Malankara Rite
Encyclopedia
The Malankara Rite or Syro-Malankara Rite is the form of the West Syrian
liturgical rite practiced by several churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition in southern India
. West Syrian liturgy was brought to India by the Syriac Orthodox
Bishop of Jerusalem, Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, in 1665; in the following decades the Malankara Rite emerged as the liturgy of the Malankara Church
, one of the two churches that evolved from the split in the Saint Thomas Christian community in the 17th century. Today it is practiced by the various churches that descend from the Malankara Church, namely the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
, the Malabar Independent Syrian Church
, and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
developed out of the ancient Antiochene Rite
, emerging in the 5th and 6th century with the adoption of Syriac
, rather than Greek
, as the liturgical language of the non-Chalcedonian
Patriarchate of Antioch. The liturgy was further revised and expanded over the centuries as the Syriac Orthodox Church
of Antioch emerged as a fully distinct church, reaching its "classical" form in the 12th century under Patriarch Michael the Syrian
.
West Syrian liturgy was first introduced to India by the mission of Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, the Syriac Orthodox
Bishop of Jerusalem, who arrived in 1665. Historically, the Indian church was part of the Church of the East
, centred in Persia, and practiced a variant of the East Syrian Rite
known as the Malabar Rite. However, a decline in communications between the Patriarchate and India led the Saint Thomas Christians to attempt to establish relations with other churches. As early as 1491 the Archdeacon
of Malabar sent envoys to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch as part of an effort to receive a bishop for his bishopless province. In the end nothing came of the request, and the Patriarch of the Church of the East eventually sent a new bishop.
In 1653, a group of Saint Thomas Christians disaffected by Portuguese colonial rule
joined Archdeacon Thomas
in vowing not to submit to Portuguese authority. This avowal, known as the Coonan Cross Oath
, led to the formation of an independent Malankara Church
with Thomas as its head. To affirm his consecration as bishop
, Thomas sent requests to several churches including the Syriac Orthodox Church proposing a union. Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Simon I responded by sending Gregorios Abdul Jaleel to India in 1665, and the relationship between the Syriac Orthodox and Malankara Churches was born.
. Under the influence of Gregorios, the church adopted West Syrian vestments, while twenty years later, West Syrian prelates introduced the West Syrian Liturgy of Saint James and the Antiochene rules concerning fasting
, feast days, and prohibitions regarding the liturgy. Still, there was no systematized adoption of West Syrian practice for nearly one hundred years; in the meantime the church practiced a combination of West Syrian and Malabar Rite.
Formal steps towards adoption of the West Syrian Rite came in 1772, when bishops visiting from Antioch consecrated Mar Thoma VI
as Mar Dionysius I and established a systematic church hierarchy. Amid visits by a church prelate in 1846 and the Patriarch himself in 1875, the church fully adopted West Syrian practice. Following the splits within the Malankara Church in the 19th century and its final breakup in the 20th century, the churches that developed from it have retained the Malankara Rite. Today the rite is essentially West Syrian in character with some local variations, which sometimes retain elements now archaic in the wider West Syrian tradition. For example, the Malankara Rite includes the observance of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
on weekdays during Great Lent
and on the Friday of Passion Week
. Since the 20th century Syriac has largely been replaced as the liturgical language by Malayalam.
West Syrian Rite
The West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
liturgical rite practiced by several churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition in southern India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. West Syrian liturgy was brought to India by the Syriac Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
Bishop of Jerusalem, Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, in 1665; in the following decades the Malankara Rite emerged as the liturgy of the Malankara Church
Malankara Church
The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...
, one of the two churches that evolved from the split in the Saint Thomas Christian community in the 17th century. Today it is practiced by the various churches that descend from the Malankara Church, namely the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, located in Kerala, India. It recognizes the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, currently Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. It functions as a largely autonomous archdiocese within the church, under the authority...
, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See...
, the Malabar Independent Syrian Church
Malabar Independent Syrian Church
The Malabar Independent Syrian Church, also known as the Thozhiyur Sabah , is a Christian church centred in Kerala, India. It is one of the churches of the Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.Considered part...
, and the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church.
History
The West Syrian RiteWest Syrian Rite
The West Syrian Rite, also known as the Syrian Rite or the Syro-Antiochene Rite, is a Christian liturgical rite chiefly practiced in the Syriac Orthodox Church and churches related to or descended from it. It is part of the liturgical family known as the Antiochene Rite, which originated in the...
developed out of the ancient Antiochene Rite
Antiochene Rite
Antiochene Rite designates the family of liturgies originally used in the Patriarchate of Antioch.-Liturgies in the Antiochene Rite:The family of liturgies include the Apostolic Constitutions; then that of St. James in Greek, the Syriac Liturgy of St. James, and the other Syriac Anaphoras. The line...
, emerging in the 5th and 6th century with the adoption of Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, rather than Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, as the liturgical language of the non-Chalcedonian
Non-Chalcedonian
Non-Chalcedonianism is the view of those churches that accepted the First Council of Ephesus of 431, but, for varying reasons, did not accept allegiance to the Council of Chalcedon following it in 451. The most substantial Non-Chalcedonian tradition is known as Oriental Orthodoxy...
Patriarchate of Antioch. The liturgy was further revised and expanded over the centuries as the Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
of Antioch emerged as a fully distinct church, reaching its "classical" form in the 12th century under Patriarch Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian
Michael the Syrian , also known as Michael the Great or Michael Syrus or Michael the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew, was a patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1166 to 1199. He is best known today as the author of the largest medieval Chronicle, which he composed in Syriac...
.
West Syrian liturgy was first introduced to India by the mission of Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, the Syriac Orthodox
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
Bishop of Jerusalem, who arrived in 1665. Historically, the Indian church was part of the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, centred in Persia, and practiced a variant of the East Syrian Rite
East Syrian Rite
The East Syrian Rite is a Christian liturgy, also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian or Chaldean Rite, and the Persian Rite although it originated in Edessa, Mesopotamia...
known as the Malabar Rite. However, a decline in communications between the Patriarchate and India led the Saint Thomas Christians to attempt to establish relations with other churches. As early as 1491 the Archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
of Malabar sent envoys to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch as part of an effort to receive a bishop for his bishopless province. In the end nothing came of the request, and the Patriarch of the Church of the East eventually sent a new bishop.
In 1653, a group of Saint Thomas Christians disaffected by Portuguese colonial rule
Portuguese India
The Portuguese Viceroyalty of India , later the Portuguese State of India , was the aggregate of Portugal's colonial holdings in India.The government started in 1505, six years after the discovery of a sea route to India by Vasco da Gama, with the nomination of the first Viceroy Francisco de...
joined Archdeacon Thomas
Mar Thoma I
-See also:*Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church*Mar Thoma Church*Malankara Church*Dutch East India Company*Syrian Malabar Nasrani-Further reading:...
in vowing not to submit to Portuguese authority. This avowal, known as the Coonan Cross Oath
Coonan Cross Oath
The Coonan Cross Oath , taken on January 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India that they would not submit to Portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life...
, led to the formation of an independent Malankara Church
Malankara Church
The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...
with Thomas as its head. To affirm his consecration as bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, Thomas sent requests to several churches including the Syriac Orthodox Church proposing a union. Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Simon I responded by sending Gregorios Abdul Jaleel to India in 1665, and the relationship between the Syriac Orthodox and Malankara Churches was born.
Description
Adoption of West Syrian practice by the Malankara Church was gradual; in the early days of its independence the church was more interested in reversing the changes the Portuguese had imposed upon the Malabar Rite than in adopting a new liturgy. Indeed, among its first steps were to restore the usage of leavened bread and the Julian calendarJulian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
. Under the influence of Gregorios, the church adopted West Syrian vestments, while twenty years later, West Syrian prelates introduced the West Syrian Liturgy of Saint James and the Antiochene rules concerning fasting
Fasting
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. An absolute fast is normally defined as abstinence from all food and liquid for a defined period, usually a single day , or several days. Other fasts may be only partially restrictive,...
, feast days, and prohibitions regarding the liturgy. Still, there was no systematized adoption of West Syrian practice for nearly one hundred years; in the meantime the church practiced a combination of West Syrian and Malabar Rite.
Formal steps towards adoption of the West Syrian Rite came in 1772, when bishops visiting from Antioch consecrated Mar Thoma VI
Mar Thoma VI
-See also:* Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church* Mar Thoma Church* Syrian Malabar Nasrani* Saint Thomas Christians* Christianity in India* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans* List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis* Mar Thoma V...
as Mar Dionysius I and established a systematic church hierarchy. Amid visits by a church prelate in 1846 and the Patriarch himself in 1875, the church fully adopted West Syrian practice. Following the splits within the Malankara Church in the 19th century and its final breakup in the 20th century, the churches that developed from it have retained the Malankara Rite. Today the rite is essentially West Syrian in character with some local variations, which sometimes retain elements now archaic in the wider West Syrian tradition. For example, the Malankara Rite includes the observance of the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
The Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, informally Presanctified Liturgy, is an Eastern Christian liturgical service for the distribution of communion on the weekdays of Great Lent....
on weekdays during Great Lent
Great Lent
Great Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha . In many ways Great Lent is similar to Lent in Western Christianity...
and on the Friday of Passion Week
Passion Week
Passion Week is a name for the week beginning on Passion Sunday, as the Fifth Sunday of Lent was once called in the Roman Rite.However, even before Pope John XXIII's Code of Rubrics changed the name of this Sunday from "Passion Sunday" to "First Sunday of the Passion" , the liturgical books gave...
. Since the 20th century Syriac has largely been replaced as the liturgical language by Malayalam.