Saint Thomas Christianity

This is a religious movement in Keralla India that professed Yahosheanism during 1st and 2nd centuries but was renamed to Christianity through the influence of the Church of the East that centered at Persia.

The religious movement traced its origin from evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle in India during the first century Ad. Saint Thomas Church remained united in liturgy and leadership till 17th century when it started to split into various factions, denominations and traditions.

Originally the movement was established by Apostle Thomas who followed Yahoshea Meshiyach directly.  He left the city of Yahuda after the first Roman-Hebrew war of 70Ad and moved to India where he met with the Cochin and Bene Hebrews who settled in Malinkara.

Apostle Thomas established seven stations  of the assembly at the following areas – Kodungallur, Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal (Chayal), Kokkamangalam, Kottakkayal (Paravoor), Palayoor and Thiruvithamcode Arappally.

The Saint Thomas church was originally called the “Nasrani” or “Nasrani Mappila”. “Nasrani”, was derived from “Nazareth” the adopted home town of Yahoshea Meshiyach. While “Mappila” was an Indian honoritic applied to members of non-Indian faiths.  For example the Yahudeans at India were called the “Yuda Mappila” and such applied to other non-Indian sects.

During 3rd century, the East-Syrian settlers and missionaries from Persia who were members of the Church of the East arrived in India and took over the activities of the “Nasrani” sect that  was of Hebrew and Yahoshean's tradition blended with Indian cultural heritage. They mixed this tradition into a Syriac method of Christianity.

Interestingly, during the period, the Yahoshean assembly at Antioch and Persian territories have been transformed into a Syriac tradition that was identified as the Church of East.

History record that the Saint Thomas Church's growth was facilitated by the missionary efforts  of Nastorian Thomas of Cana during 6th century.

The efforts of Thomas of Cana generated a subgroup of the Saint Thomas Church known as the “Knanaya” or Southists.  There were some subgroups of the sect that later traced their ancestry through Thomas Cana's Indian wife.

Due to influence of Syriac Church over the Saint Thomas church, the Indian people and authority began to identify it as the “Syrian Christians” especially for reason of distinguishing it with some evangelical Christians who followed the Latin liturgy as they came later into India.

The term, “Syrian Christians” were firstly given to the group by the Dutch colonial authority in 16th century.  The group may have been renamed to the “Saint Thomas Christian by the same Portuguese explorers or missionaries.

The general term used by the Indian natives for the body was the Nasrani and such continued until the entrance of the Syrians. The sect had great reverence to Apostle Thomas that established it.

Activities Of The Church Of The East

As the migration of the East Syrians into India increased, the relationship between the Saint Thomas Church and the Church of the East strengthened. The church of the East provided the Saint Thomas Church with the clergy, holy texts and eccliastical infrastructure.

In 650Ad, Patriarch Ishoyahb III officially established the Jurisdiction of the Church of the East over the Saint Thomas Church. In 8th century, Patriarch Timothy 1, created the community of the Saint Thomas Church into eccliastical province of India which became one of the provinces of the Church of the East.

Based on this creation, the province of India was headed by a Metropolitan Bishop that is been dispatched from Persia and its See was at Mylapore where the shrine of Apostle Thomas was located. The Metropolitan Bishop headed a varying number of Bishops and a native Archdeacon who had authority over the clergy and exercised great amount of secular power.

The news of the exploit of the Church of the East at India spread to the Western Rome.  The English King Alfred the Great sent a missionary team and gifts to the Saint Thomas tomb in 803Ad.

Between 8th and 13th centuries, there was dislocation between the Saint Thomas Church and the Church of the East due to distance involved and geopolitical turmoils of the period. This situation worsened following the collapse of the Church of East's eccliastical and hierarchical order in most of the Asian territories during later 14th century.

Within that vast period, there were no Metropolitan Bishops for some generations and the church was based on the activities of archdeacons.

Towards the end of the 15th century, the archdeacon sent envoys to the patriarchs of the Church of the East, Coptic Pope of Alexandria, Syriac Orthordox Patriarch of Antioch requesting a new bishop for India. The Patriarch of the Church of the East responded to the request by consecrating two bishops and dispatching them to India to restore the ecclesiastical infrastructure and to re-establish the fraternal ties with the patriarchate.

Though the metropolitan Bishop took to office as mere quest but the archdeacon was firmly established as the real power in the Nazarene community.

Catholic Contact And Involvement

During 15th century, the Portuguese expeditor – Vasco da Gama arrived in India.  This period was occasioned with conflicts of control of Keralla by Saint Thomas Community and the Rajas of Cochin, Codun and other small kingdoms in the area.

To protect the integrity and existence of the Saint Thomas Church, it embraced the Portuguese and eventually formed ally with them.  The Portuguese though showed much interest on the spice trade but wanted to plant their Bellicose form of Christianity in the territory.

The Portuguese had a treaty called the “Padroado Real” with the Roman Catholic Pope which conferred upon the Portuguese authority certain rights over ecclesiastical issues in foreign territories they conquered.

Based on this treaty, the Portuguese established a colonial government in Goa and set a Latin Catholic Church hierarchy under the Archbishop of Goa and toiled to place the Saint Thomas Church under his authority.

In 1522, the Metropolitan Mar Jacob that represent the Church of the East died, Schism arose in the Saint Thomas community and such brought division in which one group entered into communion with Catholic Church of Rome which sent a Bishop to them.

The Portuguese sought authority to hold grip to the Saint Thomas Church and thereby cut off relationship between the community and both the Church of the East and the Roman Catholic Church.

In 1575, the Portuguese legislated that non of the Patriarchs could send representatives  to India without Portuguese's confirmation.

Context For Control

In 1599, the last Eastern backed Metropolitan Abraham died and the Roman backed Archbishop of Goa secured submission of Archdeacon George that worked with the Metropolitan.

During that period, the Archdeacon George was the highest officer of the native Saint Thomas Church and with his covenant with the Archbishop of Goa, a synod of Diamper was convened which changed many liturgical and ecclesiastical structure of the Saint Thomas Church.

The Synod of Damper brought all parishes under the Archbishop, made laws condemning various forms of social customs that were held by all Hindu groups such as the “untouchability” and 'caste hierarchy”.  The synod condemned indigenous liturgy, the rites and all customs that appear unacceptable to the later church.

The new Latin centred Saint Thomas church rejected many texts that were formally used and ordered for their burning. Such books included the “Peshitta” the Syriac version of the Bible.  The synod brought the church into the control of the Roman Catholic Church and some of the reforms that negated the Indian culture had to place the Church into confrontation with its Hindu neighbours.

Resistance To Reforms

The reforms brought to the Saint Thomas Church were never wholly accepted by the members.  In 1641, Archdeacon Thomas showed discontent with the activities of the Latin Prelates.  In the middle of this dispute between the Native church members and the Portuguese authority, a mysterious man appeared at Mylapore.  His name was “Ahatallah” and he claimed to been sent by the Pope to serve as the “Patriarch of the whole of India and of China”.

The Portuguese swiftly rejected the claim of Ahatallah and expelled him from India.  Some native Thomas members who were comfortable with Ahatallah sought for his release but later found that the Portuguese authority has made away with him either through expulsion or murder. This aggravated anti-Portuguese sentiment by the natives.

Divisions Within The Church

Based on the discomfort of the native Thomasine  members against the Portuguese, they took a bold step towards their independence.  In 1653, representatives of the church assembled at the Church of Our Lady in Mattarncharry and before a crufix and lighted candle, they swore a solemn oath that they would never obey the Garcia or the Portuguese any more and that they accepted only the Archdeacon as their leader.

This was known as the “Coonan Cross Oath” and was the root of the Malankara Church and all of its successor churches.  To pacify their independence, the newly established church consecrated a Bishop in a ceremony in which twelve priests laid hands on Thomas and he became the Metropolitan of Malankara.

This decision made the Portuguese to seek for reconciliation with the new church but failed. The Pope Alexander VII sent a Syman Bishop to the new church to convince them that the consecration of the metropolitan was illegal.  The Bishop Joseph Sebastian convinced many members of the church who consecrated Palliveetil Chandy Kathanar as the Bishop for the Syrian Catholic Church that was loyal to Roman Catholic Church.

This marked the first official split of the Saint Thomas Church as the members that were loyal to Roman Church became identified as the “Pazhayakuttukar” or “Old Party” and they had Parambil Mar Chandy as their “Metropolitan and the Gate of all India” while the branch associated to Mar Thomas as the Metropolitan of Malankara were known as the “Puthankuttukar” or “New Party”.

Both groups considered themselves as the true heirs while the other as heretics.  Later in history, the Syrian Catholic gave birth to many other separate groups as the Syro-Malabor Catholic Church and Chaldean Syrian Church, while other groups that separated from the Malankara church include the Syriac Orthordox (Jacobites and Orthodox), Thozhiyur, Mar Thomas Syrians, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and Chaldean Syrian Church.

Anglican Interference

The British authority had its first formal activities at India in 1795 when the kings of Travancore and Cochin had a tributary alliance with the British East Indian Company. The alliance was primarily aimed at repelling the attacks from Tipu sultan who was threatening the area.

The alliance gave way to British colonialism over the territory as the military and political structures were disbanded by the British authority.

The Saint Thomas Church had great loses over the British occupation as its military wing called “Kalari” was dissolved and many of its members killed. Some Europeans who visited the area during early 19th century noted the poor livelihood of the Saint Thomas Christians.

Some fund allocated to the church by some of the British officials brought stain relationship of the church and some of the Hindu sects.

In 1815, a British resident colonel John Munyo established a seminary at Kottayam for the education of Jacobite Christians' priests and invited the Anglican Missionaries to teach in the school.

This marked the relationship of the CMS and the Saint Thomas Christians.  The interference of the Anglican Church in the Malankara Church provoked a Protest that led to a Synod at Mavelikara on 16th January 1836. In the Synod, it was resolved that the Malankara Church would be subject to the Syrian tradition and Patriarch of Anthioch.

The edict of the synod brought separation to the Anglican Missionaries with the Malankara church but a minority of the Saint Thomas Christians of the Malankara Church found favour in the reformed theologies of the Anglican Missionaries.

Those who joined the CM.S. Missionaries became the first Reformed group within the Saint Thomas Church.  This brought the establishment of the Anglican diocese of Travancore and Cohin in Kottayan in 1879. Later, the Anglican Church in South India united with reformed churches in the area to form the Church of South India that served as an autonomous Church within Anglican Communion in India.

The Saint Thomas Church which was originally the Nasrani assembly and been  shaped in the manner of the early apostolic mission of Yahosheans later turned to political apparatus of both the Antioch, Portuguese, Rome and England.  By these struggles, the original apostolic flavor of the movement was devoured and decolorized to various splits and with various colored traditional backgrounds.

During 20th century, the neo-charismatic activities have penetrated into various versions of the Saint Thomas Churches.  State politics in Travancore equally has influenced the Saint Thomas Church in a negative light.  Some Saint Thomas Christians were elected at legislative and executive positions of the state and such helped to corrupt the movement from its original value as it became  engrossed with rivalries and competitions that associate modern politics.

Religious And Cultural Identity

The Saint Thomas Church was originally an outside station of Yahosheanism.  It commenced with full accredited doctrines of Yahosheanism but later corrupted into Syriac culture when the church of the East commenced link to its affairs.

                By interference of the East-Syrian Christians, the movement adopted the liturgy and theology of the East-Syrian Christians of Persia.  The life-style, customs and traditions were basically Indian mixed with Hebrew. The presence of Hebrew people in the early Mapila Nasrani movement influenced the community with Hebrew culture and liturgy.

There were equally elements of Hindu customs that associated the Saint Thomas Christianity.  Some of them were rituals related to marriage, pregnancy, death etc.  It is often echoed that the “Nasranis are Indian in culture, Christians in faith and Syrians in liturgy”.

The Saint Thomas Christians are Hindu cultured with special reference to its earlier practice of the “untouchable” which it abolished during the synod of Diamper.  The Saint Thomas Christians related their status with the upper castle Hindus based on their population and observance to many Braham customs.  The rapour of the movement with others of its Hindu neighbors continued unhampered till 19th century when its clean castle status became questioned in some localities which prompted denial of its adherent's access to Hindu temples.

The Saint Thomas Christians equally retaliated by condemning the Hindus as heathens with un-divinely approved festivals.

Traditions And Rituals

The early Nasrani movement in Kerala observed virtually all traditions of the Hebrew Yahosheanism until its connection to the church of the East. The activities of the church of the East on the Saint Thomas Church changed the Liturgy into Syrian tradition.

In the beginning, the movement reverenced Sabbath rest and addressed the saviour as “Yahshua” a name used by many sacred name broadcasters to represent “Yahoshea”.

The early Nasarani sect used Aramaic terms in its religious tradition.  For instance, the movement used the term “Mamodisa” which was Aramaic term for “Baptism”, used “Pehasa” that is Malayalam word derived from the Aramaic word “Pasha” or “Pesah” that means Passover.  The sect later applied the use of cross and they identify it as the “Nasrani Menorah”.  Menorah was an ancient symbol of the Hebrews that consists of seven branched lamp stands.

The Saint Thomas Cross or Nasrani Menorah was a later development that was applied into the tradition of the sect after its connection with the Syrian Church.

The sect compromised majority of its early culture in the aftermath of Portuguese subjugation.  The name “Saint Thomas Church” was first used for the sect by the Portuguese.  Likewise, the early Nasrani movement did  not use kymograph or statues of Yahoshea or the Saints in their congregations until after the arrival of the Portuguese.  Before the coming of Portuguese, use of such symbols were deemed idolatrous.

The connection of Nasrani sect and the Syrian Church suppressed many of the early Yahoshean tradition of the body.  Based on this relationship, the Nasrani sect began to profess Christendom instead of Yahosheanity of its original character. Activities as Sunday worship, Lent period, Easter, Christmas etc. became part of the body and were observed in tune of the Syrian Churches.

The long fasting period that is traditional to the Syrian Churches became part of the Nasrani culture. For instance, the Saint Thomas Church observed “Fifty days Fast” that commenced from “Clean Monday” to the day before Easter.  They equally observe a twenty-five days fast which ends on the day of Christmas.

Conclusion

The Nasrani sect of India was established by Apostle Thomas with support of his Hebrew Kinsmen that settled at Kerala in the first century Ad. The true tradition of Yahosheanism that the movement commenced by was later corrupted by the Syrian version of Yahosheanism and later mixed by Roman Catholic, Anglican and Pentecostal traditions.

Based on this development, the original flavour of Yahosheanism lost and replaced by various version of Christian traditions that contested for ownership of the sect. The interference of the Persians, Portuguese, Romans, English and other traditions destroyed the original value of the movement into many different versions and separations.

This was supported by the activities of indigenous Indians who admixed the original tradition of the Yahosheanism with Hindu cultures and rites.

Based on the mixture of these traditions and misinterpretations of Yahosheans traditional observations, the Nasrani sect is in no way the real sect of Yahoshea Meshiyach which many adherents seek for through the Saint Thomas Christianity.

Yahosheanism was basely a continuation of Yahudaism and its continuity is based on the acts of the comforter and his disciples that has manifested as Most Senior Prophet Yahmarabhi Ha Meshiyach.

The Nasrani in Kerrela, India must know this and make adequate adjustment.  May Yahweh lead forever.