The origins Of Syrian Christianity in Kerala

Christian community in Kerala is not a homogenous entity. However most Kerala Christian groups follow certain common practices derived from local cultural influences such as wedding customs, and use of Malayalam language in liturgy. Most groups also believe in the St. Thomas tradition.

 An often-quoted piece of evidence for early evangelization of India comes from the first major church historian, Eusebius of Caesarea ( fourth century). According to him, Pantanenus, "one of the most eminent teachers of his day" and eventually head of the catechetical school in Alexandria late in the second century, had earlier in life been "appointed to preach the gospel of Christ to the peoples of the East, and traveled as far as India."

 Eusebius, as we have noted, was not an entirely reliable chronicler, and he was writing at a time when the role of the apostles, in various mission fields around the known world, was being elaborated. But his report was picked up and repeated by many later writers. Probably few scholars who do not feel bound by tradition now believe that either Thomas or Pantanaeus went personally to any part of India.

 That the Church in India was founded by St. Thomas the Apostle is attested by Middle Eastern writings since the second century ( The Doctrine of the Apostles and Acts of Thomas both of which were written at or near Edessa circa 200 ? 250 AD; St. Jerome in the third century; St. Ephraim, St. John Chrysosthom and St. Gregorios Nazianzen in the fourth century; and historians Eusebius ca 338 and Theodore of fifth century.

 Local folk tales and songs claiming ancient origins tell of Thomas's mission, but their age can only be guessed. For example, one priestly family that is caretaker of such an epic traces its line back more than sixty generations. Allowing twenty years for a generation, we would go back 1200 years, to about the eighth century. Another family regards an historical song, the "Thomas Ramban Pattu," (The Apostle's Song) as its birthright for at least forty-eight generations. The Thomas Christian tradition in Malabar depends heavily on oral transmission of these song-histories, sung by a special caste. Nothing was committed to writing until about three centuries ago.

 Against the background of trade between India and west Asia since ancient times, travel close to the coast of Arabia was feasible and not uncommon, reaching Malabar, the Tamil country, Sindh (Scythia) and western India (Kalyan), around the time St. Thomas came to India. Thus The origin of Kerala's Christians dates back to 52 AD, when St. Thomas came to the region landing in the port of Cranganore or Kodungalloor (Muziris) near Cochin. He visited different parts of Kerala, preached the Gospel and converted local inhabitants including many from the upper sect known as Namboodiri Brahmins. It is also believed that St. Thomas established Churches in seven places in Kerala ( Kodungallore, Palayur, Paravur, Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Chayal, Korakkeni, Kollam) and a chappal (half church-"Arappalli") at Thiruvankottu. He ordained Priest and Bishops, and moved on to other kingdoms, returns to Mylapore ( Madras ) in 72 AD., where he was martyred that year.  Each local Church was self-administered, guided by a group of presbyters and presided over by the elder priest or bishop.

 The Church founded by St. Thomas must have been rather spread out in the subcontinent, including the North-West, the Western and Eastern coasts of the peninsula, probably also reaching Sri Lanka. Tradition associates the ministry of St. Thomas with the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares in the north and with king Vasudeva (Mazdeo) of the Kushan dynasty in the south. It was the latter who condemned the apostle to death.

 The present Christian population have descended from these early groups. Some of the early Christians were Paklomattam, Shankarapuri, Kalli, and Kaaliyankavu in the north and Thayyil, Pattamukkil, Manki, and Madathilen near Niranam . They are popularly referred to as Syrian Christians because of the Syrian Liturgy which they continued to use in church services. They have also sometimes been called Nazaranis (followers of Jesus of Nazarene) or St. Thomas Christians. In some official documents Syrian Christians are even now referred to as Nazaranis.

 The Indian Church was autonomous then, and is now, like all Orthodox Churches. This is clear from the fact that no name of any church in India is seen in the available list of bishoprics of the Church in Persia from the fifth to the seventh century.

 The early Church in India remained one and at peace, treasuring the same ethnic and cultural characteristics as the rest of the local community. Its members enjoyed the good will of the other religious communities as well as the political support of the Hindu rulers. The Thomas Christians welcomed missionaries and migrants from other churches, some of whom sought to escape persecution in their own countries. The language of worship in the early centuries must have been the local language, probably a form of Tamil. In later centuries, the liturgical language mingled with East Syriac received through the churches of Seleucia and Tigris.

 The Orthodox Church of India ( also known as Malankara Orthodox Church ) is on of the 37 Apostolic Churches, dating from the time of the Disciples of Christ. Nine of them were in Europe and twenty-eight were in Asia and Africa. Today, the Church belongs tot the family of the five Oriental Orthodox Churches; which include Egypt, Ethiopia, Armenia, and Antioch and to the wider stream of the world's Orthodox Churches, comprising in all over 150 million Eastern Christians. It has a strength of over 2.5 million members in about 1500 parishes mainly in Kerala and increasingly spread all over India and in many parts of the globe. Eastern in origin and Asian in its moorings, the Indian Church is, at the same time, a distinctive and respected part of the rich religious mosaic that is India.