The Syrian Malabar Nasrani people, also known as Saint Thomas Christians and Nasranis are an ethnoreligious An ethnoreligious group is an ethnic group of people whose members are also unified by a common religious background.[citation needed] Ethnoreligious communities define their ethnic identity neither exclusively by ancestral heritage nor simply by religious affiliation, but often through a combination of both[citation needed] (a long shared history; group from Kerala Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം, pronounced [Kēraḷam]) is a state in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language, 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 1.18 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Mainland India is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the, adhering to the various churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition. They are also known as Syrian-Malabar Christians, Suriyani Christiaanikal, Mar Thoma Nasrani, or more popularly as Syrian Christians in view that they use Syriac Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared around the 1st century C.E., Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from the 4th to the 8th centuries, the classical language of Edessa, preserved in a large body of Syriac literature liturgy since the early days of Christianity in India.

The Syrian Malabar Nasranis are the descendants of the Jewish diaspora in Kerala [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] who were evangelized Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity, where the scriptures often describe "evangelism" as "spreading the Gospel" by St. Thomas Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus , was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in John 20:28. He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel. He in the Malabar Coast in the earliest days of Christianity.[2][3][4][5][6][7] The community also comprises several ancient Christian settlements in Kerala. It has been suggested that the term Nasrani derives from the name Nazarenes used by ancient Jewish Christians The historical term refers to Early Christians of or attracted to Jewish culture. They generally used one of the Jewish-Christian Gospels. This concept deals with the relation between the traditional beliefs and practices of Judaism and the then-emergent universal religious concepts of Hellenistic Judaism and then Christianity. Former Professor of in the Near-East who believed in the divinity of Jesus Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ or simply Jesus, is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament. Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God (in the concept of the Trinity, he is God [as] the Son), who came to provide humankind with salvation and reconciliation with God by his but clung to many of the Mosaic ceremonies.[11][citation needed] They follow a unique Hebrew Extinct as a regularly spoken language by the 4th century CE, but survived as a liturgical and literary language; revived in the 1880s-Syriac Christian Syriac Christianity comprises multiple Christian traditions of Eastern Christianity. With a history going back to the early centuries of Christianity, in modern times it is represented by denominations primarily in the Middle East and in Kerala, India. Services in this tradition tend to feature liturgical use of ancient Syriac, a dialect related tradition which includes several Jewish elements although they have absorbed some Hindu A Hindu ( pronunciation , Devanagari: हिन्दु) is an adherent of Hinduism, a set of religious, philosophical and cultural systems that originated in the Indian subcontinent. The vast body of Hindu scriptures, divided into Śruti ("revealed") and Smriti ("remembered"), lay the foundation of Hindu beliefs, which customs[citation needed]. Their heritage is Syriac-Keralite, their culture South Indian Southern India, also known as the Dravida in the Indian anthem, 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. South India lies in the peninsular Deccan Plateau and is bounded by the Arabian Sea in the with semitic and local influences, their faith St. Thomas Christian, and their language Malayalam Malayalam (മലയാളം malayāḷam, pronounced [mɐləjaːɭɐm]) is one of the four major Dravidian languages of southern India. It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India with official language status in the state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Mahé. It is spoken by 35.9 million people. Malayalam is also.[2][3][4][5][6][7] Much of their Jewish The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation. Converts to Judaism, whose status as Jews within the Jewish ethnos tradition has been forgotten, especially after the Portuguese Portugal /ˈpɔɹtʃʉɡəl/ (Portuguese: Portugal, Mirandese: Pertual), officially the Portuguese Republic (Portuguese: República Portuguesa; Mirandese: República Pertuesa), is a country located 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 invasion of Kerala in the early 1500s.[2][3][4][5][6][7]

Contents

Terminology

Portuguese period

During the Dutch power in Malabar (1679-1728) there were four distinctive sections of Christians in Kerala.[12][13]

  1. Syrian Christians. Dutch called them The Christians of St. Thomas.
  2. Syrian Christian Roman Catholics.
  3. The non-Syrian Roman Catholics Known as Inland Christians by the Van Rheede [14] and New Christians by Moens.[15].They were grouped into seven parish churches under the bishop of Cochin.
  4. Topass Christians. (Thuppai). They were the descendents of Indian mothers or fathers belonging to the diverse European nations.

Only the first two are Syrian Malabar Nasranis. Others are not. So, all Christians in Kerala are not included in this article.

Nasrani Mapilla

Syrian Malabar Nasranis are also called Nasrani Mapillas.[16] According to Hermann Gundert (who wrote the first Malayalam dictionary), the term 'mapilla' was a title used to denote semitic In linguistics and ethnology, Semitic was first used to refer to a language family of largely Middle Eastern origin, now called the Semitic languages. This family includes the ancient and modern forms of Akkadian, Amharic, Arabic, Aramaic, Ge'ez, Hebrew, Maltese, Phoenician, Tigre and Tigrinya among others immigrants from West Asia.[16] Thus the term Mapilla was used to denote both Arab and Christian-Jewish descendants and followers in Kerala.[16] The descendants of Arabs Arab people or Arabs (العرب al-ʿarab) are a panethnicity of peoples of various ancestral origins, religious backgrounds and historic identities, whose members, on an individual basis, identify as such on one or more of linguistic, cultural, political, or genealogical grounds. Those self-identifying as Arab, however, rarely do so with it as are called Muslim Mappila the descendants of Syrian-Jewish Christians The historical term refers to Early Christians of or attracted to Jewish culture. They generally used one of the Jewish-Christian Gospels. This concept deals with the relation between the traditional beliefs and practices of Judaism and the then-emergent universal religious concepts of Hellenistic Judaism and then Christianity. Former Professor of are called Nasrani Mappilas.[16] and the descendants of the Cochin Jews who have traditionally followed Halakhic Judaism Halakha — also transliterated Halocho (Ashkenazic Hebrew pronunciation) and Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions are known as Juda Mappila[17]The oldest of the Indian Jewish communities is in malabar coast. Traders from Judea arrived in the city of muzirus, in what is now Kerala, in 562 BC. Most Jews, however, came as exiles from Israel in the year 70 C.E. after the destruction of the Second Temple. The distinct Jewish community was called Anjuvannam. the descendants of Sephardim that were expelled from Spain and Holland in 1492.

History

Main article: History of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition

Origins

Muziris, near the tip of India, in the Peutinger Table.

On the south western side of the Indian peninsula; between the mountains and the Erythraean Sea (now Arabian Sea); stretching from Kannoor to Kanyakumari Coordinates: 8°04′41″N 77°32′28″E / 8.078°N 77.541°E Kanyakumari pronunciation (Tamil: கன்னியாகுமரி, Malayalam: കന്യാകുമാരി, Sanskrit: कन्याकुमारी) is a town in Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu state, India. Located at the southernmost tip of the Indian was the land called Cherarajyam, which was ruled by local chieftains. Later this land came to be known as Malabar Malabar Region is a region of southern India, lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The name is thought to be derived from the Malayalam word Mala (Hill) and Puram (region) derived or westernised into bar. This part of India was a part of the British East India company controlled Madras State,when it was designated as Malabar and (now) Kerala Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം, pronounced [Kēraḷam]) is a state in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language. Muziris (now known as Pattanam near Cochin Kochi (Malayalam: കൊച്ചി, pronounced [koˈtʃːi]), formerly known as Cochin, is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulam, about 220 kilometres (137 mi) north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It has an estimated population of 600,0) was the important entry port. After the discovery of Hippalus, every year 100 ships arrived there from various parts of the then known world, including Red Sea ports [18].

During the time of Moses and King Solomon Solomon was, according to the Hebrew Bible, a King of Israel. The biblical accounts identify Solomon as the son of David. He is also called Jedidiah in 2 Samuel 12:25, and is described as the third king of the United Monarchy, and the final king before the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah split; following the split his, the Malabar Malabar Region is a region of southern India, lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The name is thought to be derived from the Malayalam word Mala (Hill) and Puram (region) derived or westernised into bar. This part of India was a part of the British East India company controlled Madras State,when it was designated as Malabar coast traded spices and luxury articles with Israel Israel , officially the State of Israel (Hebrew: מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל (help·info), Medīnat Yisrā'el; Arabic: دَوْلَةُ إِسْرَائِيلَ‎, Dawlat Isrā'īl), is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan and the.[19] Excavations carried out at Pattanam in 2008 provided evidence that the maritime trade between Kerala Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം, pronounced [Kēraḷam]) is a state in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language and the Mediterranean ports existed back in 500 BC or earlier [20]. It is possible that some of those traders who arrived from the west, including Jews, remained in Kerala.[21]

While Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus was the first ruler of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from January 27 BC until his death.[note 1] Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and between then and 31 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar. In 27 BC the Senate awarded him the Caesar (31 BC- 14 AD) was the Emperor of Rome and Herod the Great Herod , also known as Herod I or Herod the Great (born 74 BCE, died 4 BCE in Jericho, according to other data, 1 BCE), was an Edomite Jewish Roman client king of Israel. He was described as "a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis." He is also known for his colossal building projects in Jerusalem and other parts of (37-4 BC) was King of Judea Judea or Judæa is the name given to the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל‎ Eretz Yisrael) during the period of Classical Antiquity, from roughly the 8th century BCE (Assyrian rule) to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed to Syria Palaestina following Bar Kokhba's revolt, ambassadors from Malabar Malabar Region is a region of southern India, lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The name is thought to be derived from the Malayalam word Mala (Hill) and Puram (region) derived or westernised into bar. This part of India was a part of the British East India company controlled Madras State,when it was designated as Malabar visited the Emperor Augustus. [22][23] Nasranis believe that these ambassadors were The Wise Men From the East, of the Bible.[24][25] Thus the Malabar Nasranis are some of the earliest people who joined Christianity Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented in the New Testament. Christianity comprises three major branches: Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy (which parted ways with Catholicism in 1054 A.D.) and Protestantism (which came into existence during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th in India.

In the first century map Tabula Peutingeriana The Tabula Peutingeriana is an itinerarium showing the cursus publicus, the road network in the Roman Empire. The original map of which this is a unique copy was last revised in the fourth or early fifth century. It covers Europe, parts of Asia (Persia, India) and North Africa. The map is named after Konrad Peutinger, a German 15–16th-century (see the map) a temple of Augustus Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus was the first ruler of the Roman Empire, which he ruled alone from January 27 BC until his death.[note 1] Born Gaius Octavius Thurinus, he was adopted posthumously by his great-uncle Gaius Julius Caesar in 44 BC, and between then and 31 BC was officially named Gaius Julius Caesar. In 27 BC the Senate awarded him the is clearly visible near Muziris shows the close relation between Rome and Malabar in the first century BC.

The ancient navigation route from the Judeo-Roman world to the Malabar coast

The community also comprises several ancient Aramaic Christian settlements in Kerala. The Knanaya Nasranis claim to be the descendants of one such group of 4th century immigrants.[2][3][4][6][26][27] while Christianity in India originated in the first century AD, after St Thomas Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus , was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in John 20:28. He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach the Gospel. He landed in Kerala in 52 AD[28].

Thus the community consists of people from many ethnic groups of Kerala including different trading diaspora of Jews and Christian settlers of successive centuries like Knanaya people.[2][4][6][7][26][29][27]

The southern coast of the Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent and other terms, is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate south of the Himalayas, forming a land mass which extends southward into the Indian Ocean (hypothesized by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus Josephus , also Yosef Ben Matityahu (Joseph son of Matthias) and Titus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Jewish historian and hagiographer of priestly and royal ancestry who recorded first century Jewish history, such as the First Jewish–Roman War which resulted in the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD to be the place mentioned as Ophir Ophir is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon is supposed to have received a cargo of gold, silver, sandalwood, precious stones, ivory, apes and peacocks from Ophir, every three years in the Old Testament The Old Testament is the collection of books that forms the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. The contents of the Old Testament canon vary from church to church, with the Orthodox communion having 51 books: the shared books are those of the shortest canon, that of the major Protestant communions, with 39 books) inevitably became a gateway from the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely world to Kerala Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം, pronounced [Kēraḷam]) is a state in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language. The people there traded in teak Teak , is a genus of tropical hardwood trees in the mint family, Lamiaceae. native to south and southeast Asia, mainly Bangladesh, India, Burma and Thailand, and is commonly found as a component of monsoon forest vegetation. They are large trees, growing to 30–40 m (90-120 ft.) tall, deciduous in the dry season, ivory Ivory is formed from dentine and constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotamus, walrus, mammoth and narwhal, spices A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. In the kitchen, spices are distinguished from herbs, which are leafy, green plant parts used for flavoring and peacocks The term peafowl can refer to the two species of bird in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae. The African Congo Peafowl is placed in its own genus Afropavo and is not dealt with here. Peafowl are best known for the male's extravagant tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, and the female a peahen,, and the area was endowed with a magnificent coastline with numerous ports from Mangalapuram to Kodungallur Kodungallur is a town and a municipality in the Thrissur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It was known in ancient times as Mahodayapuram, Shinkli, Muchiri (anglicised to Muziris) and Muyirikkodu. Muchiripattinam was a famous and prosperous seaport at the mouth of the Periyar (also known as Choorni Nadi) river in the southern Indian state of, also known as Cranganore.[10][30] In the ancient times it was called as Muziris in Latin and Muchiri in Malayalam.[31][32][33]

The trade routes brought with them not just riches but also stateless nations and nascent worldviews.[34][35] Cranganore became one of the earliest settlements of the Jewish diaspora A diaspora is the movement or migration of a group of people, such as those sharing a national and/or ethnic identity, away from an established or ancestral homeland. When capitalized, the Diaspora refers to the exile of the Jewish people and Jews living outside ancient or modern day Israel from the later Old Testament period. They continued trade with the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant. The sea is technically a part of the Atlantic Ocean, although it is usually identified as a completely world, thus establishing a strong link between the southern coast of the Indian peninsula and the Judeo-Roman world.[36][37][38] Laying the links or foundations for what would later be the early 'Judeo-Nazaraean' diaspora. The early Aramaic Aramaic is a Semitic language belonging to the Afroasiatic language family. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic subfamily, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician. Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is-speaking Christians who came to Kerala from the Middle East The Middle East is a region that encompasses southwestern Asia and Egypt. In some contexts, the term has recently been expanded in usage to sometimes include Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Caucasus and Central Asia, and North Africa. It's often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East. The corresponding adjective is Middle-Eastern (whose kin already had a Jewish settlement in Kodungulloor) were of largely ethnically Jewish origin.[2][3][4][9]

British researcher William Dalrymple travelled across the Arabian Sea to Kerala in a boat similar to those mentioned in ancient Jewish and Roman texts and showed how the Nasrani-Jewish people had travelled from the Middle East to Kodungulloor. He followed the same course as mentioned in the Acts of Thomas, a copy of which survives in a monastery on Mount Sinai.[39][40][41]

The term Syrian-Malabar Nasranis is a composite form of the elemental aspects of the ancient tradition. In it the term Syrian actually refers to the Aramaic speaking Jewish people rather than the country of Syria, while the term Malabar is the name of an ancient region of the present day state of Kerala in India. The term Syrian-Malabar Nasrani therefore means people of Christian-Jewish tradition and descent who follow Jesus of Nazareth and are from the Malabar coast of South India.[2][3][4][6][7][29][32]

The Tamil epic of Manimekkalai written between 2nd and 3rd century CE of Sangam Literature era mentions the Nasrani people by the name Essanis referring to one of the early sects within the Nasranis called Essenes.[42] In AD 883, Alfred the Great (849-899), King of Wessex, England reportedly sent gifts to Mar Thoma Christians of India through Sighelm, bishop of Sherborne.[43]. Around 1292 AD, Marco Polo (1254-1324) on his return journey from China visited Kerala, mentions that, "The people are idolaters, though there are some Christians and Jews among them".[44][45]

Epigraphy

Front and Reverse of third Quilon copper plate with Pahlavi, Kufic and Hebrew signatures.Kept at Mar Thoma Church in Tiruvalla

The Rulers[who?] gave the Nasranis various rights and privileges which were written on copper plates. These are known as Cheppeds, Royal Grants, Sasanam etc.[46]

There are a number of such documents (Thazhekad Sasanam, The Quilon Plates (Tharisappalli Cheppeds), Mampally Sasanam and Iraviikothan Chepped (Copper Plate) etc.) in the possession of the Syrian Churches of the Kerala State. Some of these plates are said to be dated around 774 CE. Dr. Burnell, Burkatt F C, Sir Baily Harold, C P T Wenkwirth studied the inscriptions and produced varying translations. The language used is Tamil in Tamil letters with some Grantha script intermingled and Pahlavi, Kufic and Hebrew signatures.

The ruler of Venad (Travancore) granted Syrian Christians seventy two rights and privileges usually granted only to high dignitaries, including exemption from import duties, sales tax and the slave tax. A copper plate grant dated AD 1225 further enhanced the rights and privileges of Nasranis.

These plates detail privileges awarded to the community by the then rulers. These influenced the development of the social structure in Kerala and privileges, rules for other communities such as Jews at a later date. These are considered as some of the most important legal documents in the history of Kerala.[47]

Christian Jewish tradition

An old church in Kerala

These early Christian Jews believed in Jesus as the Messiah, while continued following many of the Jewish traditions and Mosaic laws and called themselves Nazaraeans or Nasrani, meaning Jews who followed the Nazarene Messiah (Jesus). The term Nazaraean was first mentioned in the New Testament in Acts 24:5. The term Nasrani was used essentially to denote Jewish followers of Jesus from Nazareth, while the term Khristianos "Christian" was initially used largely to refer to non-Jewish peoples ("gentiles") who followed the Christ (Acts 11:26).[2][3][4][26][27][48] Until the advent of the Portuguese in the 1500s, the proto-Jewish-Nasrani ethos in Kerala thrived with Jewish customs and the Syrian-Persian tradition.[26]

They preserved the original rituals of the early Jewish Christians, such as covering their heads while in worship. Their ritual services (liturgy) was and still is called the Qurbana (also spelled Kurbana), which is derived from the Hebrew Korban (קרבן), meaning "Sacrifice". Their ritual service used to be held on Saturdays in the tradition of the Jewish Sabbath. The Nasrani Qurbana used to be sung in the Suryani (Syriac) and Aramaic languages. They also believed that it was the Romans who killed Jesus[2][3][4][26][27][32][49] because, historically, Jesus was crucified; the official form of execution of the Jews was typically stoning to death, while the official form of execution of the Romans was crucifixion.[49] The architecture of the early church reflected a blend of Jewish and Kerala styles.[49]

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Persecution by Portuguese

Further information: Goa Inquisition A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala, with the Holy of Holies containing the Nasrani Menorah or Mar Thoma Sliba (St. Thomas Cross) veiled by a red curtain in the tradition of ancient Jewish synagogue.

The Judeo-Nasrani tradition of the Syro-Malabar Nasranis was wiped out when the Portuguese invaded Kerala, and denounced the Nasrani account of Christian faith as false. They imposed their European rituals and liturgy and obliterated the Jewish legacy from the Nasrani tradition. The Portuguese described the Nasranis as Sabbath-keeping Judaizers.[50]

Archbishop Menezes of Goa, convened the Synod of Diamper in Kerala in 1599.[2][3][4][51] There he ordered all the texts of the Syrian Nasranis to be burnt.[2][3][4][52] The Portuguese burned several of these texts. The purpose stated by Menezes was to erase all legacies of antiquity and Jewishness.[50] Amongst several accusations, the Nasranis were accused of not venerating images of saints and biblical figures.[50] They completely obliterated the records of early Nasrani life and Hebrew-Syriac tradition, and imposed on the Nasranis the belief that they were local people who were converted, rather than descendants of early Jewish settlers converted to Christianity by the Apostle Thomas.[40][41]

Books ordered to be destroyed:[53]

General books destroyed: (1) Prammasa (2) Johannan Para Kalthon (3) Maarganisa (4) Vaappkadey Pusthakam (5) Aava Eilayya (6) Nuhara (7) Sunahadosa (8) Mar theermathay Osa (9) Njayarazhchayuday Emgartha (10) Makammasa (11) Kaamessa (12) Parapumman (13) Suryaniyile Malpanmaruday Pusthakangal (14) Peshitta Bible in Aramaic language. Worship books destroyed: (1) Hoodara (2) Sumaday Pusthakam (3) Annadha Pusthakam.

Nasranis outside the state of Cochin managed to preserve some elements of their Jewish original books. It was one of these books that Mar Thoma VI handed over to Dr. Buchanan in 1806.

Most of all, the Portuguese burned the Nasrani Aramaic Peshitta Bible known today as the Lost Aramaic Bible that was based on the Jewish Targum and included the Gospel of the Nazoraeans. The Portuguese imposed the teaching that the Jews killed Jesus.[citation needed] The Nasranis, who were, until then, the "living fossils" of the Christian-Jewish tradition, lost their very defining ethos.[50] The only Nasranis who managed to preserve some elements of their Jewish origin were the Knanaya people, because of their tradition of being endogamous within their own community and therefore preserving their Jewish tradition.[26][27][49][54][55]

Division and defiance

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 (Koonan Cross Oath). Under the leadership of Archdeacon Thomas, and twelve other Priests, 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.

After the Coonan Cross Oath, between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Catholics claimed eighty-four churches, leaving Archdeacon Mar Thoma I only 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. [56] In 1665, Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel, a Bishop send by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch arrived in India and the St.Thomas Christians under the leadership of the Archdeacon welcomed him. [57][58] This visit resulted in the Mar Thoma party claiming spiritual authority of the Antiochean Patriarchate and gradually introduced the West Syrian liturgy, customs and script to the Malabar Coast.

Relationship of the Nasrani groups

The arrival of Mar Gregorios in 1665 marked the beginning of a formal association of St.Thomas Christians 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 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 in to 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 (Thozhiyur Sabha).[57]

In 1876, The Mar Thoma Church came into being under Thomas Mar Athanasious. They were known as Reformed Jacobites before the group took the name of Mar Thoma Church. They introduced many changes based on the Protestant doctrine.

In 1961 , there was a split with the formation of St. Thomas Evangelical Church from the Marthoma Church .

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 Catholicosate 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 1926 a section of West Syrians under the leadership of Mar Ivanios 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.

Nasrani people today

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Nasrani people

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St.Marys Syrian Knanaya Church in Kottayam, Kerala containing ancient Nasrani symbols and Sassanid Pahlavi inscriptions.

Though much of the Jewish tradition was lost, some of the important traditions and Mosaic law observances lived on. The symbol of the Nasrani people is still the Nasrani menorah. Another surviving Jewish tradition still followed by the Nasranis is the tradition of Pesaha-appam or unleavened Passover bread. On passover night, the Nasrani people have Pesaha-appam along with Pesaha-pal or "Passover coconut milk". This tradition of Pesaha-appam is observed by many Nasrani people until this day.

The Nasrani Church has a separate seating arrangement for men and women. Until the 1970s the Nasrani Kurbana was sung in the Aramaic-Syriac language. Many of the tunes of the Syrian- Christian worship in Kerala are remnants of ancient Syriac tunes of antiquity.[59] The "Holy of Holies" is divided by a red curtain for most of the time and is opened during the central part of the Nasrani Mass or Qurbana. The Nasrani Baptism is still called by the Hebrew-syriac term Mamodisa and follows many of the ancient rituals of the ceremony. It is referred to in Malayalam as Njana Snanam (Bath of Wisdom).

By and large, today's Nasrani people belong to one or the other of the various Christian denominations of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition.

Demographics

Nasrani people largely live in the districts of Pathanamthitta, Alapuzha, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam and Trichur in Kerala. They have also migrated to other cities in India like Kanyakumari, Ooty, Mangalore, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, Delhi, Shimoga, Mumbai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad and Kolkota. Others have migrated to the United States, Europe, Australia or work in the Middle East. Based on the Indian census report of 2004, there are presently approximately 6,000,000 Syrian-Malabar Nasranis from across the various denominations within the Nasrani community.[60]

Many Nasrani people own large estates and engage in trade of rubber, spices and cash crops. They also take a prominent role in the educational institutions of Kerala and throughout India.[61]

Church leaders fear that increasing migration and decreasing birth rate are endangering the Syrian Christian community in Kerala. They also fear that the situation is likely to worsen in the coming decades and the community would soon enter the zero population regime.[citation needed]

Nasrani symbol

The cross of the Nasrani Menorah also known as the Mar Thoma Sliba

The symbol of the Nasranis is the Syrian cross, also called the Nasrani Menorah[62] Mar Thoma sleeba in Malayalam. It is based on the Jewish menorah, the ancient symbol of the Hebrews, which consists of a branched candle stand for seven candlesticks. (Exodus 25).[63] In the Nasrani Menorah the six branches, (three on either side of the cross) represents God as the burning bush, while the central branch holds the cross, the dove at the tip of the cross represents the Holy Spirit. (Exodus 25:31).[63] In Jewish tradition the central branch is the main branch, from which the other branches or other six candles are lit. Netzer is the Hebrew word for "branch" and is the root word of Nazareth and Nazarene. (Isaiah 11:1).[63]

Note that the Christian cross was not adopted as a symbol by Mediterranean and European Christianity until several centuries had passed.

Traditions, rituals and social life among Syrian Christians

Caste status

Syrian Malabar Nasranis or Syrian Christians are considered forward caste. Christians in Kerala are divided into several communities, including Syrian Christians and the so-called "Latin" or "New Rite" Christians.

Syrian Christians tend to be endogamous, and tend not to intermarry with other Christian castes[66]. Also, very rarely are there intermarriages between Syrian Christians and Latin Rite Christians (converted in the 16th and 19th centuries) in Kerala; the latter were converted mainly from lower castes where fishing was the traditional occupation.[67]

Syrian Christians derive status within the caste system from the tradition that they are converted Jews, who were evangelized by St. Thomas[68].

Anthropologists have noted that the caste hierarchy among Christians in Kerala is much more polarized than the Hindu practices in the surrounding areas, due to a lack of jatis. Also, the caste status is kept even if the sect allegiance is switched (i.e. from Syrian Catholic to Syrian Orthodox)[69]

Writers Arundhati Roy and Anand Kurian have written personal accounts of the caste system at work, among the Syrian Christian community. Some sections, that are said to be of Nambudiri Brahmin origin, refused to allow others into their place of worship. [70][71]

Notables

Main article: List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis

See also

Notes

  1. ^ http://nasrani.net/2007/02/13/population-statistics-demography-saint-thomas-christians-churches/
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Menachery G (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, ISBN 81-87132-06-X, Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B.N.K. Press – (has some 70 lengthy articles by different experts on the origins, development, history, culture... of these Christians, with some 300 odd photographs).
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Menachery G (ed) (1982) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, B.N.K. Press, vol. 1;
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Menachery G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol. I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. [ISBN 81-87133-05-8].
  5. ^ a b c d Mundadan, A. Mathias. (1984) History of Christianity in India, vol.1, Bangalore, India: Church History Association of India.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Podipara, Placid J. (1970) "The Thomas Christians". London: Darton, Longman and Tidd, 1970. (is a readable and exhaustive study of the St. Thomas Christians.)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)
  8. ^ Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.
  9. ^ a b Koder S. 'History of the Jews of Kerala".The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. G. Menachery,1973.
  10. ^ a b T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum)
  11. ^ Grant, Asahel. The Nestorians, or the Lost Tribes, Containing Evidence of Their Identity. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1841
  12. ^ Poonen, Dr.T.I. Dutch Hegemony in Malabar and its Collapse.(1978) Page 201-203.
  13. ^ Press list of Ancient Dutch Records- 1657-1825.
  14. ^ Van Rheede, Adrian. Dutch Commandeur of Malabar from 1673 to 1677.
  15. ^ Moens was the Dutch Governern of Malabar from 1771 to 1781.
  16. ^ a b c d The Land of the Perumals, or Cochin, Its Past and Present – Madras: Gantz Brothers – 1863.
  17. ^ Bindu Malieckal (2005) Muslims, Matriliny, and A Midsummer Night's Dream: European Encounters with the Mappilas of Malabar, India; The Muslim World Volume 95 Issue 2
  18. ^ Saryu Doshi. (Ed). India and Egypt. Co-sponsored by Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Marg Publications, Bombay, 1993. p. 45
  19. ^ ‘’Bible’’; I Kings. 9:26-28; 10:11,22; 2 Chronicles: 8:18; 9:21.
  20. ^ Kerala Council for Historical Research findings in 2006-08.
  21. ^ Edna Fernadez. The last Jews of Kerala.- The two thousand year history of India’s forgotten Jewish community. Skyhorse Publishing. c.2008. p. 80
  22. ^ Nicolaus of Damascus
  23. ^ Mathew N.M. St. Thomas Christians of Malabar Through Ages, Tiruvalla, C.S.S. 2003. ISBN 81-7821-008-8.
  24. ^ Matthew 2:1
  25. ^ Mathew, N.M. Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charitram, (History of the Marthoma Church), Volume 1.(2006). Page 68-69.
  26. ^ a b c d e f Vellian Jacob (2001) Knanite community: History and culture; Syrian church series; vol. XVII; Jyothi Book House, Kottayam
  27. ^ a b c d e Poomangalam C.A (1998) name= "Veluthat">Veluthat, K. (1978). Brahmin settlements in Kerala: Historical studies. Calicut: Calicut University, Sandhya Publications.
  28. ^ T.K. Joseph (1955). Six St. Thomases Of South India. University of California. p. 27.
  29. ^ a b Tisserant, E. (1957) Eastern Christianity in India: A History of the Syro-Malabar Church from the Earliest Times to the Present Day. Trans. and ed. by E. R. Hambye. Westminster, MD: Newman Press.
  30. ^ James Hough (1893) "The History of Christianity in India".
  31. ^ Menachery George & Chakkalakal Werner (1987) "Kodungallur: City of St. Thomas", Azhikode
  32. ^ a b c Menachery, G. (ed.): (2000) Thomapedia. The Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, 2. Trissur). [ISBN 81-87132-13-2].
  33. ^ Menachery, Professor George. (2000) Kodungallur - The Cradle of Christianity In India, Thrissur: Marthoma Pontifical Shrine.
  34. ^ Bjorn Landstrom (1964) "The Quest for India", Double day English Edition, Stockholm.
  35. ^ Miller, J. Innes. (1969). The Spice Trade of The Roman Empire: 29 B.C. to A.D. 641. Oxford University Press. Special edition for Sandpiper Books. 1998. ISBN 0-19-814264-1.
  36. ^ K.V. Krishna Iyer, Kerala’s Relations with the Outside World, pp. 70, 71 in "The Cochin Synagogue Quatercentenary Celebrations Commemoration Volume", Kerala History Association, Cochin, 1971.
  37. ^ Periplus Maris Erythraei "The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea", (trans). Wilfred Schoff (1912), reprinted South Asia Books 1995 ISBN 81-215-0699-9
  38. ^ H. Rawlinson, Intercourse between India and the Western World from the Earliest Times to the Fall of Rome (1926).
  39. ^ Dalrymple, William (2000) “Indian Journeys”, BBC documentary
  40. ^ a b Acts of St. Thomas (Syriac) MA. Bevan, London, 1897
  41. ^ a b Bornkamm, G. "The Acts of Thomas" in E. Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha, Vol. 2. London: Lutterworth, 1965.
  42. ^ Manimekalai, by Merchant Prince Shattan, Gatha 27
  43. ^ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, Part II, AD 750-919
  44. ^ Marco Polo. The Book of Travels Translated by Ronald Latham. 1958. Page 287.
  45. ^ N.M.Mathew. St. Thomas Christians of Malabar Through Ages. CSS Tiruvalla. 2003. p. 78-79
  46. ^ Syrian Christians of Kerala- SG Pothen- page 32-33 ( 1970)
  47. ^ NSC Network (2007),The Plates and the Privileges of Syrian Christians Brown L (1956)- The Indian Christians of St. Thomas-Pages 74.75, 85 to 90, Mundanadan (1970), S G Pothen (1970)
  48. ^ Puthur, B. (ed.) (2002): The Life and Nature of the St Thomas Christian Church in the Pre-Diamper Period (Cochi, Kerala).
  49. ^ a b c d Weil, S. (1982)"Symmetry between Christians and Jews in India: The Cananite Christians and Cochin Jews in Kerala. in Contributions to Indian Sociology,16.
  50. ^ a b c d Claudius Buchanan (1811). Christian Researches in Asia: With Notices of the Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental Languages. 2nd ed. Boston: Armstron, Cornhill
  51. ^ Michael Geddes, (1694) A Short History of the Church of Malabar together with the Synod of Diamper, London.
  52. ^ van der Ploeg, J.P.L., O.P. The Christians of St. Thomas in South India and their Syriac Manuscripts. Rome and Bangalore: Center for Indian and Inter-Religious Studies and Dharmaram Publications, 1983.
  53. ^ Canons of the Synod of Diamper, 1599, Day Two, Sesson 2, Article 13.
  54. ^ Jessay, P.M. "The Wedding Songs of the Cochin Jews and of the Knanite Christians of Kerala: A Study in Comparison." Symposium, 29 August 1986.
  55. ^ "In Universi Cristiani" (Latin Text of the Papal erection of the Knanaya Diocese of Kottayam)
  56. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia- “St. Thomas Christians” The Carmelite Period,Dr. Thekkedath, History of Christianity in India”
  57. ^ a b Claudius Buchanan 1811 ., Menachery G; 1973, 1982, 1998; Podipara, Placid J. 1970; Leslie Brown, 1956; Tisserant, E. 1957; Michael Geddes, 1694;
  58. ^ Dr. Thekkedath, History of Christianity in India”
  59. ^ Palackal, Joseph J. Syriac Chant Traditions in South India. Ph.d, Ethnomusicology, City University of New York, 2005.
  60. ^ (Syrian christian census 2004)
  61. ^ ('The Hindu' Syrian Christians are in a class of their own South Indian newspaper article 31 August 2001
  62. ^ Culture | Nasrani Syrian Christians Network || NSC NETWORK || [ nasrani.net ]
  63. ^ a b c The Holy Bible (King James Version): 1611 Edition (Thos. Nelson, 1993) ISBN 0-8407-0028-8)
  64. ^ NSC- Admin (2007-01-12). "Some of the traditions and rituals among the Syrian Christians of Kerala". NSC Network. http://nasrani.net/2007/01/12/preserved-traditions-rituals-of-christians-of-kerala/.
  65. ^ "Saint Thomas Christians: Traditions Rituals And Social Life Among Syrian Christians". Discovery media. 2009-12-30. http://www.search-people-finder.info/topics/Saint_Thomas_Christians::sub::Traditions_Rituals_And_Social_Life_Among_Syrian_Christians.
  66. ^ Rao Babadur L. K. Anantakrishna Ayyar, Anthropology of the Syrian Christians. Cochin Government Press. 1926
  67. ^ Fuller, C.J. "Indian Christians: Pollution and Origins." Man. New Series, Vol. 12, No. 3/4. (Dec., 1977), pp. 528-529.
  68. ^ Fuller, C.J. "Indian Christians: Pollution and Origins." Man. New Series, Vol. 12, No. 3/4. (Dec., 1977), pp. 528-529.
  69. ^ Fuller, C.J. "Kerala Christians and the Caste System." Man, New Series, Vol. 11, No. 1. (Mar., 1976), pp. 53-70.
  70. ^ "The God of Small Things". Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_God_of_Small_Things.
  71. ^ "Racing on the fast track". Hindustan Times. http://www.hvk.org/articles/0606/16.html.

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