International Publication on St Thomas Christians by Dr M. Kurain Thomas
20/3/2012
Purchase your copy from Amazon here:
India/Kerala/Kottayam: Dr M Kurian Thomas has brought his first international publication titled “The Indian Way of Christianity- History of Malankara Nazaranis, otherwise St Thomas Christians till C.E 1815”.
The book as been published by LAMBERT academic Publishing company and is now available at more than 800 outlets worldwide. Dr M Kuriean Thomas is a renowned historian, orator and author. He belongs to the Indian Orthodox Church and he is also a strong associate of Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE.
Product detail
Paperback: 360 pages
Publisher: LAP Lambert Academic Publishing (March 1, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 3848420058
ISBN-13: 978-3848420056
Price: $106.00
Description of the Book
The work integrally covers the socio-religious history of the St. Thomas Christians. Decentralizing the generic concepts of the attributed elitism, the author uniquely brings out documentary evidences for where exactly the St. Thomas Christians of India could be placed in the hierarchy of Indian Caste System in the pre-colonial period. The work brings out the history unparalleled of a Christian community with hardly any Greco-Roman influence.
It equally unveils how in the history an Indian community had raised its resistance against a religious and otherwise colonialism hence could this serve as a source book for the Indo-European research scholars. The religious revolts of the St. Thomas Christians against the imposed pyramidal power of Latin hierarchy had brought to light while detailed narration of cultural clashes had depicted.
Source:
OCP News Service
While tracing the socio-religious background of St. Thomas Christians, Kurian Thomas did not highlight the early origins of this community. In a caste-ridden Hindu society, only lower castes alone could be converted. That’s what happened to Muslim converts in Malabar. They were known as Moplahs as the Christian converts were called Mappillais., There has been a wrong belief due to the consistent propaganda by Syrian Christians that they are the descendants of upper castes like Nambudiri, Jew, Assyrian and Nair. When St. Thomas came to Kerala in 1st century AD, there were no Nambudiris and therefore their claim of Nambudiri descent is false. They claim that Thomas of Cana who was alleged to have come to Kerala was a Jew. But Thomas was a fictitious figure. He is said to have brought 72 families. In those days women would not travel on unsafe ships to distant countries. Even Vasco da Gama did not bring his wife. Then how could Thomas of Cana bring women in rickety ships of those days? Thomas of Cana, according to Armenian records, was an Armenian merchant. So the claim of Jewish descent is also false. There was no Assyrian migration to Kerala at the time of persecution. They migrated to Iraq, Turkey and Persia. So this is also a fake claim. Nairs forced Christians in those days to work in their paddy fields (oozhiyam service). There is no record for Nair conversion. At the time of Coonen Cross Oath, 200,000 Christians, according to Syrian tradition assembled to make a pledge. They were all probably lower castes, especially mukkuvas, for there would not be more than 100 Nambudiris and 50 Jews in and around Mattancherry. This is confirmed by the fact tjat when St.Xavier visited Kochi, he was greeted by two Christians, and they were mukkuvas. At that time the only church in Kerala was the Syrian church and the two mukkuvas belonged to yrian church. Missionary records of CMS clearly show untouchables such as Ezhavas, mukkuvas, dhobies, barbers and slaves were converted in Kottayam, Mallappally, Pallam, Alappuzha, Kottarakkara, Mavelikara, Chengannur, Mundakkayam, Thiruvalla and Adoor.Their descendants are now attending CMS (CSI) churches, calling themselves Syrian Christians. So they also, like Latin Catholics, belong to lower castes
In Kerala history there is absolutely no evidence of
Nambudhiris or Jews becoming Christians. But Syrian Christians quote some
customs and marriage rituals of Brahmins to claim Brahmin ancestry. The claim
of Syrian Christians that tying of thali is a proof that they are descendants
of Nambudhiris is not correct because untouchables such as Parayas, Pulayas,
mukkuvas, vannans and others tie thali. Paul Roche gives this account of
Paraya Catholic marriage: “The priest,
though of higher caste, does not treat the Paraiya couple as untouchables. He
blesses the couple and says Mass for them. The symbol of the wedding union is
the thali. The thali is a gold medal on a yellow thin string. It is yellow
because it is dyed with turmeric (Manjal). During Mass the priest blesses the
thali and hands it over to the bridegroom who ties it around the neck of the
bride. The priest also blesses two flower garlands and hands one each to the
bridegroom and the bride who garland each other.”
Quite surprisingly, Syrian Christians also claim that Church built on the model of a
Hindu temple is another proof for their Nambudhiri ancestry. But Paraya and
Pulaya temples are also like Nair temples.
Lamp, especially oil lamp, Kuthvilakku. Is lighted on all impotant
occasions of Parays, and this practice is also prevalent in some Syrian houses.
What separates Syrian Christians from Nambudhiri Brahmin and links them to
lower castes is their lifestyle and food habits. Syrian Christian settlements were seen on the
coastal area and thick jungles. But Nambudhiri settlements were inside
villages, near temples and tanks.Syrian Christians like Parayas eat beef and
pork. But Nambudhiris are vegetarians. Nambudhiris wear a sacred thread
(poonool) which is conspicuously absent in Syrian Chrisdtians. Nairs followed
matrinelial system but Syrian Christians like Parayas follow patrilineal system
and their surnames are generally inherited from the father and property passes
to the sons. To camouflage this, people like Gigi Thomson claim, “”We are
supposed to have been part of the Hindu nobility before St Thomas converted us,
so many consider themselves a cut above the rest.” Gigi Thomson lives in a
fantasy world thinking St.Thomas converted Nambudhiris to claim ‘nobility
status’ without realizing the historical fact that there were no Nambudhiris
when St Thomas came in the Ist century A.D. There is also no reference to the
conversion of Chera kings. Nairs were also not converted, for Kerala history
has recorded that Nairs used Syrian Christians to do free labour (oozhiyam) in
their farmlands. So it is quite transparent that only lower castes who alone
were available for conversion, were singled out for conversion. Those lower
caste converts got superior status in society because during the 150 year rule of
the Portuguese, the Portuguese elevated them by appointing them as soldiers,
police. Brokers, accountants in their factories, planters of estates, merchants
and traders, priests, teachers and trustworthy messengers and thereby elevated
their economic status. The British opened schools and colleges for the lower
caste converts and made them culturally superior to Nambudhiris and Nairs.
Albuquerque policy of interracial marriage by which the Portuguese married
Hindu women produced a race white in colour with good physical features.The
Portuguese and the British elevated the Syrian community financially wealthy
and educationally cultured far superior to Nambudhiris and Nairs.of today.
I have found some glaring errors in Kurien’s book. Kurien is totally
wrong when he says: there was ‘hardly any Greco-Roman influence. Much of the world in
which first-century Christians preached spoke Greek. The Scriptures they used
to support the message about Jesus circulated in Greek. When writers were
inspired to pen what later became the Christian Greek Scriptures, most of them
wrote in Greek, using expressions and illustrations easily understood by people
who lived in contact with Greek culture. So it was that when Jesus’ disciples
began to preach the good news in Jewish communities beyond the borders of
Judea, many who heard it were from an essentially Greek background. Such
communities were veritable seedbeds of Christian expansion. Of the first-century Christian
missionaries preaching in the Greek world, no one was more prominent than the
apostle Paul. Early Christian records Early Christian records mention
that Peter and Thomas preached the Gospel to the Parthians and men such as
Thaddaeus, Bartholomew, and Addeus evangelized the races of Mesopotamia and
Persia. Thomas is specifically linked to Iraq. That’s why Pope Benedict said that Thomas didn’t visit India.
Kurien also claims that Indo-European research scholars will know from his book that
Syrian Christians were patriotic and they fought against colonialism. But K.M.Panikkar says: that when Vasco da Gama came to Kochi “its (Syrian Christian church) representatives accepted the authority of Portugal.. Kerala Pazhama gives detailed information about their visit to Gama, which account is also corroborated by Faria. They surrendered their privileges and authority to Portugal and undertook to conduct their affairs only in the name of the Portuguese king. The
ancient records and insignia which their Chief possessed were also handed over
to Gama. More than even this, they suggested to him that with their help he
should conquer the Hindu kingdoms and invited him to build a fortress for this
purpose in Cranganore. This was the recompense which the Hindu Rajahs received
for treating with liberality and kindness Christians in their midst.” (A
History of Kerala, The Annamalai University, 1959, pp.159-60).
Kurien is quoting the Coonen Cross episode to prove the patriotic and anti- colonial spirit of the
Syrians. But the Coonen Cross pledge was organized by Archdeacon Thomas who was
steeped in Nestorian ideology, and corruption. He was also using the church property
along with his brother as a family domain. Archbishop Menzes wanted to exercise
supervision over the moneys and church property as he had been doing with other
churches in Goa and Kochi. The Coonen Cross. Movement was a failure because only
a few had supported Archdeacon Thomas. Soon after the episode,.84 congregations openly defied Archdeacon Thomas and returned to the Roman Catholic Church. Today the Syrian Roman CatholicChurch in Kerala is more influential and powerful than the Jacobites. That is
the fate of Coonen Cross.
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