Book Review: The Indian Church of St. Thomas

by George Aramath

The Indian Church of St. Thomas. E.M. Philip. Changanacherry, Kerala: Mor Adai Study Centre, 2002. 333 pp.

The Mor Adai Study Centre republished The Indian Church of St. Thomas in 2002 after many years of obscurity. E.M. Philip first published it in 1908 in order to present an inside perspective of the Indian Church’s history. He has written other books in his native language, but seeing the deficiency in lack of English resources relating to his church’s history, he took up the task of preparing this book. Though Mr. Philip writes in the preface that he can “scarcely advance any claim to efficiency as a litterateur or a historian” (16), this work has been invaluable for those seeking an Indian perspective to the history of the Malankara Syriac Church. His work has brought into light the often-forgotten reality that the Indian community miraculously kept its Syriac heritage amidst tragic domestic and foreign persecutions.

The first chapter serves as an ideal introduction to his main theme. The southwest corner of the Indian peninsula includes an insignificant Christian community surrounded by Hindus, known as Syriac Christians or Christians of St. Thomas. Disguised helpful hands of foreign powers would later persecute this Syriac heritage, creating the challenge of maintaining a religion not indigenous to their soil. And during certain points in their history, this minor community was deprived of any ecclesiastical support. The Indian church could easily have been swallowed up either by the all-powerful Hindu nation that surrounded them or the wealthy foreign powers who tried to conquer them. “Nothing short of a special interference of God Almighty could have kept burning so long the light of the Gospel, kindled in the first century by the hand of an Apostle, in this remote corner of the world” (22).

With this eye-opening introduction, Mr. Philip then introduces the early contacts of the community. He spends a few pages explaining the naval communication that existed between Southern India and the Red Sea from Solomon’s time. Greeks and Egyptians used the port of Cranganore for direct navigation, taking advantage of the trade wind. Having established this early communication, Mr. Philip then asks a profound question: “Who can say that all these were not the arrangements of a wise and Almighty being to pave the way for the introduction of His Gospel into those distant regions of the East?” (28). 

The following few chapter feed off this idea by explaining the origins of Christianity in Malabar through the arrival of St. Thomas in 52 AD. It’s interesting to note that Mr. Philip proves this point mainly through tradition. Though he admits that historical texts are lacking, he write, “until disproved by some direct substantial data, the tradition holds good” (31). He does refer to historical sites that point to this tradition and writings of Gregory Nazianzen, Gregorius Bar Hebreus, and others who confirm it. But instead of making an absolute claim to its authenticity, Mr. Philip chose the path of primarily referring to the traditions of St. Thomas, which have yet to be disproved.

Mr. Philip’s task of proving the existence of an early Christian Church in South India is not solely based on St. Thomas. He refers to a bishop named John who signed a decree at the Council of Nicea: “for the churches in the whole of Persia and India Magna” (62). Only twenty years later in 345 AD, a colony of Syrians headed by Thomas of Cana settled in India “in the hope that they would add a further impetus to the cause of trade” (67). Weight is added to this claim by showing that from the beginning of 343 AD and thirty-five years thereafter, records exist of 16,000 Persian Christians being martyred. It is at this time that an enterprising merchant, Thomas of Cana, would move with four hundred others to Malabar. Even to this day, there are people who claim direct lineage to him and his Syriac colony. From here on, the Malabar Christians were called Syrians (69).

The next chapters delve into the Nestorian heresy. Mr. Philip explains this complicated controversy in layman’s term. From this heresy, the Catholicos of Seleucia would split into two lines, one that would become independent and the other remaining under the Syriac Patriarchate. He maintains that the Indian Church kept its relations with the latter Catholicos. Writings of Cosmas Indecopleustus, who visited South India in 522 AD, speak of a Bishop ordained in Persia who uses non-Nestorian terms such as Mother of God (76-7). He then points to three stone slabs dated in the seventh century written in Estrangelo Syriac. Pictures of these crosses are included in the book for further evidence. Furthermore, the Indian Church depended upon the Catholicos of Seleucia for bishops since “Indians were not admitted to episcopacy” (81). Mr. Philip concludes that the Syriac influence through the non-Nestorian Catholicos of Seleucia was maintained for several centuries thereafter.

The next major focus turns to the foreigners who would challenge this Syriac identity. The first involved the Roman Catholics. The deputy of the Syriac community would ask Vasco De Gama, a Latin traveler in his second visit to India in 1502, for protection against Hindu oppression. As Mr. Philip would eloquently write, this connection “was directly instrumental in opening the floodgates of a far more ruinous and prolonged spiritual oppression at the hands of their new-found protector” (92). Rome would then begin its attempts to proselytize the Malabar Church, first through free education, then under Alexis de Menezis in 1594, by bribery and finally persecution. With the government’s silent support, in 1599 Archbishop Menezis convened a synod at Diamper wherein the Syriac community was accused of many errors, such as their clergy being married. These priests were forced to divorce. The Malabar Church was eventually brought under the control of the Roman pope. 

Mr. Philip uses the decrees of the Synod of Diamper as references to further prove Syriac heritage in India. For instance, in Decree III of Session V, Archbishop Menezis condemns a ceremony observed in the celebration of the Eucharist that is peculiar to the Jacobites. Another remnant of Jacobitism is the names of saints commemorated in Malabar around the time of the Synod. Though Menezis would destroy most documentation, Mr. Philip uses the remaining charges of Menezis to further prove the connection of India to Syriac Orthodoxy.

From the Latin approach of constantly ruling with an iron rod and the hideous execution of a Syriac Patriarch who came to help his community, the Syriac Christians on the 3rd of January 1653 revolted and took “a solemn oath that they would never again recognize the Jesuit Bishop and the Church of Rome which had murdered their dear Patriarch” (135). And with increasing Dutch power, the Eastern Empire of Portugal began to languish. Mor Gregorius’ arrival in 1665 would establish the necessary episcopacy and leadership. One of his letters dated February 5th 1668 set forth the church’s creed. Many of his other letters wrote forcefully against Roman Catholics: “The Romanists forbade the marriage of priests . . . many of them fall into the impurity of fornication” (146). He passed away on April 14, 1670, buried at Parur, India. His anniversary is still celebrated as an important festival of the Church. 

After the Portugal influence died down, another foreign power would bring about further persecution. Lacking proper education for clergy, the Malankara Metropolitan Mor Dionysius II would use the help of the British to build a seminary. But the Metropolitan later admitted privately, “I repent having sought the Sahib’s help in the construction of the Seminary . . . the eyes of Europeans are fixed upon our poor Church” (182). This prophecy would serve true as the C.M.S. Missionary would utilize their freedom to first propose changes in the Syriac practices such as removal of prayers to Blessed Virgin Mary, and then instill radical revisions in the Liturgy (185). Additionally, they systematically looked for ways to get rid of Antiochian foreigners. Their ploy would gain tremendous strength when a native, Mor Athansius, joined their side in pushing these reforms. Like the earlier peace brought by the visit of Mor Gregorius, the Patriarch, Mor Ignatius Peter III, himself would eventually come to India to settle the divisions. A historic General Synod took place at Mulanthuruthi (Cochin State) in July 1876, establishing the government of the Church, with six bishops appointed to administer the six divisions of the Archdiocese. Those who stayed with Mor Athansius would afterwards be known as the Reformed Syrians. With the Patriarch’s visit, litigations would end and peace would prevail with a governing system “on stronger, broader, and deeper foundations” (209). 

Mr. Philip closes by discussing various progresses of the church. It is important to note that he also mentions areas of lacking too, such as the education among girls (285). He would end by relaying the recent celebration of the Malankara Metropolitans’ jubilee year of ordination in 1901. He describes the grand scale of the celebration to show how far the Syriac community has come to its unprecedented success.

This book gave a through explanation of the Indian Church’s history. Mr. Philip does express his strong emotions throughout the book, especially when he deals with the C.M.S. Missionary. He spends a long chapter explaining the unfortunate conversion of Syriac Christians, and not Hindus, by these so-called missionaries (245). He also provides a convincing chart of how the C.M.S. Missionary followed a strategy similar to the Church of Rome (258). On the other hand, the author admits to two positive qualities of the missionaries’ labor: “spread of English education and the publication of the Bible in the vernacular” (237). Nonetheless, the author’s holds strong opinions against the C.M.S. Missionary since his church’s faith was compromised, causing a further split in his community.

This book may not be ideal for those desiring a brief introduction to the history of the Indian Church. For one, it’s over three hundred pages long. In addition, it covers to the early twentieth century only. But overall the book gave a through account of the church’s history from an insider’s perspective. And more importantly, the reader gains an appreciation to the survival of this church for close to two millenniums filled with foreign subjections while living in a non-Christian nation. This is a miracle in and of itself.