Arrival of Christianity in India

Arrival of Christianity in India…

Christianity that was brought to India by the apostle St. Thomas and others was deep rooted in the Indian soil and culture and developed as Early Indian Christianity. It is generally believed that St. Thomas on coming to India, met Gondophores, the Taxila ruler and converted him to Christianity. Gondophores was considered to be a mythical figure until the recent excavations at Taxila where billon coins of Gondophores were unearthed.1 Though the arrival and the works of St. Thomas in India are denied by certain sections, recent archaeological excavations and the historical study of sculptures and religions reveal the development of Early Indian Christianity. The trade relationship between India and other countries like Sumeria, Babylonia, Greek, Syria etc., has led to religious and cultural contributions. In Solomon’s period silver, monkey, ivory, tukim, precious stones etc., were exported from India to his kingdom.

Of the foreigners who traded with India, the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Syrians were collectively called ‘Yavanas’ by Indians.2 Ashoka’s inscriptions tell of the settlement of Yavanas in North India and of the rule of the Yavanarajas in some of the places in North India.3 The Greek and the Aramaic inscriptions, discovered in North India, belong to the Ashoka period. B.N.Mukherjee explains this as follows:

“An octagonal pillar of white marble on which Aramaic inscription is engraved was found in Taxila."4

Traditionally Takshasila or Takshas’ila was the capital or the seat of power of Gandhara. An Aramaic inscription of king Ashoka, found at Takshasila proves that it had enjoyed an administrative and/or political status higher than that of the provinces ruled by high officials.

"Yona, Kamboja and Gandhara were in strategically important areas of the empire. The issuance of edicts in Aramaic and Greek in those territories speak in Volume of Asoka’s concern for them.”5

“In the Achaemenid empire Aramaic was one of the official languages and the principal speech of traders from Egypt and Asia Minor to India. Thus, at least during the Achaemenid rule in parts of the north-western section of the Indian sub continent and its borderlands there could have been settlements of Aramaic speaking (or knowing families of merchants and administrators) the language of the Aramaens is indicated in the Bible as ‘aramit’. It belonged to the group of Semitic languages.”6

Also Yavanarajas were serving under Asoka.7 It is to be noted that Aramaic was spoken by Jesus.

In Tamil Sangam literature (approximately 3rd c.B.C - 3rd c.A.D.) there are many references about Yavanas and about the settlement of Yavanas8 in Pondichery. There are ample numismatic evidences for this since many coins of the Yavanas were unearthed in Tamilnadu and in South India. Indian sculptures were influenced by the Yavana art. Since this relationship leads to cultural and religious contribution, the Indian beliefs and religious thoughts are seen in the Yavana beliefs and literature and vice versa. The correlation between the Indus Valley worship and the Bible has already been shown. Like this, the Christian doctrines such as trinity, avatar, fulfillment of sacrifice.... are also observed in the Indian religions. In the post - Christ era drastic changes had taken place in the Indian religions. The following statement explains the changes that took place.

“From this medley of schisms and sects some order was found to emerge. The mosaic of belief was sure to produce patterns of well-defined norms, Accordingly we find in the first few centuries, before and after the beginning of the Christian era, these schisms and sects resolving themselves into well-known schools of widespread provenance. It was at this time that the multiplicity of Buddhist sects was crystallizing into the two great schools of Hinayana and Mahayana. It was also the time when the great sects of ‘Saivism and Vaishnavism’ were taking shape and there was a tendency for organization in a number of other sects (mentioned in the Puranas) through their medium. At this juncture the Jain sects coalesced to form the two great schools of Svetambara and Digambara. The historical imperative of the Kusanas and Guptas pursuing forward the process of synthesis and organization in the realm of faith and belief, aided this consummation.”9

Christianity in India:

Christianity in India can be classified as follows:

1. St.Thomas Dravidian Christianity

(Early Indian Christianity) (from 1^st c.A.D.)

2. Syrian Christianity (evidences from 4^th c.A.D.)

3. European Christianity (from 15^th c.A.D.)

Church history of India talks about Syrian, European and Europeanized Indian Christianity but doesn’t talk about St.Thomas Dravidian Christianity.

Christianity which is followed by the Europeans is European Christianity, while the Christianity which is followed by the Syrians is Syrian Christianity..

St.Thomas Dravidian Christianity is that Christianity which was developed in India from 1st c. A.D within the Indian culture on Indian soil and in the Indian language. This has been neither recognized nor given due importance till now.

1. It is generally believed that Christianity is a foreign religion in India and that the Hindu Religion is a very ancient religion which is the mother of all religions and the Vedas are the foundations for the Hindu religion. But recent research reveals that Christianity (Early Indian Christianity) is the foundation for Saivism and Vaishnavism i.e., so called Hindu Religion, which has nothing to do with the Aryans or the Vedas. Hence previous research findings, conceptions, beliefs and thinking are to be revised and redefined on the basis of historical evidences.

2. Since St.Thomas Tamil / Dravidian Christian literatures are found only in Tamil, they have not been given due importance in the past. Just as Early Christian literature developed in Roman Empire is found in Greek, St.Thomas Tamil Christian literature developed in the Tamil country of India is in Tamil. As Latin followed Greek in respect of European Christianity, Sanskrit followed Tamil in respect of Indian Christianity. The writers of the history of Christianity in India were not able to identify Early Indian Christianity since they were not aware of the same, and at the same time they were incapable of analyzing the Ancient and Medieval Tamil literature from this perspective.