History of the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church

Historical Roots and Global Connections of Indian Christianity

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The Early History of Christianity in India

   The history of Christianity in India goes back to very ancient times, even to as far back as 52 AD. Emissaries of the Western Church began to appear in India from the late 13th century. The Portuguese missionaries arrived in the 16th century. They have left us their own accounts of the Christian Church in India.

 

   The Church was, however, from its inception, one Church, united, tolerant, and living in peace with the people of other religions. Today, this one church of India is divided due to the impact of Western missions. The “St. Thomas” Christians or the “Syrian Christians” exist at present in about 15 different churches and denominations. Among them, one of the major bodies is the Orthodox Syrian Church under the Catholicate of the East with its headquarters at Devalokam, Kottayam.

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The Beginning of the Church

   That the Apostle Thomas, one of the twelve, is the founder of the St. Thomas Christians is a well-established tradition. The evidence for it is fairly high. Christian writers and representatives of churches at least from the 4th century refer to the evangelistic labours of the Apostle Thomas to India, and the Indian Christians ascribe the origin of their Church to this event in the 1st century.

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   It is reasonable to believe that the Apostle came to India, preached the gospel, established the Church, and died here as a martyr. There is no better hypothesis to explain the beginning of this Indian Church than the one attested by both universal and local tradition that the Apostle Thomas was its founder.

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Highlights in a Chequered History

   The Church was probably quite extensive in India—in the northwest (including present Kashmir, Sind, Baluchistan, and Afghanistan), as well as around the southern coast from Kalyan near Bombay on the west to Madras on the east coast, including probably Sri Lanka.

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   Gondophores, with whom the tradition referred to in the Acts of Judas Thomas associates the ministry of Apostle Thomas, was an Indo-Parthian king in the northwest of India, and Vasudeva, who is reported to have condemned the Apostle to death, was a king of the Kushan dynasty near Madras.

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West Asian Migrations

   South India had trade connections with the Mediterranean and the West Asian world in ancient times. This enabled the Church in those areas, particularly Persia, to have knowledge of the existence of a Christian community in India. Many Christians, when they were persecuted in the Persian Empire, fled to the south coast of India and found there a ready and warm welcome.

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   The most memorable of such immigrations was that of a colony of Persian Christians who fled to India under Thomas of Cana around 345 AD during the persecution of Sapor II. Tradition says that the colony consisted of 72 families, with a bishop and a number of presbyters—about 400 members in all. These families were received gladly by the Christian community, and the Hindu king of the area granted them special privileges inscribed on copper plates. The Southist community of Kerala claims descent from these settlers.

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How the Church Was Governed

   We have no documentary evidence referring to the way the Indian Church was governed in the early centuries. Tradition has it that the Apostle Thomas established churches in Kerala and appointed priests for them. These priests did obviously correspond to bishops of churches in other parts of the world.

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   Like the churches of Ethiopia and Nubia in Africa, and of Armenia and Georgia in Asia, the Indian Church maintained its autonomous administration and life under a local leader, Jathiku Karthav, who came to be called later the Archdeacon. The Church of Persia had a tradition that acknowledged such autonomy for churches in its communion abroad.

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   When the Portuguese established themselves in India in the 16th century, they found the Church in Kerala as an administratively independent community. We now have a complete list of all the bishoprics in the West Syrian Church till the 12th century, but never once does the name of any Church in India appear. This proves there was no connection with the West Syrian Church until then.

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The Persian Connection

   The Indian Church came in contact with the East Syrian Church possibly from the 4th century (from the time of Thomas of Cana). Evidence from the 6th century shows bishops in the Indian Church who had been consecrated in Persia. Cosmos, who visited south India about 520 AD, mentions in his Universal Christian Topography that he saw a church in Malabar with a bishop residing at Kalyan who had been consecrated in Persia.

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   In the 7th century, Patriarch Ishoyab III scolded Metropolitan Simon of Riwardashir for failing to assist the Indian Church. In the same century, the patriarch enjoined that the Indian Church send only a letter of allegiance every six years—recognising its autonomy. In the 9th century, Patriarch Timothy relieved the metropolitan of Riwardashir and took direct responsibility over the Indian Church. Two Persian bishops, Prodh and Sabor, came to Kerala and received royal grants from the King at Quilon (recorded on copper plates). The "Persian Crosses" in Kerala and Madras belong to this period.

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   By the 5th century, the Church of Persia recognised its Catholicos as Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, who later acknowledged Nestorius in 486 AD. A minority rejected this and acknowledged a Catholicos at Tagrit in 629 AD, forming a second ecclesiastical line. The dignitaries of the original line continued their evangelistic work in India and other eastern countries.

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   By the 8th century, the Indian Church had a primate known as “The Metropolitan and the Gate of All India”. The Vatican Syriac Codex 22 (written in Cranganore, 1301) refers to this title as “The Metropolitan of the Throne of St. Thomas, and of the whole church of the Christians of India.”

 

   In 1490, a delegation from the Indian Church travelled to the “Nestorian” Patriarch. They returned with bishops Mar Thoma and Mar John, followed by four others including Mar Jacob, who dealt with the Portuguese until his death in 1552.

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The Portuguese Period

   The arrival of Vasco da Gama in 1498 led to Portuguese colonisation. Missionaries aimed to bring the Indian Church into communion with Rome. By 1599, they succeeded through the Synod of Diamper, which severed Indian ties with the Persian Patriarch in favour of the Pope.

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   The Church was governed by Jesuit archbishops, but widespread dissatisfaction led to the Coonan Cross Revolt in 1653, involving much of the community. The Propaganda Fidei sent missionaries and many returned to Roman allegiance, but a significant faction led by the Archdeacon resisted, maintaining the independence of the Indian Church.

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The Antiochene Connection

   The group that upheld church independence appealed to Eastern Christian centres. The Antiochene Syrian Patriarch responded by sending Metropolitan Mar Gregorios of Jerusalem in 1665. He confirmed Mar Thoma I (initially ordained by presbyters) and they worked together.

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   The Mar Thoma line continued until Mar Thoma IX in 1816, succeeded by Mar Dionysius II. The church faced serious issues: training clergy, teaching doctrine, and maintaining episcopal succession. While they sought help from Antioch, they didn’t intend to submit to its jurisdiction. The Patriarch respected this initially.

By the mid-18th century, however, demands increased. Three Antiochene bishops, including a Catholicos, arrived. Mar Thoma V resisted submitting to the Patriarch. His successor, Mar Thoma VI, reached a compromise in 1770, receiving confirmation as Mar Dionysius. He guided the Church until 1808.

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Co-operation with the C.M.S.

   By 1795, British influence spread over Kerala. Anglican residents Col. Macaulay and Col. Munro took interest in the Syrian Church. Under Macaulay, a deposit of Rs.10,500/- was made with the East India Company.

In 1815, Ittoop Cathanar of Pulicot founded a seminary with support from Munro. Made Mar Dionysius II, he oversaw cooperation with the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.), which lasted until 1836, but failed.

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This led to a split:

• A Reformed Group (Mar Thoma Syrian Church)

• A smaller body joining the Anglican Church

• The majority retained traditional practices

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Part of the Antiochene Syrian Church

   The reformist conflict caused the conservative group to seek help from Antioch. In 1875, Patriarch Peter III visited and led the Synod of Mulanthuruthy in 1876, affirming communion with Antioch. He, however, wanted full control, unlike what the Indian Church intended.

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   Litigation followed, ending in 1889 with the Royal Court of Appeal ruling in favour of the traditionalists and the Patriarch’s spiritual oversight. Patriarch Peter III wanted more control. His successor Mar Abdullah II came in 1909 but was opposed by Metropolitan Mar Dionysius VI of Vattasseril, leading to a schism in 1911.

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The Catholicate

   Metropolitan Mar Dionysius VI was supported by Patriarch Abdul Messiah, canonical successor to Peter III, who had been dethroned. In 1912, he came to Kerala and, together with the Malankara Church, established the Catholicate of the East.

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Significance of the Catholicate at Kottayam:

• It is a recognised Antiochene dignitary equal in rank to the Patriarch.

• Established in cooperation with the Canonical Patriarch Abdul Messiah.

• This act nullified the 1889 judgment granting the Antiochene Patriarch oversight.

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   The Indian Church, with apostolic foundation, had struggled with maintaining continuity. With the Catholicate, it has regained self-governance. The present Catholicos is H.H. Moran Mar Baselius Marthoma Didymos I.

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   In grateful hearts, we offer praise and thanks to God Almighty who has guided this Church through the centuries to fulfil His divine purpose. May His name be glorified, forever and ever.