Saint Thomas Christians - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

This article addresses the Saint Thomas Christians and the various churches and denominations that form the Nasrani people
Syrian Malabar Nasrani
The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians, "'Nasrani Mappila'" and Nasranis, are an ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition...

.

The Saint Thomas Christians are an ancient body of Christians

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

from Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, 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...

, who trace their origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...

in the 1st century. They are also known as "Nasranis" because they are followers of "Jesus of Nazareth". The term "Nasrani" is still used by St. Thomas Christians in Kerala.

They are also called Syrian Christians

Syrian Christians

Syrian Christians may refer to*the Christian minority in Syria*in older publications, the Syriac Christians*in a South Asian context, the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala....

because of their use of Syriac in liturgy. Their original liturgical language was Aramaic (see also Aramaic of Jesus

Aramaic of Jesus

It is generally agreed that the historical Jesus primarily spoke Aramaic, perhaps along with some Hebrew and Greek . The towns of Nazareth and Capernaum, where Jesus lived, were primarily Aramaic-speaking communities, although Greek was widely spoken in the major cities of the Eastern Mediterranean...

) which was later changed to Syriac. They are also known as Malabar / Malankara Mar Thoma Nasranis, because these Christians are from Kerala that was also known as Malabar or Malankara. Their language is Malayalam, the language of Kerala.

For the first fifteen centuries, they had their own leaders to whom they were obedient and who were well respected by both the people and the rulers of the country. In AD 190, Pantaenus

Pantaenus

Saint Pantaenus was a Christian theologian who founded the Catechetical School of Alexandria about AD 190. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology....

from Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

visited these Christians. He found that they were using the Gospel of Matthew

Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...

in Hebrew language

Hebrew language

Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

. Around AD 522, an Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian Monk, Cosmas Indicopleustes

Cosmas Indicopleustes

Cosmas Indicopleustes was an Alexandrian merchant and later hermit, probably of Nestorian tendencies. He was a 6th-century traveller, who made several voyages to India during the reign of emperor Justinian...

visited the Malabar Coast. He mentions Christians in Malabar (Kerala), in his book Christian Topography. This shows that till the 6th century these Christians had been in close contact with Alexandria

Alexandria

.

The Tamil

Tamil language

Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...

epic

Epic poetry

An epic is a lengthy narrative poem, ordinarily concerning a serious subject containing details of heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation. Oral poetry may qualify as an epic, and Albert Lord and Milman Parry have argued that classical epics were fundamentally an oral poetic form...

of Manimekkalai written between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD of the Sangam Literature

Sangam literature

Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...

era mentions the Saint Thomas Christian (Nasrani) people by the name Essanis referring to one of the early Jewish-Christian sects within the Nasranis called Essenes

Essenes

The Essenes were a Jewish sect that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st century CE which some scholars claim seceded from the Zadokite priests...

. In AD 883, Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great

Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...

(849–899), King of Wessex, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

reportedly sent gifts to Mar Thoma Christians of India through Sighelm, bishop of Sherborne. Around AD 1292, Marco Polo

Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...

(1254–1324) on his return journey from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

visited Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, mentions that, "The people are idolaters, though there are some Christians and Jews among them".

It is believed that in AD 345, Christians from Edessa

Edessa, Mesopotamia

Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...

arrived in Kerala under the leadership of Thomas of Cana, and in 825, another group joined them. They had their own bishops visiting them from Persia. Though the Saint Thomas Christians welcomed them, these bishops had not made any effort to subjugate them. Saint Thomas Christians remained as an independent group, and they got their bishops from 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...

until the 16th century.

Saint Thomas Christians were greatly affected by the arrival of the Portuguese

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

in 1498. The Portuguese attempted to bring the community under the auspices of Latin Rite Catholicism, resulting in permanent rifts in the community.

Churches within Saint Thomas Christian tradition

Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
- the Chaldean Syrian Church
  Chaldean Syrian Church
  The Chaldean Syrian Church is an Indian Christian church that is currently an archbishopric of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are almost...
  
  (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...
  
  )
Eastern Catholic Churches:
- the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
  Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
  The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
  
  (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...
  
  )
- 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...
  
  (West Syrian Rite
  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...
  
  )
Oriental Orthodox:
- the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church (West Syrian Rite
  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...
  
  )
- 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...
  
  (West Syrian Rite
  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...
  
  )
Independent:
- the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church
  Mar Thoma Church
  The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church also known as the Mar Thoma Church is a Christian denomination based in the state of Kerala in southwestern India. It has an entirely different identity when compared with other Churches in India. Most Christian churches around the world are divided into...
  
  (West Syrian Rite
  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...
  
  )
- 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...
  
  (West Syrian Rite
  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...
  
  )
- the St. Thomas Evangelical Church
  St. Thomas Evangelical Church
  St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India is an Evangelical, Episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India. It derives from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961, and traces its ancestry before then back almost 2,000 years. STECI holds that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant...
  
  of India

Their traditions go back to the 1st century Christian thought, and the seven churches established by Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle

during his mission in Malabar. These are at Kodungalloor (Muziris

Muziris

Muziris is an ancient sea-port in Southwestern India on the Periyar River 3.2 km from its mouth. The derivation of the name Muziris is said to be from "Mucciripattanam," "mucciri" means "cleft palate" and "pattanam" means "city". Near Muziris, Periyar River was branched into two like a...

), Paravur

North Paravur

North Paravur formerly known as Parur is a town, municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is an old and growing municipality. Paravur is the capital of Paravur Taluk in Ernakulam district...

, Palayoor

Palayoor

Palayoor or is a part of Thrissur district and is located on the west coast of Kerala, in India. By road it is 28 km from Thrissur on the Thrissur – Chavakad route via Pavaratty. It is very near to Guruvayoor, which is only 2 km away....

, Kokkamangalam

Kokkamangalam

Kokkamangalam is a village in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, south India. Tradition holds it to be one of the seven Christian communities in Kerala founded by the Apostle Thomas.Kokkamangalam is situated midway between Cochin and Kumarakom...

, Niranam

Niranam

Niranam is a village in central Travancore region in Kerala, India. It was a port in ancient Kerala, on the confluence of the Manimala and Achankovil River. It is almost from Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala...

, Chayal (Nilackal) and Kollam

Kollam

Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

Nazrani people

The Nasranis

Syrian Malabar Nasrani

The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians, "'Nasrani Mappila'" and Nasranis, are an ethnoreligious group from Kerala, India, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition...

are an ethnic people, and a single community. As a community with common cultural heritage and cultural tradition, they refer to themselves as Nasranis. However, as a religious group, they refer to themselves as Mar Thoma Khristianis or in English as Saint Thomas Christians, based on their religious tradition of Syriac Christianity
Syriac Christianity
Syriac or Syrian Christianity , the Syriac-speaking Christians of Mesopotamia, comprises multiple Christian traditions of Eastern Christianity. With a history going back to the 1st Century AD, in modern times it is represented by denominations primarily in the Middle East and in Kerala, India....

.

However, from a religious angle, the Saint Thomas Christians of today belong to various denominations as a result of a series of developments including Portuguese persecution

Persecution

Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...

(a landmark split leading to a public Oath known as Coonen Cross Oath), doctrines and missionary zeal influence (split of Marthoma Church and St. Thomas Evangelical Church

St. Thomas Evangelical Church

St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India is an Evangelical, Episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India. It derives from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961, and traces its ancestry before then back almost 2,000 years. STECI holds that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant...

(1961) ), Patriarch/Catholicos issue ( division of Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church & Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church (1912) ).

St. Thomas Christian families who claim their descent from ancestors who were baptized by Apostle Thomas are found all over Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. St. Thomas Christians were classified into the social status

Social status

In sociology or anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in society . It may also refer to a rank or position that one holds in a group, for example son or daughter, playmate, pupil, etc....

system according to their professions with special privileges for trade granted by the benevolent kings who ruled the area. After the 8th century when Hindu Kingdoms came to sway, Christians were expected to strictly abide by stringent rules pertaining to caste and religion. This became a matter of survival. This is why St. Thomas Christians had such a strong sense of caste and tradition, being the oldest order of Christianity in India

Christianity in India

Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with approximately 24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's population. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings and 14th century Portuguese missionaries created an illusion to convert Indians that Christianity was introduced to...

. 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...

was the head of the Church, and Palliyogams (Parish Councils) were in charge of temporal affairs. They had a liturgy

Liturgy

Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...

-centered life with days of fasting and abstinence. Their devotion to the Mar Thoma tradition was absolute. Their churches were modelled after Jewish synagogue

Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...

s. “The church is neat and they keep it sweetly. There are mats but no seats. Instead of images, they have some useful writing from the holy book.”

In short, the St. Thomas Christians of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

have blended well with the ecclesiastical world of the Eastern Churches and with the changing socio-cultural environment of their homeland. Thus, the Malabar Church was Hindu or Indian in culture

Culture

Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...

, Christian in religion

Religion

Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...

, and Judeo-Syriac-Oriental in terms of origin and worship.

History

According to the 1st century annals of Pliny the Elder

Pliny the Elder

Gaius Plinius Secundus , better known as Pliny the Elder, was a Roman author, naturalist, and natural philosopher, as well as naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and personal friend of the emperor Vespasian...

and the author of Periplus of the Erythraean sea, Muziris

Muziris

in Kerala could be reached in 40 days' time from the Egyptian coast purely depending on the South West Monsoon winds. The Sangam

Sangam literature

works Puranaooru and Akananooru have many lines which speak of the Roman vessels and the Roman gold that used to come to the Kerala ports of the great Chera

Chera dynasty

Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...

kings in search of pepper and other spices, which had enormous demand in the West.

The lure of spices attracted traders from the Middle East and Europe to the many trading ports of Keralaputera (Kerala) — Tyndis, (Ponnani

Ponnani

Ponnani/Ponani is an ancient port, a coastal town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 9.32 km2. Ponnani taluk is the smallest Taluk in Malappuram district. This tiny, picturesque town is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west...

), Muziris

Muziris

, near Kodungallur, Nelcynda (Niranam

Niranam

), Bacare, Belitha, and Comari (Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari is a town in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. It is also sometimes referred to as Cape Comorin. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula, it is the geographical end of the Indian mainland. The district in Tamil Nadu where the town is located is called Kanyakumari...

) long before the time of Christ. Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle

in one of these ships, arrived at Muziris

Muziris

in 52, from E’zion-ge’ber on the Red Sea.

Jews were living in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

from the time of Solomon. Later large number of them arrived in 586 BC and 72 AD. The drawings and its captions on the wall of the only remaining Jewish Synagogue

Paradesi Synagogue

The Paradesi Synagogue is the oldest active synagogue in the Commonwealth of Nations, located in Kochi, Kerala, in South India. It was built in 1568 by the Malabar Yehudan people or Cochin Jewish community in the Kingdom of Cochin...

in Kerala, at Mattancherry

Mattancherry

Mattancherry is the western part of city of Kochi, India. It is said that the name Mattancherry is drawn from "Ancherry Mattam", a Namboodiri illam which then the foreign traders pronounced it as Matt-Ancherry, gradually became Mattancherry. It is about 9 km from Ernakulam town. There are...

, Kochi

Kingdom of Cochin

Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...

near Ernakulam

Ernakulam

Ernakulam refers to the downtown area or the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala and is a main nerve of business in...

endorse these facts.

During his stay in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, the apostle baptized the Jews and some of the wise men who adored the Infant Jesus. The Apostle also preached in other parts of India

India

. He was martyred in 72 at Little Mount, a little distant from St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount

St. Thomas Mount, or Parangimalai is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport, St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, who is believed to have been martyred here...

, and was buried at San Thome, near the modern city of Chennai

Chennai

Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

.

The Apostle established seven churches in Malabar at Kodungalloor (Muziris

Muziris

), Paravur

North Paravur

, Palayoor

Palayoor

, Kokkamangalam

Kokkamangalam

, Niranam

Niranam

, Chayal (Nilackal) and Kollam

Kollam

. The visit of the Apostle Thomas to these places and to Mylapore

Mylapore

Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....

on the East coast of India

India

can be read in the Ramban Songs of Thomas Ramban, set into 'moc', 1500.

Several ancient writers mention India as the scene of Thomas’ labours. Ephrem the Syrian

Ephrem the Syrian

Ephrem the Syrian was a Syriac and a prolific Syriac-language hymnographer and theologian of the 4th century. He is venerated by Christians throughout the world, and especially in the Syriac Orthodox Church, as a saint.Ephrem wrote a wide variety of hymns, poems, and sermons in verse, as well as...

(300–378) in a hymn about the relics of Thomas

Thomas the Apostle

at Edessa

Edessa, Mesopotamia

Edessa is the Greek name of an Aramaic town in northern Mesopotamia, as refounded by Seleucus I Nicator. For the modern history of the city, see Şanlıurfa.-Names:...

depicts Satan exclaiming, “The Apostle whom I killed in India comes to meet me in Edessa. Gregory Nazianzen,(329–389), in a homily says; “What! were not the Apostles foreigners? Granting that Judea was the country of Peter, what had Saul to do with the Gentiles, Luke with Achaia, Andrew with Epirus, Thomas with India, Mark with Italy?.” Ambrose

Ambrose

Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...

(340–397) writes “When the Lord Jesus said to the Apostles, go and teach all nations, even the kingdoms that had been shut off by the barbaric mountains lay open to them as India to Thomas, as Persia to Mathew.”

There are other passages in ancient liturgies and martyrologies which refer to the work of Thomas in India

India

. These passages indicate that the tradition that Thomas died in India

India

was widespread among the early churches.

Rough chronology

Following is a rough chronology of events associated with St. Thomas Christianity.

First century

30 The Crucifixion.
40 Apostle Thomas in the service of King Gondophares
Gondophares
Gondophares I a Seistani representative of the house of Suren as well as founder and first king of the Indo-Parthian Kingdom. He seems to have ruled c...

in Takshasila
Takshasila
Takshasila was an ancient city mentioned in the epic Ramayana, now known as Taxila in Pakistan. As per the epic this city was named after Taksha the son of Bharata the brother of Raghava Rama . Bharata defeated the Gandharas and built the city of Takshasila in Gandhara. In Mahabharata, this city is...

in Pakistan.
52 Apostle Thomas, landed at Muziris
Muziris
Muziris is an ancient sea-port in Southwestern India on the Periyar River 3.2 km from its mouth. The derivation of the name Muziris is said to be from "Mucciripattanam," "mucciri" means "cleft palate" and "pattanam" means "city". Near Muziris, Periyar River was branched into two like a...

near Paravur
North Paravur
North Paravur formerly known as Parur is a town, municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is an old and growing municipality. Paravur is the capital of Paravur Taluk in Ernakulam district...

, an ancient port city of Malabar
Chera dynasty
Chera Dynasty in South India is one of the most ancient ruling dynasties in India. Together with the Cholas and the Pandyas, they formed the three principle warring Iron Age Tamil kingdoms in southern India...

(Present-day Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

).
52–72 The Apostle founded 7 churches: Palayoor
Palayoor
Palayoor or is a part of Thrissur district and is located on the west coast of Kerala, in India. By road it is 28 km from Thrissur on the Thrissur – Chavakad route via Pavaratty. It is very near to Guruvayoor, which is only 2 km away....

, Kodungaloor, Paravur
North Paravur
North Paravur formerly known as Parur is a town, municipality in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is an old and growing municipality. Paravur is the capital of Paravur Taluk in Ernakulam district...

, Kokkamangalam
Kokkamangalam
Kokkamangalam is a village in Alappuzha district of Kerala state, south India. Tradition holds it to be one of the seven Christian communities in Kerala founded by the Apostle Thomas.Kokkamangalam is situated midway between Cochin and Kumarakom...

, Niranam
Niranam
Niranam is a village in central Travancore region in Kerala, India. It was a port in ancient Kerala, on the confluence of the Manimala and Achankovil River. It is almost from Tiruvalla in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala...

, Nilackal (Chayal), and Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

. Five of the churches are preserved even now (see pictures). The church at Kollam
Kollam
Kollam , often anglicized as ', is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake on the Arabian sea coast and is situated about north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram...

is believed to have been submerged in sea, possibly following tidal waves, while the actual location of the church at Chayal has not been identified conclusively. The church at Palayoor
Palayoor
Palayoor or is a part of Thrissur district and is located on the west coast of Kerala, in India. By road it is 28 km from Thrissur on the Thrissur – Chavakad route via Pavaratty. It is very near to Guruvayoor, which is only 2 km away....

is also, identified wrongly, as historians conclude, that the original town Palayoor is present day Arthat.
72 Apostle Thomas attained martyrdom at St. Thomas Mount
St. Thomas Mount
St. Thomas Mount, or Parangimalai is a small hillock located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Located near the neighbourhood of Guindy and very close to Chennai International Airport, St. Thomas Mount is associated with St. Thomas, the apostle of Christ, who is believed to have been martyred here...

in Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...

and is buried on the site of San Thome Cathedral.

II century

190 Pantaenus
Pantaenus
Saint Pantaenus was a Christian theologian who founded the Catechetical School of Alexandria about AD 190. This school was the earliest catechetical school, and became influential in the development of Christian theology....

, the founder of the famous Catechetical School of Alexandria, visited 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...

and the Nasranies. He found that the local people were using the Gospel according to Matthew in Hebrew language. He took this Hebrew text back to his library at the School in Alexandria.

IV century

325 Archbishop John, of Persia and Great India, at the first Ecumenical Council of Nicea.
345 First migration from Persia – Thomas of Cana landed at Cranganore with 72 families.
340–360 By the Thazhekad
Thazhekad
Thazhekad, is the site of one of the earliest St Thomas Christian communities in Kerala. Once a prosperous inland port, during heyday of Muziris. The landscape was changed with the great floods of 1341AD....

Sasanam written in Pali
Páli
- External links :* *...

the language the canonical language of Buddhists, the Nasranies granted special rights and privileges.
345Kuravilangad
Kuravilangad
Kuravilangad is a town located in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. The town is situated in the Meenachil Taluk, about 22 km north of Kottayam, and is located near the town of Ettumanoor and places like Kalathoor, Kalikave, Vempally, Marangattupally, Kurianad, Monippally, Vakkadu...

Church (Now Martha Mariam Catholic church) built by the first settlers who came from Kodungalloor.
Arrival of Mar Joseph of Edessa.

VI century

510 Udayamperoor
Udayamperoor
Udayamperoor is a small town situated in Ernakulam district, Kerala, in India. It is 18 km from Ernakulam, on the Ernakulam - Vaikom road. This place, steeped in history, is a major tourist destination in the district.s.n.d.p.h.s.s is one of the leading educational institution in Udayamperoor....

(Diamper) church built by St.Thomas Christians.
522 Cosmas Indicopleustes
Cosmas Indicopleustes
Cosmas Indicopleustes was an Alexandrian merchant and later hermit, probably of Nestorian tendencies. He was a 6th-century traveller, who made several voyages to India during the reign of emperor Justinian...

visited South India.

IX century

824 Beginning of Kollavarsham (Malayalam Era).First Tharissapalli sasanam (Copper plate) by Stanu Ravi Gupta Perumaal to Nazranies.
824 from Persia. Mar Sabor and Mar Afroth at Quilon
Quilon
Quilon may refer to,* Venad, a former state on Malabar Coast, India* Kollam , Kerala state, India* Kollam district, Kerala state...

.
849 Deed given by King Ayann Adikal Thiruvadikal of Venad
Venad
Venad Swarupam was one of the three prominent late medieval Hindu feudal kingdoms on Malabar Coast, south India, along with Kingdom of Calicut and Kingdom of Cannanore. In the early 14th century, Venad ruler Ravi Varma Kulasekhara had established a short-lived supremacy over southern India...

, to Easow-data-veeran (Tharisapalli plates
Tharisapalli plates
Tharisapalli plates or Tarsishapalli sasanangal are a set of copper-plate grants that were given to the Assyrian Monk Marwan Sr Easho or Iso by Venad ruler Ayyanadikal Thiruvadikal in 849 AD...

) that grants 72 royal privileges of the Nazranies in which the Nasranis signed in three languages Hebrew Pahlavi and Kufic
Kufic
Kufic is the oldest calligraphic form of the various Arabic scripts and consists of a modified form of the old Nabataean script. Its name is derived from the city of Kufa, Iraq, although it was known in Mesopotamia at least 100 years before the foundation of Kufa. At the time of the emergence of...

.

XI century

1123 Arakuzha church founded, Now the church is known as St Mary's Forane Church.

XIII century

1225 North Pudukkad church founded.
1293 Marco Polo
Marco Polo
Marco Polo was a Venetian merchant traveler from the Venetian Republic whose travels are recorded in Il Milione, a book which did much to introduce Europeans to Central Asia and China. He learned about trading whilst his father and uncle, Niccolò and Maffeo, travelled through Asia and apparently...

, a Venetian traveler, visited the tomb of St. Thomas (at Mylapore
Mylapore
Mylapore is a cultural hub and neighborhood in the southern part of the city of Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, India. Earlier, Mylapore used to be called Vedapuri....

).

XIV century

1305 St. Hormis church, Angamaly
Angamaly
Angamaly is a satellite town of the city of Kochi, situated north of the city center and a municipality in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. It is one of the entry points or gateways to Ernakulam district from northern Kerala...

founded.
1325 Enammavu church founded.
1328 St. George church, Edappally
Edappally
Edappally is one of Kochi's well known neighbourhoods. Its name in English literally translates as 'The City with a Church in the Centre' . The famous church in the centre is St. George's Church which is quite old and is a pilgrimage centre. It is said to be one of the fastest growing areas in...

founded.

XV century

1490 Two Nestorian
Nestorianism
Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius's studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus...

bishops John and Thomas in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

.
1494 June 7 Treaty of Tordesillas
Tordesillas
Tordesillas is a town and municipality in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, central Spain.It is located 25 km southwest of the provincial capital, Valladolid at an elevation of 704 meters. The population was c. 9,000 in 2009....

. Division of the world and mission lands between Spain and Portugal.
1498 May 20 Vasco de Gama lands at Kappad
Kappad
Kappad, or Kappakadavu locally, is famous as the beach near Kozhikode , India, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed on May 20, 1498. His voyage established the sea route from Europe to India...

near Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...

.
1499 Cabral
Cabral
Cabral is a common surname in the Portuguese language, namely in Portugal and Brazil. The Spanish variant is Cabrales.-People:*Amílcar Cabral, political figure in Guinea-Bissau and the Cape Verde Islands*Andrea J...

’s fleet carried a vicar, eight secular priests, and eight Franciscans to Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...

,
1499. In Calicut, the friars reputedly converted a Brahman and some leading Nayars.

XVI century

1502 November 7 Vasco de Gama's second visit to Cochin.
1503 Dominican Priests at Kochi.
1503 Yabella, Mar Denaha and Mar Yakoob from Persia in Kerala.
1503 September 27 Work commenced on Cochin Fort and the Santa Cruz church .
1514 Portuguese Padroado begun.
1514 Jewish migration from Kodungalloor to Kochi.
1514 June 12 Portuguese Funchal rule over Christians in India.
1524 December 24 Vasco de Gama buried at St. Francis Church, Fort Cochin.
1534 November 3 Goa Catholic Diocese erected. The Parishes of Kannur, Cochin, Quilon, Colombo and Sao Tome (Madras) belonged to it.
1540 The Franciscan Fr.Vincent De Lagos starts the Cranganore Seminary.
1542 May 6 St. Francis Xavier, Apostolic Nuncio in the East, reaches Goa.
1544–45 St. Francis Xavier in Travancore.
1548 Dominican Monastery founded in Cochin.
1549 Abuna Jacob, A Chaldean Bishop, stayed at St. Antonio Monastery, Cochin.

1550 First Jesuit House in Kochi.
1552 December 3 Death of St. Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier
Francis Xavier, born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta was a pioneering Roman Catholic missionary born in the Kingdom of Navarre and co-founder of the Society of Jesus. He was a student of Saint Ignatius of Loyola and one of the first seven Jesuits, dedicated at Montmartre in 1534...

.
1555 Mattancherry Palace was built by Portuguese for the King of Cochin.
1557 Pope Paul IV erects the Diocese of Cochin. Canonization process of Francis Xavier begun at Cochin.
1565 Archdiocese of Angamaly erected.
1567 Jews constructed a temple at Mattancherry
1568 Synagogue of White Jews built in Cochin.
1577 Vaippicotta Seminary of the Jesuits started.
1579 Augustinians reached Cochin.
1583 Synod at Angamaly by Bishop Mar Abraham.
1597 Bishop Mar Abraham, the last foreign Archbishop, died and was laid to rest at St. Hormis church, Angamaly.
1599 December 20 Fr. Francis Roz was declared bishop of Angamaly.
1599 June 20–26 Archbishop Alexis Menezes convenes the Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor).

XVII century

1600 August 4 Padroado rule imposed on Nazranies.
1601 Francis Roz was appointed as the first Latin bishop of the St. Thomas Christians.
1609 December 3 Erection of the Diocese of Cranganore. The Archdiocese of Angamaly suppressed.
1610 December 22 The Metropolitan of Goa limits the Pastoral Jurisdiction of Nazranies to Malabar.
1624 Dominican Seminary at Kaduthuruthy.
1626 February 5 Edappally Ashram started for the Religious Community of St. Thomas Christians
1652 August 23 Ahatallah
Ahatallah
Ahatallah was a Syrian clergyman chiefly known for his trip to India in 1652, on which he claimed to be the designated "Patriarch of the Whole of India and of China"...

in Madras, not allowed to enter Kerala.
1653 January 3 Coonan Cross Oath at Mattancherry, Cochin.
1653 May 22 Malankara Mooppen (Elder)Thomas Kathanar, ordained as Mar Thoma I at Alangad by the laying of hands by 12 priests.
1653–1670 Mar Thoma I
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:...

.
1657 Apostolic Commissary Joseph of St. Mary OCD (Sebastiani), a Carmelite, in Malabar.
1659 December 3 The Vicariate of Malabar is erected by Pope Alexander VII.
1659 December 24 Joseph Sebastini bishop and appointed the Vicar Apostolic of Malabar.
1663 January 6 The Dutch conquer Cochin and destroy Catholic churches and institutions in Cochin, except the Cathedral and the church of St. Francis Assisi.
1665 Gregorius Abdul Jaleel, believed to be from Antioch confirms the consecration of Marthoma I.
1670–1686 Mar Thoma II
Mar Thoma II
-Further reading:*#Mathew, N.M. ‘’Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charitram’’, , Volume 1., Volume II . Volume III Pub. E.J.Institute, Thiruvalla...

.Portuguese start campaigning to bring Nasranis again under Catholicism.
1682 Seminary for Syrians at Verapoly.
1685 Eldho Mor Baselios
Eldho Mor Baselios
Eldho Mor Baselios or Maphryono Mor Baselios Yeldho or Eldho Bava , was born in a village called Kooded near Mosul in Iraq where Morthsmooni and her 7 children suffered martyrdom...

of Syrian Orthodox Church arrives at Kothamangalam from Persia.
1686 Hortus Malabaricus in 12 volumes printed in 17 years. Mathoma III ordained by Mar Ivanios Hirudyathulla (from Antioch).
1686–1688 Mar Thoma III
Mar Thoma III
Mar Thoma III was the third metropolitan bishop who sat on Malankara throne and led the Malankara Church from 1686 to 1688. His leadership was only for a short time. With great respect, people called him Valiappooppen .-Introduction:...

.
1688–1728 Mar Thoma IV
Mar Thoma IV
-Further reading:*#Juhanon Marthoma Metropolitan, The Most Rev. Dr. . Christianity in India and a Brief History of the Marthoma Syrian Church.. Pub: K.M. Cherian....

.

XVIII century

1709 March 13 Vicariate of Malabar is suppressed and the Vicariate of Verapoly is erected by Pope Clement XI.
1718–1723 Ollur
Ollur
Ollur is a major suburban area and an old commercial town in the Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. It is situated about 5 km away from Swaraj Round on National Highway 47 commonly referred to as NH47 towards Ernakulam. From ancient time onwards Ollur was a major business centre...

St. Anthony's Forane Church
St. Anthony's Forane Church
The St. Anthony's Forane Church is located at Ollur in Kerala, India. The church belongs to Syro-Malabar Catholic Archdiocese of Thrissur. According to rough figures there are around 4,000 Christian families in the parish...

was established.
1728–1765 Mar Thoma V
Mar Thoma V
-See also:* Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church* Mar Thoma Church* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans-Further reading:...

.
1765–1808 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...

(Dionysius I)
1772 First Malayalam book Sampskhepa Vedartham (Rome) by Clement Pianius.
1773 Pope Clement XIV suppresses the Jesuit Order, except in Russia and Prussia.
1782 December 16 Kariyattil Joseph elected Archbp. of Cranganore; Consecr. Lisbon 1783; Died Goa on the way back to Malabar,9th Sept. 1786.
1785 Varthamanappusthakam, the first written travelogue in India by Paremakkal Thomma Kathanar.
1795 October 20 Conquest of Cochin by the British.

XIX century

1808–1809 Mar Thoma VII
Mar Thoma VII
-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 VI...

.
1809–1816 Mar Thoma VIII
Mar Thoma VIII
-See also:* Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church* Mar Thoma Church* List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans-For further reading:...

.
1816 Mar Thoma IX
Mar Thoma IX
-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-For further reading:...

.
1815 March – The first educational institution in Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

, Syrian Seminary, opens at Kottayam
Kottayam
Kottayam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative capital of the Kottayam district. Kottayam Kottayam (Malayalam: കോട്ടയം) is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40 km2. It is the administrative...

with Abraham Malpan
Abraham Malpan
Palakunnathu Abraham Malpan of Malankara Church, was a strong Churchman, loyal to the best traditions of his Church. He wanted only to effect such reforms in the Church as were consistent with the apostolic and truly evangelical traditions of the Church...

, (Syriac), Konattu Varghese Malpan (Syriac) and Kunjan Assan (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

) as teachers.
1816 for 9 months. Mar Thoma X – Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Dionysious II).
1816–1817 Philoxenos II, Kidangan, of Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyoor Sabha)
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...

as Malankara Metropolitan.
1817–1825 Thoma XI- Punnathra Mar Dionysious (Dionysious III).
1818 C.M.S missionaries in Kerala.
1825–1852 Mar Thoma XII – Cheppad Philipose Mar Dionysius (Dionysius IV).
1838 April 24 Dioceses of Cochin and Crnaganore are annexed to the Vicariate of Verapoly.
1838 The Queen of Portugal suppressed all religious Orders in Portugal and in her mission lands.
1840 April 10 Kerala Catholics came under the archdiocese of Verapoly.
1852–1877 Mar Thoma XIII -Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan.
1861 May 20 Bishop Rocos sent by the Patriarch of Chaldea reaches Kerala.
1864–1909. Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II (Dionysious V) Malankara Metropolitan, Jacobite Church.
1867 May 7 Property donated by Syrians to the King of Portugal to start a Seminary at Aluva. It was administered by the Diocese of Cochin.
1867 The Portuguese Missionaries start a seminary at Mangalapuzha for Syrian students.
1874 Bishop Mar Elias Mellus
Elias Mellus
Mar Yohannan Elias Mellus was a Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church.Elias Mellus was born on September 19, 1831 in Mardin. He entered in the monastery of Rabban Hormizd in Alqosh...

sent by the Patriarch of Chaldea reaches Kerala – Mellus Schism.
1875 June-HH Patriarch of Antioch Peter III arrives in Kerala.
1876 June 28–30 HH Patriarch of Antioch Peter III convenes the Mulanthuruthy
Mulanthuruthy
Mulanthuruthy, also spelt Mulamthuruthy, is a small town in Ernakulam District of Kerala. It is about 21 km south-east of Ernakulam and 8 km east of Tripunithura....

Synod. A section of Saint Thomas Christians came under his jurisdiction
1877–1893 Mar Thoma XIV – Thomas Mar Athanasius Metropolitan
Thomas Mar Athanasius
Thomas Mar Athanasius Mar Thoma XIV was the Metropolitan of the Malankara church. Mar Athanasiu's period was a turbulent one in the history of this Church. There was a litigation that took ten years to settle. After the final verdict, the Church passed through a period of transition. Malankara...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
1886 The Archdiocese of Cranganore is suppressed.
1887 May 19 The St. Thomas Christians are totally segregated from the jurisdiction of the Archbishop of Verapoly and from the Padroado.
1893–1910 Mar Thoma XV – Titus I Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Titus I Mar Thoma
Titus I Mar Thoma was known as Thithoos Mar Thoma Metropolitan among his people, and was the fifteenth Mar Thoma . He was a saintly and missionary bishop of the church...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.

XX century

1909–1934 St. Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril (Dionysius VI)

St. Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril (Dionysius VI)

Saint Geevarghese Mar Dionysius of Vattasseril, born Gheevarghese, was the Malankara Metropolitan of the Indian Orthodox Church.-Early life:...

, Malankara Metropolitan, Jacobite Church.

1910–1944 Mar Thoma XVI – Titus II Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Titus II Mar Thoma
-See also:* 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* Titus I Mar Thoma* Abraham Mar Thoma-For further reading:...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
1911–1917 H.G. Paulose Mor Koorilose Kochuparambil. Malankara Metropolitan of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.)
1912, September 15 Patriarch HH Abdul Messiah, Patriarch of Antiochea estabilshed the Catholicate of the East at Niranam St. Mary’s Church.
1912–1914 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Paulose I, Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Catholicos
1917–1953 St. Paulose Mor Athanasius (Valiya Thirumeni, Malankara Metropolitan of the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church.)
1923 December 21 Establishment of the Syro-Malabar Hierarchy with Ernakulam as the Metropolitan See, Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil as the Metropolitan and Head of the Church, and Trichur, Changanacherry and Kottayam as Sufragan Sees.
1925–1928 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Geevarghese I, Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Catholicos.
1927 March 19 Fr.Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly
Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly
Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly was a Syrian Catholic priest from the Indian state of Kerala and the founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute.-Family:...

founded the Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute
Sisters of the Destitute
Sisters of the Destitute is a Syro-Malabar Catholic women's order.-History:The Congregation of the Sisters of the Destitute was founded by Servant of God Varghese Payapilly Palakkappilly in Chunangamvely, Kerala on 19 March 1927....

.
1929 October 5 Death of Varghese Palakkappilly.
1929–1934 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Geevarghese II, Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Catholicos.
1930 September 20 Mar Ivanios
Geevarghese Mar Ivanios
Geevarghese Giovanni Giorgio Tommaso Panickerveetil aka Archbishop Aboon Geevarghese Mor Ivanios, Servant of God, OIC , born as Geevarghese Panickeruveetil, was a Christian bishop and the founder of the Bethany Ashram order of monks.- Childhood :Geevarghese Panicker was born in Mavelikkara, India,...

with Mar Theophilus left Malankara Orthodox Church, joined the Catholic Church and formed 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...

.
1932 June 11 The establishment of the Syro-Malankara Hierarchy by Pope Pius XI. Mar Ivanios becomes Archbishop of Trivandrum, and Mar Theophilus Bishop of Tiruvalla.
1934 Malankara Syrian Church accepts new constitution.
1934–1964 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Geevarghese II, Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan).
1944–1947 Mar Thoma XVII – Abraham Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Abraham Mar Thoma
Abraham Mar Thoma Metropolitan was the Head of the Mar Thoma Church from 1944-1947. He was called Maret Kochu Thirumeni by his people...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
1947–1976 Mar Thoma XVIII – Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Juhanon Mar Thoma
Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan was the Head of the Mar Thoma church from 1947–1976, who gave leadership to the church and at the same time actively participated in social and political arenas. He was respected by people from all walks of life, from all religions and from all age groups. He is...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
1947 November 2 Bishop Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala declared first native Indian saint along with Catholicos Baselios Eldho.
1950 July 18 The Portuguese Padroado over the Diocese of Cochin (from 1557 February 4 till 1950 July 18) suppressed and the Diocese of Cochin handed over to native clergy.
1952 December 28–31 Jubilee Celebration of St. Thomas and St. Francis Xavier at Ernakulam.
1961 January 26 St. Thomas Evangelical Church
St. Thomas Evangelical Church
St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India is an Evangelical, Episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India. It derives from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961, and traces its ancestry before then back almost 2,000 years. STECI holds that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant...

was inaugurated (Separated from the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar)
1964–1975 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Augen I, Malankara Orthodox Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan).
1972 Fraction split in Malankara Syrian Church as 'Jacobite fraction' (in favour of full submission to the Antiochian Patriarch) and 'Orthodox fraction' (in favour of autocephaly).
1972 December 27, The 19th Centenary of the Martydom of St. Thomas the Apostle is celebrated at Ernakulam under the auspices of Orthodox, Catholic, Jacobite, Marthoma and C.S.I. Churches.
1973 July 3 The Governor of Kerala and the Cardinal release the St. Thomas Stamp and the T.En.II for sale.
1975–1991 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I, Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan).
1975–1996 Aboon Mor Baselios Paulose II, Malankara Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) Catholicoi and Malankara Metropolitan
1976-1999Mar Thoma XIX – Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Alexander Mar Thoma
Alexander Mar Thoma Metropolitan was the head of the Mar Thoma Church with its center in Kerala state in south-western India. About his life he wrote in his autobiography, “My life was a filled with trials and tribulations, joy and sorrow, pain and gain, struggles and rewards...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
1986 February 1–10 Visit of Pope John Paul II to India.
1986 February 8 Fr. Chavara Kuriakose Elias and Sr. Alphonsa are proclaimed blessed by Pope John Paul II.

1991–2005 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews II (Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan).
1999–2007 Mar Thoma XX – Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Metropolitan
Philipose Mar Chrysostom
-See also:* Mar Thoma Church* Syrian Malabar Nasrani* Saint Thomas Christians* Christianity in India* List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis* Juhanon Mar Thoma* Alexander Mar Thoma* Joseph Mar Thoma-Further reading:...

, Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.

XXI century

2002 Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I appointed as Metropolitan Trustee of Jacobite Syrian Church and Catholicose under Patriarch of Antioch.
2005 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Didymos I, enthroned as Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan.
2005 February 10 Pope John Paul II elevated the Archdiocese of Trivandrum to a Major Archdiocese, elevating the Archbishop to Major Archbishop (called Catholicos by Syro-Malankara Catholics)
2007 Mar Thoma XXI – Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan enthroned as Malankara Marthoma Metropolitan.
2007 December 25 Different fractions were merged in St. Thomas Evangelical Church
St. Thomas Evangelical Church
St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India is an Evangelical, Episcopal denomination based in Kerala, India. It derives from a schism in the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1961, and traces its ancestry before then back almost 2,000 years. STECI holds that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant...

(Church and Fellowship fraction)
2009 September 6 Varghese Palakkappilly declared Servant of God
Servant of God
Servant of God is a title given to individuals by various religions, but in general the phrase is used to describe a person believed to be pious in his or her faith tradition. In the Catholic Church, it designates someone who is being investigated by the Church for possibly being recognized as a...

.
2010 November 1 H.H. Moran Mor Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II
Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II
Baselios Mar Thoma Paulose II is the 91st reigning Catholicos of the East and 21st reigning Malankara Metropolitan and as such, Supreme Head of the Indian Orthodox Church. He was enthroned Catholicos of the East & Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church on 1 November 2010...

, enthroned as Catholicose of the East & Malankara Metropolitan.

Early history

Doctrine of the Apostles states that, “India and all its countries . . . received the Apostle’s hand of priesthood from Judas Thomas….” From an early period the Church of St. Thomas Christians came in to a life long relationship with the Church of Persia, which was also established by Thomas the apostle according to early Christian writings. The Primate or Metropolitan of Persia consecrated bishops for the Indian Church, which brought it indirectly under the control of Seleucia.

The Church of the East traces its origins to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, said to be founded by Thomas the Apostle

Thomas the Apostle

. Other founding figures are Saint Mari

Saint Mari

Saint Mari was converted by Saint Addai. He is said to have had Mar Aggai as his spiritual director. He is also believed to have done missionary work around Nineveh, Nisibis, and along the Euphrates, and is said to have been one of the great apostles to Syria and Persia. He and Addai are credited...

and Saint Addai as evidenced in the Doctrine of Addai

Doctrine of Addai

The Doctrine of Addai is a controversial book about Saint Addai.The story of how King Abgar and Jesus had corresponded was first recounted in the 4th century by the church historian Eusebius of Caesarea in his Ecclesiastical History and it was retold in elaborated form by Ephrem the Syrian.In the...

and the Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari

Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari

The Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari belongs to the East Syrian liturgical family and is in regular use in the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Saint Addai and Saint Mari are credited with having written it...

. This is the original Christian church in what was once Parthia

Parthia

Parthia is a region of north-eastern Iran, best known for having been the political and cultural base of the Arsacid dynasty, rulers of the Parthian Empire....

: eastern Iraq and Iran. The See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon developing within the Persian Empire, at the east of the Christian world, rapidly took a different course from other Eastern Christians.

The First Council of Nicaea

First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...

, held in Nicaea in Bithynia

Bithynia

Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...

(present-day İznik

Iznik

İznik is a city in Turkey which is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea, the first and seventh Ecumenical councils in the early history of the Church, the Nicene Creed, and as the capital city of the Empire of Nicaea...

in Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

), convoked by the Roman Emperor Constantine I

Constantine I

Constantine the Great , also known as Constantine I or Saint Constantine, was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337. Well known for being the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity, Constantine and co-Emperor Licinius issued the Edict of Milan in 313, which proclaimed religious tolerance of all...

in 325, was the first Ecumenical council of the Christian Church, and most significantly resulted in the first uniform Christian doctrine, called the Nicene Creed

Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed is the creed or profession of faith that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It is called Nicene because, in its original form, it was adopted in the city of Nicaea by the first ecumenical council, which met there in the year 325.The Nicene Creed has been normative to the...

. It is documented that Mar John, the Bishop of Great India attended the council. The prelate signs himself as “John the Persian presiding over the Churches in the whole of Persia and Great India.”

Some centuries following, the Persian Church suffered severe persecutions. The persecuted Christians and even Bishops, at least on two occasions, sought an asylum in Malabar.

The Rock crosses of Kerala

Rock crosses of Kerala

Beautifully hand cut stone crosses are the treasure of ancient churches in India.These Crosses are found mainly in Southern Indian State of Kerala...

found at St.Thomas Mount and throughout Malabar coast has inscriptions in Pahlavi

Pahlavi scripts

Pahlavi or Pahlevi denotes a particular and exclusively written form of various Middle Iranian languages. The essential characteristics of Pahlavi are*the use of a specific Aramaic-derived script, the Pahlavi script;...

and Syriac

Syriac alphabet

The Syriac alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Aramaic alphabet and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic, and the traditional Mongolian alphabets.-...

. It is dated from to 7th century.

In 825, the arrival of two bishops are documented , Mar Sapor and Mar Prodh. Le Quien says that “these bishops were Chaldaeans and had come to Quilon soon after its foundation. They were men illustrious for their sanctity, and their memory was held sacred in the Malabar Church. They constructed many churches and, during their lifetime, the Christian religion flourished especially in the kingdom of Diamper.

The beginning of Kolla Varsham resulted in the origin of Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

in Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

as an individual religion outside vedic Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

Medieval period

Prior to the Portuguese arrival in India in 1498, the Church of the East's See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon provided "Prelates" to the Saint Thomas Christians in India. This practise continued even after the arrival of the Portuguese till the Synod of Diamper

Synod of Diamper

The Synod of Diamper, held at Udayamperoor/Diamper, is a diocesan synod by which Latin usages were formally adopted by the Christians of Saint Thomas. It was convened on June 20, 1599, under the leadership of Aleixo de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa. Archdeacon George was forced to comply with the...

(held in Udayamperoor

Udayamperoor

Udayamperoor is a small town situated in Ernakulam district, Kerala, in India. It is 18 km from Ernakulam, on the Ernakulam - Vaikom road. This place, steeped in history, is a major tourist destination in the district.s.n.d.p.h.s.s is one of the leading educational institution in Udayamperoor....

) in 1599.

There are many accounts of missionary activities before the arrival of Portuguese in and around Malabar. John of Monte Corvino was a Franciscan

Franciscan

Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....

sent to China

China

to become prelate of Peking about the year 1307. He traveled from Persia and moved down by sea to India

India

in 1291, to the South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

region or “Country of St. Thomas”. There he preached for thirteen months and baptized about one hundred persons. From there Monte Corvino wrote home, in December 1291 (or 1292). That is one of the earliest noteworthy accounts of the Coromandel coast

Coromandel Coast

The Coromandel Coast is the name given to the southeastern coast of the Indian Subcontinent between Cape Comorin and False Divi Point...

furnished by any Western European. Traveling by sea from Mailapur, he reached China in 1294, appearing in the capital “Cambaliech” (now Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

)

Odoric of Pordenone

Odoric of Pordenone

Odoric of Pordenone was an Italian late-medieval traveler...

arrived in India in 1321. He visited Malabar, touching at Pandarani (20 m. north of Calicut

History of Kozhikode

Kozhikode , also known as Calicut, is a city in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the third largest city in Kerala and the headquarters of Kozhikode district....

), at Cranganore, and at Kulam or Quilon

Quilon

Quilon may refer to,* Venad, a former state on Malabar Coast, India* Kollam , Kerala state, India* Kollam district, Kerala state...

, proceeding thence, apparently, to Ceylon and to the shrine of St. Thomas at Mailapur, South India. He writes he had found the place where Thomas was buried.

Father Jordanus

Jordanus

Jordanus or Jordan Catalani was a French Dominican missionary and explorer in Asia known for his Mirabilia describing the marvels of the East.-Travels:He was perhaps born at Sévérac-le-Château in Aveyron, north-east of Toulouse...

, a Dominican

Dominican Order

The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...

, followed in 1321–22. He reported to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

, apparently from somewhere on the west coast of India, that he had given Christian burial to four martyred monks. Jordanus

Jordanus

, between 1324 and 1328 (if not earlier), probably visited Kulam and selected it as the best centre for his future work; it would also appear that he revisited Europe about 1328, passing through Persia, and perhaps touching at the great Crimean port of Soidaia or Sudak

Sudak

Sudak or Sudaq is a small historic town located in Crimea, Ukraine situated to the west of Feodosiya and to the east of Simferopol, the capital of Crimea...

. He was appointed a bishop in 1328 and nominated by Pope John XXII

Pope John XXII

Pope John XXII , born Jacques Duèze , was pope from 1316 to 1334. He was the second Pope of the Avignon Papacy , elected by a conclave in Lyon assembled by Philip V of France...

in his bull Venerabili Fratri Jordano to the see of Columbum or Kulam (Quilon

Diocese of Quilon

The Diocese of Quilon or Kollam is the first Catholic diocese in India in the state of Kerala. First erected on August 9, 1329 and re-erected on September 1, 1886, it covers an area of 1,950 km². , and contains a population of 4,879,553 - 235,922 of which are Catholic.It belongs to the...

) on 21 August 1329. This diocese was the first in the whole of the Indies

Indies

The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia, occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and...

, with juristriction over modern India

India

, Pakistan

Pakistan

Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

, Afghanistan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

, Burma, and Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

.

Either before going out to Malabar as bishop, or during a later visit to the west, Jordanus probably wrote his Mirabilia, which from internal evidence can only be fixed within the period 1329–1338; in this work he furnished the best account of Indian regions, products, climate, manners, customs, fauna and flori given by any European in the Middle Ages – superior even to Marco Polo

Marco Polo

's. In his triple division of the Indies, India Major comprises the shorelands from Malabar to Cochin China; while India Minor stretches from Sindh

Sindh

Sindh historically referred to as Ba'ab-ul-Islam , is one of the four provinces of Pakistan and historically is home to the Sindhi people. It is also locally known as the "Mehran". Though Muslims form the largest religious group in Sindh, a good number of Christians, Zoroastrians and Hindus can...

(or perhaps from Baluchistan

Balochistan (region)

Balochistan or Baluchistan is an arid, mountainous region in the Iranian plateau in Southwest Asia; it includes part of southeastern Iran, western Pakistan, and southwestern Afghanistan. The area is named after the numerous Baloch tribes, Iranian peoples who moved into the area from the west...

) to Malabar; and India Tertia (evidently dominated by African conceptions in his mind) includes a vast undefined coast-region west of Baluchistan, reaching into the neighborhood of, but not including, Ethiopia and Prester John

Prester John

The legends of Prester John were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries, and told of a Christian patriarch and king said to rule over a Christian nation lost amidst the Muslims and pagans in the Orient. Written accounts of this kingdom are variegated collections of medieval...

's domain.

In 1347, Giovanni de' Marignolli

Giovanni de' Marignolli

Giovanni de' Marignolli , a notable traveller to the Far East in the fourteenth century , born probably before 1290, and sprung from a noble family in Florence....

visited the shrine of St Thomas in South India

South India

, and then proceeded to what he calls the kingdom of Saba, and identifies with the Sheba of Scripture, but which seems from various particulars to have been Java

Java

Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...

. Taking ship again for Malabar on his way to Europe, he encountered great storms.

Another prominent Indian traveler was Joseph, priest over Cranganore. He journeyed to Babylon

Babylon

Babylon was an Akkadian city-state of ancient Mesopotamia, the remains of which are found in present-day Al Hillah, Babil Province, Iraq, about 85 kilometers south of Baghdad...

in 1490 and then sailed to Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

and visited Portugal

Portugal

, Rome

Rome

, and Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

before returning to India

India

. He helped to write a book about his travels titled The Travels of Joseph the Indian which was widely disseminated across Europe.

When the Portuguese arrived on the Malabar Coast

Malabar Coast

The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...

, the Christian communities that they found there had had longstanding traditional links with the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphonin Mesopotamia.

During the subsequent period, in 1552, a split occurred within the Assyrian Church of the East

Assyrian Church of the East

The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...

forming the Chaldean Church

Chaldean Catholic Church

The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...

, the latter entered into communion with Rome. After the split each church had its own patriarch; the Chaldean Church was headed by the Patriarch Mar Yohannan Sulaqa

Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa

Mar Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa was the first Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, from 1553 to 1555....

(1553–1555). Both claim to be the rightful heir to the East Syrian tradition. It is very difficult to see the precise influence of this schism on the Church of Malabar as there was always overtones to Rome in earlier centuries. Apparently, both parties sent bishops to India.

The last East Syrian Metropolitan before the schism, Mar Jacob (1504–1552), died in 1552. Catholicos Simeon VII Denkha sent a prelate to India, in the person of Mar Abraham, who was later to be the last Syrian Metropolitan of Malabar, after having gone over to the Chaldaean side. It is not known when he arrived in Malabar, but he must have been there already by 1556. Approximately at the same time, Chaldaean Patriarch Abdisho IV (1555–1567), the successor of Yohannan Sulaqa (murdered in 1555), sent the brother of John, Mar Joseph, to Malabar as a Chaldaean bishop; although consecrated in 1555 or 1556, Mar Joseph could not reach India before the end of 1556, nor Malabar before 1558. He was accompanied by another Chaldaean bishop, Mar Eliah.

Portuguese

The Portuguese erected a Latin

Latin

Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...

diocese in Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

(1534) and another at Cochin (1558) in the hope of bringing the Thomas Christians under their jurisdiction. In a Goan Synod held in 1585 it was decided to introduce the Latin liturgy and practices among the Thomas Christians.

Aleixo de Menezes

Aleixo de Menezes

Aleixo de Menezes was Archbishop of Goa, Archbishop of Braga, Portugal, and Viceroy of Portugal during the Iberian Union.-Biographical sketch:Aleixo was born in 1559. It is known that he joined the Augustinians...

, Archbishop of Goa

Goa

from 1595 until his death in 1617 decided to bring the Kerala Christians to obedience after the death of Bishop Mar Abraham (the last Syrian Metropolitan of Malabar, laid to rest at St. Hormis church, Angamaly), an obedience that they conceived as complete conformity to the Roman or ‘Latin’ customs. This meant separating the Nasranis not only from the Catholicosate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, but also from the Chaldaean Patriarchate of Babylon, and subjecting them directly to the Latin Archbishopric of Goa.

The Portuguese refused to accept the legitimate authority of the Indian hierarchy and its relation with the East Syrians, and in 1599 at the Synod of Diamper

Synod of Diamper

(held in Udayamperur

Udayamperoor

), the Portuguese Archbishop of Goa imposed a large number of Latinizations. The Portuguese succeeded in appointing a Latin bishop to govern the Thomas Christians, and the local Christians’ customs were officially anathematised as heretical and their manuscripts were condemned to be either corrected or burnt. The Portuguese padroado (’patronage’) was extended over them. From 1599 up to 1896 these Christians were under the Latin Bishops who were appointed either by the Portuguese Padroado or by the Roman Congregation of Propaganda Fide. Every attempt to resist the latinization process was branded heretical by them. Under the indigenous leader, archdeacon, the Thomas Christians resisted, but the result was disastrous.

The oppressive rule of the Portuguese padroado provoked a violent reaction on the part of the indigenous Christian community. The first solemn protest took place in 1653, known as the Koonan Kurishu Satyam (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...

). Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, a part of the Thomas Christians publicly took an oath in Matancherry, Cochin, that they would not obey the Portuguese bishops and the Jesuit missionaries. In the same year, in Alangad, Archdeacon Thomas was ordained, by the laying on of hands of twelve priests, as the first known indigenous Metropolitan of Kerala, under the name Mar Thoma I

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:...

.

After the Coonan Cross Oath

Coonan Cross Oath

, between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Catholics claimed eighty-four churches, and the Archdeacon Mar Thoma I

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:...

with thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Catholic Church have descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites & Orthodox), Thozhiyur (1772), Mar Thoma (Reformed Syrians) (1874), Syro Malankra Catholic Church have originated. In 1665, Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel

Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel

Mor Gregorios Abdul Jaleel Bawa was an ethnic Assyrian Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Jerusalem from 1664 until his death. He is chiefly remembered for his 1665 mission to India, in which he established ties between the newly-independent Malankara Church and the Syriac Orthodox church. He is venerated...

, a Bishop sent by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch arrived in India. This visit resulted in the Mar Thoma faction claiming spiritual authority of the Antiochean Patriarchate and gradually introduced the West Syrian liturgy, customs and script to the Malabar Coast.

The arrival of Mar Gregorios in 1665 marked the beginning of the association with the West Syrian Church.Those who accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of Mar Gregorios became known as Jacobites. Those who continued with East Syrian theological and liturgical tradition and stayed faithful to the Synod of Diamper are known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...

in communion with the Catholic Church. They got their own Syro-Malabar Hierarchy on 21 December 1923 with the Metropolitan Mar Augustine Kandathil as the Head of their Church.

St. Thomas Christians by this process got divided into East Syrians and West Syrians.

Further divisions

In 1772 the West Syrians under the leadership of Kattumangattu Abraham Mar Koorilose, Metropolitan of Malankara, formed 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...

(Thozhiyur Sabha).

In 1876, those who did not accept the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch remained with Thomas Mar Athanasious and chose the name Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church. They removed a number practices introduced at The Synod of Diamper to the liturgy, practices and observances. In 1961, there was a split in this group with the formation of St. Thomas Evangelical Church

St. Thomas Evangelical Church

.

In 1874 a section of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

from Thrissur

Thrissur

This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...

came in to communion with Patriarch

Patriarch

Originally a patriarch was a man who exercised autocratic authority as a pater familias over an extended family. The system of such rule of families by senior males is called patriarchy. This is a Greek word, a compound of πατριά , "lineage, descent", esp...

of the Church of the East

Church of the East

in Qochanis

Qochanis

Qodchanis was the capital of Hakkari and the seat of the Assyrian bishops before 1915.Its ruins are currently north of Hakkâri Province, near the borders of Iran and Iraq, and about 20 km north-east of the provincial capital Hakkâri, in the southeastern of modern Turkey.The town was inhabited by...

as a result of schism followed after the arrival of Bishop Rocos ( 1861 ) Mar Elias Melus ( 1874) sent by the Patriarch of Chaldean. They follow the East Syrian tradition and are known as Chaldean Syrian Church

Chaldean Syrian Church

The Chaldean Syrian Church is an Indian Christian church that is currently an archbishopric of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are almost...

.

However, in 1912 due to attempts by the Antiochean Patriarch to gain temporal powers over the Malankara Church, there was another split in the West Syrian community when a section declared itself an autocephalous church and announced the re-establishment of the ancient Catholicos

Catholicos

Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...

ate of the East in India. This was not accepted by those who remained loyal to the Patriarch. The two sides were reconciled in 1958 but again differences developed in 1975. Today the West Syrian community is divided into Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (in Oriental Orthodox Communion, autocephalous), Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church (in Oriental Orthodox Communion, under Antioch).

In 1930 a section of the Malankara Orthodox Church under the leadership of Mar Ivanios

Geevarghese Mar Ivanios

Geevarghese Giovanni Giorgio Tommaso Panickerveetil aka Archbishop Aboon Geevarghese Mor Ivanios, Servant of God, OIC , born as Geevarghese Panickeruveetil, was a Christian bishop and the founder of the Bethany Ashram order of monks.- Childhood :Geevarghese Panicker was born in Mavelikkara, India,...

and Mar Theophilus came into communion with the Catholic Church, retaining all of the Church’s rites, Liturgy, and autonomy. They are known as 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...

**St. Thomas Christian Groups**
East Syriac		West Syriac (Antiochian)
Chaldean Syrian Church Chaldean Syrian Church The Chaldean Syrian Church is an Indian Christian church that is currently an archbishopric of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are almost...	Syro-Malabar Catholic Church Syro-Malabar Catholic Church The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...	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... (Thozhiyoor Church)	Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Indian Orthodox Church)	Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church (Syriac Orthodox Church)	Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church (Mar Thoma Church)	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...

Nasrani religious jurisdictions

(in alphabetical order by Communion)

Eastern Catholic Churches
- Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
  Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
  The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
- 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...
Oriental Orthodox Communion
- Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church
- Indian Orthodox Church
  Indian Orthodox Church
  The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, also known as the Indian Orthodox Church, is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church centred in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the churches of India's Saint Thomas Christian community, which traces its origins to the evangelical activity of Thomas...
Oriental Orthodox in Tradition but not in communion with the Oriental Orthodox Communion
- 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...
  
  (Thozhiyur Sabha)
Reformed Oriental Church (west Syrian Rite)
- Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church

Demography

On a rough reckoning, about 70% to 75% of the Christians in Kerala belong to the St. Thomas Christianity spread across different denominations, including the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

Syro-Malabar Catholic Church

, 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 Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, the Marthoma Syrian Church, the Chaldean Syrian Church

Chaldean Syrian Church

and the Malabar Independent Syrian Church

Malabar Independent Syrian Church

.

India's official census data places the total Christian population in Kerala at 6.06 million in the year 2001. Accordingly, the population of St Thomas Christians in Kerala

Demographics of Kerala

Kerala is a state in south-western India. Most of Kerala's 31.8 million people are of Malayali ethnicity. Malayali Hindus derive their ancestry from Dravidian and Aryan communities that settled in Kerala and intermixed. Additional ancestries derive from several centuries of contact with...

(who form 70%–75% of the total Christian population in the State as suggested above) may be in the region of 4.2 to 4.5 million. Since 1950's a sizeable population of St Thomas Christians have settled in Malabar region of Kerala following the Malabar Migration

Malabar migration

Malabar Migrationhttp://www.kottayamad.org/malabar_migration.htm refers to the large-scale migration from Central-South Kerala to northern regions of Kerala called Malabar in the 20th century...

. A large number are working or settled outside the State in cities like Mumbai, as well as outside India in West Asia, Europe, North America and Australia.

Churches within Saint Thomas Christian tradition

Nazrani people

History

Rough chronology

First century

II century

IV century

VI century

IX century

XI century

XIII century

XIV century

XV century

XVI century

XVII century

XVIII century

XIX century

XX century

XXI century

Early history

Medieval period

Portuguese

Further divisions

Nasrani religious jurisdictions

Demography

See also

External links