan Province of Tiruvalla, with the Eparchies of Bathery and Muvattupuzha as suffragans, was established on 15 May 2006 and Isaac Cleemis
6600-405: The Syriac Orthodox Church headed by the Patriarch of Antioch. Oriental Protestant denominations include the Mar Thoma Syrian Church and the St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India . Being a reformed church influenced by British Anglican missionaries in the 1800s, the Mar Thoma Church employs a reformed variant of the liturgical West Syriac Rite. The St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India
6710-407: The Syrian Christians in Kerala, integrated with Persian Christian migrant merchants, in the 9th century to become a powerful trading community and were granted the privileges by the local rulers to promote revenue generation and to undermine Buddhist and Jain traders who rivaled the Brahmins for religious and political hegemony in Kerala at the time. An organized Christian presence in India dates to
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#17327731281076820-425: The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church in the United States of America were established. On 18 June 2001 Pope John Paul II nominated the Proto-Syncellus of Bathery Isaac Thottunkal, auxiliary bishop of Thiruvananthapuram and apostolic visitor for the Syro-Malankarites residing in North America and Europe. He was consecrated on 15 August 2001 at Tirumoolapuram, (Tiruvalla), and assumed the name Isaac Cleemis . Bifurcating
6930-434: The absence of a bishop, twelve of the cattanars (priests) might lay their hands on Thomas, and that this would be adequate as episcopal consecration. The authenticity of these letters is not clear. Some are of the opinion that these letters might be forged by Anjilimoottil Itty Thommen Kathanar who was a skilled Syriac writer. The letters were read with enthusiasm in the churches of the Thomas Christians and Archdeacon Thomas
7040-412: The arrival of East Syriac settlers and missionaries from Persia , members of what would become the Church of the East, in around the 3rd century. Saint Thomas Christians trace the further growth of their community to the arrival of Jewish-Christians (early East Syriac Christians) from the region of Mesopotamia led by Knāi Thoma ( anglicized as Thomas of Cana), which is said to have occurred either in
7150-413: The arrival of Sebastaini, according to Jesuit reports. Between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Carmelites claimed eighty-four churches, leaving the native Thoma I with thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church have descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations represented
7260-423: The beginning of significant European influence on the St. Thomas Christians. The Portuguese sought to bring the Indian Christians into conformity with the Latin Catholic Church and asserted their religious and administrative control through the establishment of the Diocese of Goa . This led to tensions, as the Portuguese pressured the community to abandon Eastern practices and adopt Latinized customs, culminating in
7370-426: The bishop of Tiruvalla died. Cardinal Lourdusamy , the then prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches , visited the Malankara Catholic Church in August 1987. Geevarghese Timotheos succeeded Yoohanon as the bishop of Tiruvalla. He was consecrated bishop in 1988. Benedict Gregorios died in 1994 after serving 41 years. Cyril Baselios , the bishop of Bathery having been appointed by Pope John Paul II,
7480-422: The church. Some of the Pazhayakoor churches not joined in the Angamaly Padiyola (1787) later became Latin churches, e.g. Mathilakom (Pappinivattom), Maliankara, Thuruthipuram, etc. One branch of the Pazhayakoor Church later re-established ties with the Assyrian Church of the East and formed the Chaldean Syrian Church when an East Syriac bishop, Gabriel, came to evangelize them in 1701. Kottayam Cheriapally
7590-423: The collapse of the Church of the East's hierarchy in most of Asia later in the 14th century, India was effectively cut off from the church, and formal contact was severed. By the late 15th century India had had no metropolitan for several generations, and the authority traditionally associated with him had been vested in the archdeacon. MS Vatican Syriac 22 is the oldest known Syriac manuscript copied in India. It
7700-427: The community as Syrian Christians , a term originating with the Dutch colonial authority that distinguishes the Saint Thomas Christians, who used Syriac (within East Syriac Rite or West Syriac Rite ) as their liturgical language, from newly evangelised Christians who followed the Roman Rite . The terms Syrian or Syriac relate not to their ethnicity but to their historical, religious and liturgical connection to
7810-410: The continuation of the traditional pre-sixteenth century church of Saint Thomas Christians in India. It forms the Indian archdiocese of the Iraq -based Assyrian Church of the East , which is one of the descendant churches of the Church of the East. They were a minority faction within the Paḻayakūṟ faction, which joined with the Church of the East Bishop during the 1870s. The Eastern Catholic faction
7920-801: The conversion of Jews, natives, and the local King at Kodungallur by St Thomas. It is possible that the Jews who became Christians at that time were absorbed by what became the Nasrani Community in Kerala. The Thomma Parvam further narrates St Thomas's mission in the rest of South India and his martyrdom at Mylapore in present-day Chennai , Tamil Nadu. According to legend, the community began with Thomas's conversion of 32 Brahmin families, namely Pakalomattom , Sankarapuri, Kalli, Kaliyankal, Koikara, Madapoor, Muttodal, Kottakara, Nedumpilly, Palackal, Panakkamattom, Kunnappilly, Vazhappilly, Payyappilly, Maliakkal, Pattamukku, Thaiyil, etc. While there
8030-488: The early 4th century the Patriarch of the Church of the East provided India with clergy, holy texts, and ecclesiastical infrastructure, and around 650 Patriarch Ishoyahb III solidified the Church of the East's jurisdiction over the Saint Thomas Christian community. In the 8th century Patriarch Timothy I organised the community as the Ecclesiastical Province of India , one of the church's Provinces of
8140-592: The end of time, through the intercession of the holy Apostle St. Thomas and all his colleagues ! Amen!.. MS Vatican Syriac 22 This manuscript is written in Estrangela script by a very young deacon named Zakharya bar Joseph bar Zakharya who was just 14 at the time of writing. The scribe refers Catholicos-Patriarch of the East Yahballaha III as Yahaballaha the fifth . Johannes P. M. van der Ploeg comments that this may indicate that
8250-543: The exaltation of her sons. Amen... And when Mar Jacob, Metropolitan Bishop was the overseer and governor of the holy see of Saint Thomas the Apostle, that is to say governor of us and of all the holy Church of the Christian India. May God grant him strength and help that he may govern us with zeal and direct us according to the will of his Lord, and that he may teach us His commandments and make us walk in His ways, till
8360-672: The faction that stood with Archdeacon Thoma I in swearing to resist the authority of the Latin Catholic Portuguese Padroado . This faction entered into a relationship with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and adopted the West Syriac Rite (the Saint Thomas Christians of India had until this point used the East Syriac Rite inherited from the historic Church of the East ). The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church represents
8470-480: The female counterpart to the Order of the Imitation of Christ ( Bethany Ashram ), which was founded by Mar Ivanios in 1919. This Eastern Catholicism –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about an organisation in India is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Syro-Malankara Catholic Church The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church , also known as
8580-481: The fifth, the Turk, qatoliqa Patriakis of the East, the head of all the countries, was great governor, holding the offices of the Catholic Church of East, the shining lamp which illuminates its regions, the head of the pastors and Pontiff of the pontiffs, Head of great high priests, Father of the fathers... The Lord may make long his life and protect his days in order that he may govern her, a long time, for her glory and for
8690-422: The first lasting formal schism in the Saint Thomas Christian community. Thereafter, the faction affiliated with the Catholic Church under Bishop Palliveettil Chandy came to be known as Paḻayakūṟ (or "Old Allegiance"), and the branch affiliated with Thoma I came to be known as Puthenkur (or "New Allegiance"). These appellations have been somewhat controversial, though, as both parties considered themselves
8800-409: The governor of their Church and four senior priests were appointed as his counsilors, namely, Anjilimoottil Itty Thommen of Kallisseri, Kuravilangad Parambil Palliveettil Chandy , Kaduthuruthi Kadavil Chandy , Angamali Vengur Giwargis Kathanar. At a further meeting held at Alangat, on 23 May 1653, another letter was read stating that it was from Ahathalla. It instructed the Saint Thomas Christians in
8910-589: The group from this Malankara faction that reunited with Rome in the 20th century (1930), though retaining the West Syriac liturgical rite . Mar Ivanios started to have negotiations with the Holy See of Rome in 1926 to enter into a new communion. The two bishops including Ivanios, a priest, a deacon and a layman were received into the Catholic Church together on 1930. By 1950 there were some 65,588 faithful, in 1960 112,478, and in 1970 183,490. There are now over 400,000 faithful in over 12 dioceses in India and across
9020-553: The head of a Carmelite mission of the Propaganda Fide to regain the trust of the dissident St. Thomas Christians. Sebastiani and other Carmelites pressed that the ordination of the archdeacon as metropolitan by the priests in the absence of another bishop was not in accordance with Church laws. They succeeded in convincing a large group of Saint Thomas Christians, including Kadavil Chandy , Palliveettil Chandy and Vengur Giwargis, and Thoma I began to lose his followers. In
9130-654: The king of the independent Venad or the State of Quilon, a feudatory under Sthanu Ravi Varma Perumal of the Chera kingdom. Sapir Iso is usually identified either as the East Syriac Christian merchant who led the East Syriac bishops Mar Sabor and Mar Proth to the Christians of Malabar or as the first of those two bishops. This accompanied the second Assyrian migration into the Malabar coast other than
9240-561: The leadership of the archdeacon welcomed him. Though most of the St. Thomas Christians gradually relented in their strong opposition to the Western control, the arrival of Bishop Gregorios of the Syriac Orthodox Church in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal schism among the St. Thomas Christians. Those who accepted the West Syriac liturgical tradition of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch of Gregorios became known as
9350-527: The meantime, Sebastiani returned to Rome and was consecrated as bishop on 15 December 1659. He reached Kerala again in 1661, being appointed as the Vicar Apostolic of Malabar by the pope. Within a short time period he restored majority of the churches that had been with Thoma I to Catholic Church. However, in 1663, with the conquest of Cochin by the Dutch, the control of the Portuguese on the Malabar coast
9460-590: The metropolitan of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church , was received into the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church on 28 August 1977. The appointment of Isaac Yoohanon as Bishop of Tiruvalla and erection of the Eparchy of Bathery with the appointment of Cyril Baselios as its first bishop through the decree of the Holy See took place in 1978. Both prelates were consecrated that year. The Eparchy of Bathery
9570-486: The moment of their arrival deprived of ecclesial leadership. The arrival of the migrants is also associated with connecting the native Church of St. Thomas with the Syriac Christian tradition of the Church of the East . During this time period Thomas of Cana received copper plates of socio-economic and religious rights for his relations, his party, and all people of his religion. The granting of these plates
9680-729: The name of the Church) and its after-effects in the community was at its zenith. In the early 20th century, Geevarghese Ivanios emerged as a pivotal figure in the development of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. Born on 21 September 1882 in Mavelikara , he was raised in the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and later pursued education at M.D. Seminary School in Kottayam . After completing high school, he furthered his studies at Madras Christian College , earning
9790-597: The nucleus from which the Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church (Jacobite Church), Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Indian Orthodox), the Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyur Church), Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (Reformed Syrians), and Syro-Malankara Catholic Church have originated. In 1665 Gregorios , a bishop sent by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch , arrived in India. The independent group under
9900-572: The other hand, claimed direct descent from the very oldest Christians of the country, those who had been won to Christ by the Apostle Thomas himself. They had already long inhabited northern parts of Kodungallur. They had been there even before various waves of newcomers had arrived from the Babylonian or Mesopotamian provinces of Sassanian Persia." – Historian of South Asian Studies, Robert E. Frykenberg (2010) According to tradition, Thomas
10010-604: The patriarch was not well known among the Indian Christians. In 1490, a delegation from the Saint Thomas Christians visited the Patriarch of the East , Shemon IV , to bring a bishop for India. One among them was Joseph the Indian, who later became famous for his visit to Rome and the account of Malabar in Book VI of Paesi novamente retrovati (1507) by Fracanzano da Montalboddo. The patriarch responded positively to
10120-616: The present day Syro-Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church which continue to employ the original East Syriac Rite liturgy. The Puthenkur group, who continued to resist the Catholic missionaries, organized themselves as the independent Malankara Church and entered into a new communion with the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch , inheriting from them the West Syriac Rite, replacing the old East Syriac Rite liturgy. The Chaldean Syrian Church based in Thrissur represents
10230-479: The request of Saint Thomas Christians, and appointed two bishops, Mar Thoma and Mar Yohannan , dispatching them to India. These bishops, and three more (Mar Yahballaha, Mar Dinkha and Mar Yaqov ) who followed them in 1503–1504, reaffirmed and strengthened traditional ties between India and the Patriarchate. They were later followed by another bishop, Mar Abraham , who died in 1597. By that time, Christians of
10340-685: The southern side, the descendants of Thoma's migration became known as Tekkumbhagar or Southist. The Southist community is primarily known by the appellation K'nā'nāya (Syriac for Canaanite), an adjectival epithet of Knai Thoma. The Oxford History of the Christian Church summarizes the division of the community in the following quote: "In time, Jewish Christians of the most exclusive communities descended from settlers who accompanied Knayil Thomma (Kanayi) became known as 'Southists' (Tekkumbha ̄gar)...They distinguished between themselves and 'Northists' (Vatakkumbha ̄gar). The 'Northists', on
10450-617: The state of Kerala ( Malabar region ), who, for the most part, employ the Eastern and Western liturgical rites of Syriac Christianity . They trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. The Saint Thomas Christians had been historically a part of the hierarchy of the Church of the East but are now divided into several different Eastern Catholic , Oriental Orthodox , Protestant , and independent bodies, each with their own liturgies and traditions. They are Malayalis and their mother tongue
10560-749: The true heirs to the Saint Thomas tradition, and saw the other party as schismatic. The Paḻayakūṟ faction was also known as Romo-Syrians and organized as the Syrian Catholic Church whereas the Puthenkur faction was also known as Jacobite Syrians and organized as the Malankara Syrian Church. Between 1661 and 1665, the Paḻayakūṟ faction (Syrian Catholics) claimed 72 of the 116 churches, while Archdeacon Thoma I and
10670-476: The wording of oath, one version being that the oath was directed against the Portuguese, another that it was directed against Jesuits, yet another version that it was directed against the authority of Roman Catholic Church . The independent Malankara Church regard the Coonan Cross Oath as the moment their Church regained its independence from the Catholic Church, which they lost during the Synod of Diamper . The Syro Malabar Church deny this argument and regard
10780-417: The world. The St. Thomas Christians , also known as Nasranis, are an ancient Christian community in India with origins traditionally traced to the evangelistic activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century CE. Situated primarily in the southwestern state of Kerala , the St. Thomas Christians developed a unique identity blending elements of Indian and Syriac Christian traditions. They maintained
10890-448: Was appointed as the auxiliary bishop of Thiruvananthapuram and apostolic visitor to North America and Europe. On 10 February 2005, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church was raised to the status of a major archiepiscopal Church by the papal document Ab ipso Sancto Thoma , and as such possesses a high level of autonomy under the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches . Pedro López Quintana,
11000-767: Was appointed as the metropolitan archbishop of Tiruvalla. On 10 June 2006 Isaac Cleemis was enthroned as the first metropolitan-archbishop of Tiruvalla. Saint Thomas Christians Catholic Syro-Malankara Church ( West Syriac Rite ) Oriental Orthodox (West Syriac Rite) Jacobite Syrian Christian Church Malabar Independent Syrian Church Assyrian Church of the East (East Syriac Rite) Oriental Protestant Christianity ( Reformed -West Syriac Rite) St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India Protestant The Saint Thomas Christians , also called Syrian Christians of India , Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani , Malankara Nasrani , or Nasrani Mappila , are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in
11110-550: Was appointed to oversee them, in the Council of Hierarchs of the Malankara Catholic Church. St. Mary’s Malankara Major Seminary , the first local seminary, was inaugurated at Pattom in 1983 and the new building was blessed at Nalanchira , Thiruvananthapuram was blessed in 1989. On 8 February 1986, Pope John Paul II visited St. Mary's Cathedral, Pattom, Thiruvananthapuram . On 28 April 1987, Yoohanon,
11220-530: Was consecrated as the bishop of Marthandom and Joshua Ignathios as the auxiliary bishop for the Metropolitan Eparchy of Thiruvananthapuram. Paulos Philoxenos died on 3 November 1998. Christu Jayanthi Maha Jubilee and the Sapthathy of the Re-union Movement of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church were celebrated jointly at Tiruvalla on 26–28 December 2000. In this period parishes for the faithful of
11330-628: Was enthroned as Metropolitan Archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram and as the head of the Malankara Catholic Church on 14 December 1995. Geevarghese Divannasios was consecrated Bishop of Bathery in the place of Cyril Baselios on 5 February 1997. Achille Silvestrini , Cardinal Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, visited the Malankara Catholic Church on 11–13 February 1996. On the request of Cyril Baselios, by an Apostolic Bull dated 16 December 1996, Pope John Paul II erected
11440-503: Was formed on 20 September 1930 as a result of the reunion movement under the leadership of Archbishop Geevarghese Ivanios , when it split from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and entered into communion with the Catholic Church. The Malankara Church itself had emerged from the split within the Saint Thomas Christian community of the 17th century; after the Coonan Cross Oath in 1653, the Malankara Church emerged as
11550-591: Was further complicated by the appearance in Mylapore of a mysterious figure named Ahatallah , who claimed to have been sent by the Pope , from the Church of Antioch to serve as "Patriarch of the Whole of India and of China". Ahatallah made a strong impression on the native clergy, but the Portuguese quickly decided he was an impostor, and put him on a ship bound for Europe by way of Goa. Archdeacon Thomas, desperate for
11660-483: Was later proclaimed bishop in a ceremony in which twelve priests laid hands on him, elevating him as Metropolitan with the title Thoma I and he added such ancient titles as 'Metran of All India', 'Gate of India'. At this point, the Portuguese missionaries attempted reconciliation with Saint Thomas Christians but were not successful. Later, in 1657, Pope Alexander VII sent the Italian priest Joseph Sebastiani as
11770-536: Was lost. The Dutch declared that all the European missionaries had to leave Kerala. Before leaving Kerala, on 1 February 1663, Sebastiani consecrated Palliveettil Chandy was consecrated as the bishop of the Thomas Christians who adhered to Catholic Church. He soon also designated himself as 'Metran of All India' and 'Gate of India'. Thoma I, meanwhile sent requests to various Oriental Churches to receive canonical consecration as bishop. In 1665, Gregorios Abdal Jaleel ,
11880-504: Was officially inaugurated in 1978. In 1979 the Eparchial contemplative monastery, Dhyana Ashram, was founded in the Eparchy of Bathery by Fr. Silvester Kozhimannil. Lawrence Ephrem was consecrated bishop in 1980. Malankara Catholics within India but outside the canonical territorial boundaries of the Church were first organized as Malankara Catholic Associations, and later came to be erected as personal parish communities. A coordinator
11990-554: Was the administrator of the eparchy until 1950 due to the ill health of Theophilos. In 1950 he was appointed as the bishop of Tiruvalla. He was also invested with the title archbishop . He died on 18 January 1955. In 1955 Metropolitan Archbishop Benedict Gregorios was enthroned as the metropolitan archbishop of Thiruvananthapuram and the head of the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church. The Holy See appointed Zacharias Athanasios as successor to Severios; his consecration took place in 1954. Jacob Theophilos died in 1956. Francis Acharya ,
12100-551: Was the headquarters of Gabriel. The remaining Pazhayakoor christians came to be known as the Syro Malabar Church from the last decade of the Nineteenth century onwards. It was in this contentious context that the 118th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch , Ignatius Abded Aloho II , went to Malankara in 1911 and excommunicated Vattasseril Geevarghese Dionysius (This excommunication was declared invalid by
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