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A Brief History of the Syriac
Orthodox Church of Antioch
The
foundation of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch can be traced back
to the very dawn of Christianity. It is the first established church
in Christendom which gathered converted Jews and Gentiles in the name
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and second church after that of Jerusalem.
According to ecclesiastical history and tradition, St. Peter the
Apostle established a bishopric in
Antioch and became
its first bishop and was succeeded by Evodius for the converted Jews
and St. Ignatius the Illuminator for the converted Gentiles. After the
martyrdom of St. Peter in Rome, was succeeded by St. Evodius and St.
Ignatius respectively.
Likewise, St. Peter was succeeded by a line
of distinguished Patriarchs, most of whom amazed the world with their
sanctity, wonderful writings and other accomplishments in many fields.
The See of Antioch then becomes the first, the oldest, and the
most famous Church in Christianity. It was the foundation of the
Christianity in the East and mother of the
gentile churches and the headquarters of Christianity in
Asia.
It’s proud to be the origin of the word Christian; it was in Antioch,
after all, that the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians
as we are told in the New Testament, “The disciples were first called
Christians in Antioch.”
(Acts 11:26).
In the mid of the
5th century, the Bishop of Antioch, and his counterparts in
Alexandria,
Byzantium
and Rome, would be called patriarchs. The Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of
Antioch used to be known by his own name; however, since 1293 the
patriarchs of Antioch adopted the name Ignatius, after the
Illuminator. The See of Antioch continues to flourish till our day,
with
His Holiness
Patriarch Ignatius Ephram II Karim, being the 122nd in
the line of
legitimate
patriarchs.
The patriarchate was
forced to move from Antioch in ca. A.D. 518, after a period of
turbulent history, to various locations in the
Near East until it
settled in the monastery
Dayro d-Mor Hananya
(also known as Kurkmo Dayro, Deir az-Za'faran--Syriac and
Arabic respectively for Saffron Monastery) in Mardin, Turkey, during
the 13th century. After another period of heinous violence during and
after World War I, which took the lives of a quarter million Syriac
Orthodox faithful, the patriarchate was transferred to Homs,
Syria, in
1933, and later to
Damascus
in 1959.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church is quite unique for many reasons. Firstly, it presents a form
of Christianity, which is Semitic in nature, with a culture not far
from the one Christ himself experienced. Secondly, it employs in its
liturgy the Syriac language, an Aramaic dialect akin to the Aramaic
spoken by Christ and the Apostles. Thirdly, its liturgy is one of the
most ancient, and has been handed from one generation to another.
Fourthly, and most importantly, it demonstrates the unity of the body
of Christ by the multiethnic nature of its faithful: A visit to your
local Syriac Orthodox Church in Europe
or the Americas would demonstrate, for example, the blend of Near
Eastern and Indian cultures in the motifs and vestments of clergy. The
Syriac Orthodox faithful today live primarily in Middle Eastern
countries and the Indian State
of Kerala, with many communities in the diaspora.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church has been a member of the World Council of Churches since 1960,
and is one of the founding members of the Middle East Council of
Churches. The Church takes part in ecumenical and theological
dialogues with other churches. As a result of these dialogues, the
Church has issued two
joint declarations
with the Roman Catholic Church and another with the
Eastern Orthodox churches.
In Syriac, the
proper name of the Church is
ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܐܪܬܕܘܟܣܝܬܐ ܕܐܢܛܝܘܟܝܐ
'ito
suryoyto Orthoduksoyto d-Antiokhiya'.
In the past, the name of the Church had been translated to English as
“Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch”. The Holy Synod of the Church
approved the translation “Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch” for use
in English speaking countries in its session of March 28-April 3,
2000.
History
Throughout Syria and Mesopotamia,
Aramaic, in its many dialectical forms, was the language of the land,
and Syriac, originally the Aramaic dialect of Edessa in Northern
Mesopotamia, must have been the most influential literary form of
Aramaic. When we speak of Syriac Christianity, we refer to Christians
whose native tongue was Syriac and those who employed Syriac as their
liturgical language.
Syriac Christianity
was not centered just in Antioch, the Roman capital of Syria. In fact,
Syriac Christianity can be traced further East in Mesopotamia. As
local tradition tells us, Christianity was received in Edessa during
the time of the Apostles. This is reported in a number of documents
including Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History. He gives us the
text of a correspondence between the city's king, Abgar Ukomo, and
none other than Jesus Himself:
“Abgar
Ukomo, the toparch, to Jesus the good Savior who has appeared in the
district of Jerusalem, greetings. I have heard concerning you and your
cures, how they are accomplished by you without drugs and herbs ...
And when I heard of all these things concerning you I decided that it
is one of two things, either that you are God and came down from
Heaven to do these things, or are the Son of God for doing these
things. For this reason I write to beg you to hasten to me and to heal
the suffering which I have ...”
The
reply from Jesus to King Abgar, according to the same tradition, was
carried by a certain Ananias and read:
“Blessed are you who believed in me, not having seen me ... Now
concerning what you wrote to me, to come to you, I must first complete
here all for which I was sent, and after thus completing it be taken
up to Him who sent me; and when I have been taken up, I will send to
you one of my disciples to heal your suffering and give life to you
and those with you. “
The story continues
to describe how one of the Seventy Disciples, named Adai, was sent to
King Abgar to heal his disease.
Historical literary
sources tell us that by the second half of the second century there
was an established church in Edessa, though probably most of the
inhabitants remained pagan. The Chronicle of Edessa tells us
that in the year 201, a disastrous flood destroyed the church of the
Christians in the city. However, it took only about a century until
most of the city was under the umbrella of Christianity. Edessa, home
of the Syriac form of Aramaic, indeed prides itself as the first
kingdom that officially accepted the new faith.
Syriac Christianity
has had a long history in India. According to tradition, Christianity
in India was established by St. Thomas who arrived in Malankara (Kerala)
from Edessa in A.D. 52. The close ties between the Church in Malankara
and the Near East go back to at least the fourth century when a
certain Joseph of Edessa traveled to India and met Christians there.
The church in Malankara today is an integral part of the Syriac
Orthodox Church with the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme spiritual
head. The local head of the church in Malankara is the Catholicos of
the East, consecrated by and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch.
Syriac Christianity
spread rapidly in the East. The Bible was translated into Syriac to
serve as the main source of teaching as early as the second century.
Till our day, the antiquity of the Syriac biblical versions is upheld
with high esteem by modern scholars. In the words of Dr. Arthur Vööbus,
“In our search for the oldest translation of the Greek original [of
the New Testament] we must go back to the Syriac idiom” (Studies
in the History of the Gospel Text in Syriac, p. 1). The Syriac
Church Fathers made no less than six translations and revisions of the
New Testament and at least two of the Old Testament. Their scholarship
in this domain has no equal in Church history.
The Church of
Antioch was
thriving under the Byzantine Empire until the fifth century when
Christological controversies split the Church. After the Council of
Chalcedon in A.D. 451, two camps of the one Church emerged: The Greek
Church of Byzantium and the Latin Church of Rome accepted Chalcedon,
but the Syriac and Coptic (later Armenian as well) Churches rejected
the council. The former group professed that Christ is in two
natures, human and divine, whilst the latter adopted the doctrine that
Christ has one incarnate nature from two natures. It is worth
noting that the drafts of the Council were according to the position
of the Syriac and Coptic Churches. The final resolution, however, was
according to the doctrine of the Western Churches and was rejected by
the Syriac Church. This schism had sad consequences on the Syriac
Church
during the next few centuries.
As the Emperor
supported the Chalcedonian camp, the Syriac
Church
came under much persecution. Many bishops were sent to exile, most
notably Patriarch Mor Severius, who was later given the epithet
togho d-suryoye,
‘Crown of the Syriacs’. Mor Severius died in exile in 538. By the year
544, the Syriac Church was
in an abysmal situation with only three bishops remaining. It was at
this time that Mor Yacqub Burd`ono (Jacob Baradeus) emerged
to rejuvenate the Church. Mor Yacqub traveled to
Constantinople for an audience with Empress Theodora, the daughter of
a Syriac Orthodox priest from Mabbug according to Syriac Orthodox
sources, and wife of Emperor Justinian. Theodora used her influence to
get Jacob ordained as bishop in 544. Later, Mor Yacqub
would travel across the entire land reviving the Church. He managed to
consecrate 27 bishops and hundreds of priests and deacons. For this,
the Syriac Orthodox Church honors this saint on July 30 of every year,
the day of his death in 578. A few centuries later, adversaries
labeled the Syriac Orthodox Church ‘Jacobite’ after St. Jacob. The
Syriac Orthodox Church rejects this belittling label which wrongly
suggests that the Church was founded by Mor Yacqub.
Aside from their ecclesiastical
role, Syriac Churchmen have contributed to world civilization. As
early as the fourth century, academies and schools were set up in
monasteries throughout Syria and Mesopotamia. Monks and scholars where
busy studying the sciences of the Greeks, commenting on and adding to
them. It is no surprise that when the Arabs, who conquered the Near
East at the end of the seventh century, wanted to acquire Greek
knowledge, they turned to Syriac scholars and churchmen. Arab caliphs
commissioned Syriac scholars to translate the sciences of the Greeks
into Arabic. In his film
Forgotten Christians,
Christopher Wenner describes the impact of Syriac scholars and
Churchmen when he describes the school at Deir az-Za'faran monastery,
“It was through the monks here that the Arabs received Greek learning,
and it was the Arabs of course who passed it back to Europe.
Had it not been for the Syriac monks, we in Europe
might never have had a renaissance.”
The Syriac Orthodox
Church survived under the dominion of many empires in the centuries
that followed. Under the Arabs, Mongols, Crusades, Mamluks and
Ottomans, the Syriac Orthodox Church continued its survival. Neither
intimidation nor oppression could suppress the faithful, but the
Church diminished in size to a fraction of what it was.
By the beginning of the 20th
century, Syriac Orthodox Christianity was confined mostly to
mountainous rural areas, such as Turabdin, and various towns in the
Ottoman Empire. The worst of the persecutions was yet to come. During
World War I, massacres and ethnic cleansing befell the Syriac Orthodox
Christians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks and the neighboring
Kurds. The year 1915 is known in Syriac by sayfo, or ‘[the
year of the] sword’. It is estimated that a quarter of a million
perished; villages were emptied; monasteries and Churches were
destroyed. This resulted in what the Syriacs call (in Turkish)
sefer berlik
‘the collective exodus’, a migration to the newly established
countries of Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine. Some left the Middle
East all-together, forming new communities in the Americas.
As a result of
further immigration that ensued, the Syriac Orthodox Church today has
faithful not only in the Middle East and India, but in
Europe,
the Americas and Australia as well.
Schisms in the Church of Antioch
(Source:
The Syrian Orthodox
Church at a Glance by Patriarch H.H. Ignatius Zakka I
)
The
Church of Antioch (Syriac Church) endured in its history many painful
incidents that divided its flock into several sects at different
times. These incidents, a few of which will be briefly discussed,
weakened the church in many ways.
In
431 AD the Council of Ephesus rejected the teachings of Nestorius,
Patriarch of Constantinople, who claimed that there were two separate
persons and natures in Christ. Patriarch Yuhanna of Antioch supported
him. He was succeeded by his nephew Domnos who unfortunately accepted
that same heresy. He was deposed in the year 449 AD by the second
council of Ephesus and was replaced by Maximus. The teachings of
Nestorius were accepted by some Syrians in the Persian Empire, some
parts of Syria, Palestine and Cyprus. Those formed a church breaking
away from the See of Antioch in 498 AD. They chose a leader for
themselves who called himself Catholicos. Their first Catholicos was
Bavai who had his headquarters in Selucia, Near Madaen in Iraq. This
was later transferred to Baghdad in the year 762 AD. At the beginning
of the 15th century it was shifted to Al-Kosh and in 1561 to Erumia,
both in Iraq.
As a
result of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 AD, the four great sees were
split into two groups and confusion dominated over the church
weakening its discipline. Illegal interference took place in several
bishoprics and fishing in troubled waters was considered a great gain.
The Roman See was able to win a Nestorian bishop called Timotheos,
Bishop of Cyprus. In 1445 AD he joined the Catholic Church with a
group from his church. It should be remembered that this group
comprised members of the Syriac Church who had already embraced the
Nestorian ideas. Pope Eugenius IV declared: "It is henceforth
forbidden to treat those Syrians who had left Nestorianism and joined
the Roman Church as heretics, but they have to be distinguished with
the particular name of Chaldeans." Five years later in 1450 AD, they
returned to their Church. But disputes soon arose in that church when
Patriarch Shemoun's Synod passed a resolution to the effect that no
patriarch should be installed from outside his own tribe. When this
decision was taken by Shemoun's Synod, a rebel synod which opposed
Shemoun was convened in Mosul. A great number left Shemoun and joined
the Roman See in 1553. Accordingly, Pope Julius III consecrated for
them Patriarch Yuhanna Sulaqa. This split did not last long since
Patriarch Yuhanna Sulaqa was killed in 1555 AD and the relation with
the Roman See was severed.
Until 1827, there were two patriarchs for the Chaldeans, one of whom
was called Patriarch of Amed, and the other, Patriarch of Babylon. In
that same year, the distinction between the two Patriarchates of Amed
and Babylon was abolished by Pope Leo XII. As of 1830, that is from
the time of Patriarch Yuhanna Hermezd, there was only one patriarch
who was called the Patriarch of Babylon. Yuhanna Hermezd was the first
patriarch of the united Patriarchate of Bayblon. In the middle of the
19th century, Patriarch Yousef Odo who, unlike his predecessors, was
known to have liked the Oriental Church and its ancient traditions,
was installed as the Patriarch of Babylon.
Turning back to the See of Antioch, we shall see that since the time
of Maximos (449 A D. - 512 AD) it was usurped by patriarchs who had
followed the formulation of the Council of Chalcedon and by others
rocking from one side to the other. During this critical period, the
famous Patriarch Peter II the Fuller was installed to the Holy See of
Antioch.
In
512 A D. Mor Severius was enthroned as the Patriarch of Antioch
succeeding Philipianos who was deposed because of his unsteadiness of
faith. Mor Severius ruled the holy See in peace until 518 when he was
sent into exile. When the Orthodox Emperor Anastas died, he was
succeeded by Justinos I who was a supporter of the Council of
Chalcedon.
He
sent into exile most of the orthodox bishops including Patriarch Mor
Severius who died in the year 538 while in exile in Egypt. Mor Sergius
succeeded Mor Severius to the Holy Throne of Antioch. Through all
these great storms, the See of Antioch struggled hard to keep the
succession of its patriarchs to this day.
The
followers of the Council of Chalcedon seized the opportunity of the
exile of Mor Severius to install from among themselves patriarchs with
the title of "Patriarch of Antioch". From this time (518 AD) the
series of Byzantine Patriarchs started. The most famous of these
patriarchs was Ephrem of Amed. Most of those Byzantine Patriarchs were
Syrians and others from Greek colonies. Those patriarchs and their
followers were called "Melkites", i.e., 'followers of the king.' They
were called so since they followed the doctrine of the Council of
Chalcedon which was upheld by the then king. They used the Syrian
rites until the 10th century when they changed to the Greek rites.
But, because of their ignorance of Greek, they used the Syriac
translation of the Greek rites. In later centuries, after they learned
Greek, they started to use the Greek rites both in Greek and Arabic.
They collected the Syriac codices, which were preserved in the library
of St. Mary's Monastery (a Syrian Monastery which the Greeks later
occupied), in the village of Saidnaya, near Damascus and burned them.
At
the beginning of the 7th century, a dispute arose among the followers
of the Council of Chalcedon within the jurisdiction of the See of
Antioch, because of the emergence of a new dogma of two wills in Jesus
Christ. It resulted in a division among the Maronite monks in Lebanon
leading to the establishment of a separate Patriarchate. In the 12th
century, they joined the Roman See and started calling their
Patriarchate the "Patriarchate of Antioch".
There were further new Patriarchates of Antioch splintered from the
original Patriarchate of Antioch. At the beginning of the 17th
century, through the influence of some Capuchin monks, and with the
assistance of the French Consul, a group in Aleppo, Syria, left the
Holy See of Antioch. They approached a Maronite bishop in 1657 to
consecrate for them an Armenian priest by the name Andraos Akhijian of
Mardin as bishop whom they called patriarch. The Syrian Catholic
Patriarchate started with him. They also called their patriarch
"Patriarch of Antioch".
At
the beginning of the 18th century, a split took place among the Greek
Orthodox, which led some to abandon their Patriarchate and follow the
Roman See. They established for themselves a separate Patriarchate
which they called 'Patriarchate of Antioch'. They are known as Greek
Catholics.
In
the last quarter of the 18th century, a group of Syriac Orthodox in
Iraq was compelled to join the Roman See, through the connivance of
the French Consul, who advised the Ottoman ruler to impose heavy taxes
on the Syriac Orthodox people. The Consul encouraged the Dominican
missionaries who had already spread roots in Iraq to persuade the
simple-minded Syriac Orthodox people to ask for French protection in
order to reduce the burden of taxes. But when they approached the
French officials for help, they were told that unless they followed
the Pope of Rome, no help would be provided. This is how Catholicism
spread in Iraq. The first group to embrace it were the inhabitants of
Karakoush in 1761 AD. Later, in the middle of the 19th century, other
groups from Bartelleh and Mosul followed suit.
Faith and Doctrine
The faith of the Syriac Orthodox Church
is in accordance with the Nicene Creed. It believes in the Trinity
that is one God, subsisting in three separate persons called the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three being of one Essence,
of one Godhead, have one Will, one Work and one Lordship. The special
aspect of the First Person is His Fatherhood, that of the Second
Person His Sonship, and that of the Third Person His Procession.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes in the mystery of Incarnation. That is, the Only Son
of God, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, took to Himself a body
and became man. It further believes that at the time of Annunciation,
when the Angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit
came upon her and cleansed her of all natural impurity, filling her
with His grace. Then the Only Son of God came down and entered her
immaculate womb, and took to Himself a body through her, thus becoming
a perfect Man with a perfect Soul. After nine months, He was born of
her and her virginity was maintained contrary to the laws of nature.
It further believes that His true Godhead and His true Manhood were in
Him essentially united, He being one Lord and one Son, and that after
the union took place in Him, He had but one Nature Incarnate, was one
Person, had one Will and one Work. This union is marked by being a
natural union of persons, free of all separateness, intermixture,
confusion, mingling, change and transformation.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church calls Mary yoldath aloho, ‘Bearer of God’, because she
gave birth to Christ, God truly incarnate.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes that the death of Christ was the separation of His
soul from His body, but His deity did not at any time leave either His
body or His soul. It further believes that by His death for us, He
conferred upon us salvation from eternal death and reconciliation with
His Heavenly Father.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church believes that the Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Holy
Trinity, the Spirit of Truth, proceeding from the Father. The Holy
Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son. (Note. The word for
‘spirit’ in Syriac, ruho (which is also the word for
‘wind’), is grammatically feminine. Holy Spirit is referred to with
the feminine pronoun in almost all early Syriac writings, though later
writings refer to it in the masculine.)
Concerning the
Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church believes the Church is the body of
true believers in Christ, and that the Head of the Church is Our Lord
God Jesus Christ. The Chief Bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church is
the Patriarch of Antioch.
With regards to
Sacraments, the Syriac Orthodox Church believes that the Holy
Sacraments are tangible signs designated by the Lord Christ to
proclaim divine grace, which He gave for our sanctification. The
Sacraments of the Church are: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist,
Repentance, the Priesthood, Anointing of the Sick, and Marriage. Holy
Sacraments are offered by the Bishops and the Priests. Only believers
can receive the Sacraments. All but four of the Sacraments are
essential for salvation: Baptism, Confirmation, Repentance and
Eucharist. Of the sacraments, Baptism, Confirmation and the Priesthood
may be received only once.
The Syriac Orthodox
Church conforms to the teachings of the Three Ecumenical Councils of
Nicea (A.D. 325), Constantinople (A.D. 381) and Ephesus (A.D. 431). It
rejects the Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451).
Form
of Worship
In accordance with Psalm 119,
verse 164, “Seven times in the day have I praised thee for thy
judgments, O Righteous One,” the Syriac Orthodox Church set the times
for prayer to seven: Evening or
ramsho
prayer (Vespers), Drawing of the Veil or
Sootoro
prayer (Compline), Midnight or
lilyo
prayer, Morning or
saphro prayer (Matins), the Third
Hour or tloth sho`in
prayer (Prime, 9 a.m.), the Sixth Hour or
sheth sho`in
prayer (Sext, noon) and the Ninth Hour or
tsha` sho`in
prayer (Nones, 3 p.m.). The Midnight prayer consists of three
qawme
‘watches’ (literarily ‘standing’).
The ecclesiastical
day begins in the evening at sunset. For example, Monday starts at
sunset on Sunday evening. Hence, Monday's evening (ramsho)
and compline (sootoro) prayers, are actually performed on
Sunday in our modern reckoning. Today, even in monasteries, the
evening and compline prayers are said together, as also the Midnight
and Morning prayers, and the Three, Six and Nine O'Clock prayers,
reducing the times of prayer to three.
During prayers, the
worshipper stands facing the East, holding his hands stretched out.
(For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the
west, so will be the coming of the Son of man - Matthew 24:27.)
The sign of the
cross is made with the right hand. The thumb, first finger and second
finger are brought together and the first finger is extended further
than the thumb and second finger, indicating that Christ is the One
and Only Savior. The sign of the cross is drawn starting from the
forehead, down to the breast and then from the left to the right
shoulder. This tradition symbolizes that the Lord Christ, came down to
earth from the heights, and redeemed our earthly body from the gloomy
paths of darkness (left), to the paths of truth and light (right).
Public prayer is important in
Syriac Christianity. Traditionally, the Holy Qurbono, i.e.
Eucharist, is celebrated every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday.
Presently, only monasteries and some churches observe the Wednesday
and Friday Holy
Qurbono,
and daily prayers known as shhimo ‘simple [prayers]’.
Apart from sermons, all prayers
are sung in the form of chants and melodies. Thousands of tunes and
melodies existed, most of which are unfortunately lost. Still hundreds
of melodies remain and these are preserved in the Treasury of Tunes
known in Syriac
as
Beth Gazo. Since a
musical notation system was not developed, the tunes were transmitted
down the ages as oral tradition. As a result a few schools of music
emerged, most notably Mardin, Edessa, Turabdin, and Kharput, to name a
few.
During the
celebration of the Eucharist, priests and deacons put on elaborate
vestments
which are unique to the Syriac Orthodox Church. Whether in the
Middle East,
India, Europe, the Americas or Australia, the same vestments are worn
by all clergy.
Church Hierarchy
The supreme head of the Syriac Orthodox
Church is the Patriarch of Antioch and all the East. He also presides
over the Holy Synod, the assembly of all bishops.
The local head of
the church in Malankara (India) is
Abun Mor Baselious
Thomas II the Catholicose of the East. The
Catholicose is under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Antioch and
is accountable to the Holy Synod and the local Malankara Synod. He is
ordained by the Patriarch. He presides over the local Holy Synod.
The local head of
every archdiocese is an archbishop. He is under the jurisdiction of
the Patriarch and is accountable to the Holy Synod. The archbishop is
ordained by the Patriarch and at least two bishops. Some archdioceses
are ‘patriarchal vicariates’; the patriarchal vicar, regardless of
ecclesiastical office, is accountable directly to the Patriarch.
Each parish is
assigned a vicar. He is under the direct jurisdiction of his
archbishop and is directly accountable to him. The parish is run by a
board of trustees (or a committee) which is elected by the
parishioners and approved by the archbishop.
Deacons assist the
priest in the administration of the liturgy. Each archdiocese may have
one archdeacon who is called “the right hand of the bishop.” Only
qualified and learned deacons are elevated to this office.
There are three
ranks of priesthood in the Syriac Orthodox Church:
§
Episcopate: Within it there are the ranks of Patriarch, Catholicos,
archbishop, and bishop.
§
Vicarate: Within it there are the ranks of chor-episcopos and priest
or
qasheesho.
§
Deaconate: Within it there are the ranks of archdeacon,
evangelical-deacon, subdeacon, lector or
qoruyo
and singer or
mzamrono.
References:
·
Brock, Sebastian
and David G.K. Taylor (ed.s),
The Hidden Pearl: The
Syrian Orthodox Church and Its Aramaic Heritage. (Rome:
Trans World Film Italia, 2001).
·
Patriarch Ignatius
Aphram I Barsoum,
The History of Syriac
Literature and Sciences. tr. Matti Mousa. (Pueblo,
CO: Passeggiata Press, 2000).
· Mor
Clemis Eugene Kaplan, The Syrian Orthodox Church of
Antioch: A Brief Introduction. (Unpublished manuscript,
1996).
· Witowski,
Witold, The Syriac Chronicle of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre.
(Uppsala: Studia Semitica Upsaliensia, 1987).
Source:
http://sor.cua.edu and Syriac Orthodox Church history
See also
§
The Syrian Orthodox
Church at a Glance by Patriarch H.H. Ignatius Zakka I
§
The Syrian Orthodox
Church of Antioch by Patriarch Ignatius Ya`qub III
(External Link)
[home]
Kerala
(Indian) tradition is that Apostle St. Thomas established Christianity
in Malankara in AD 52, and it get organized and prospered with the
arrival of Knai Thoma from Syria in AD 345, which happens to be the
first known colonization of Syrian Christians and as a result, the
Christians of Malankara (Kerala) came to be known as Syrian
Christians, as they received the Apostolic benediction from the Syrian
Patriarchate and thus started to use the liturgy of the Holy Syrian
Church of Antioch. The Church in Malankara continued to be under the
jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Antioch, and his subordinate 'Maferyono'/'Catholicose'
of the East then residing in Mesopotamian region, till the arrival of
Nestorian bishops in 1490. Later with the Portuguese aggression of
the 16th & 17th century, the Syrian Christians of Malankara came under
the influence of Roman Catholics and when they tried to forcibly
introduce their faith, the Malankara Syrian Christians revolted and
finally re-organized once again under the guidance of the delegate of
the Holy See of Antioch and thereby retained the ancient true
Apostolic faith of Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch. After that in
the 19th century, a split occurred in the Church with the introduction
of European protestant faith by the British colonists and after that
in early 20th century, once again a group of people defied the Holy
Church to form an independent faction after much harassment. Even in
the midst of such aggressions, the ancient Syrian Orthodox Church,
which in India (Malankara) also referred to as Jacobite Syrian
Christian Church, still follows the true faith taught by Our Lord
Jesus Christ and the Apostles; and our Holy fathers who sacrificed for
the cause of Christianity.
In this
page the history of the Malankara Church from its beginning is
reproduced, the brief history is complied from the articles written by
the famous historian and Syriac Scholar 'Very Rev. Dr. Kurien
Corepiscopa Kaniamparambil', E M Philip Edavazhikkal, Dn. P T
Geevarghese (later Mar Ivanious of Syro-Malankara Church), 'Very Rev.
Dr. Adai Jacob Corepiscopa' (the principal of Syrian Orthodox
theological Seminary at Udayagiri), Dr. D Babu Paul (Book-'Veni Vidi
Vici'), and late Prof. Pankkal E John ('Way to Peace').
I. Establishment of Christianity in India
Like all the Christians sects of Kerala, the Syrian/Syriac Orthodox
Church too strongly believes that St. Thomas, one of the twelve
disciples of Jesus, had established the Church in India. There exists
a strong tradition in Malankara about the arrival of St. Thomas, his
mission, death, burial and about the relics of his mortal body. No
other country or people make such claim about St. Thomas. The widely
accepted belief is that St. Thomas visited various places and baptized
many Jews and Hindus and thus began the process of establishing the
Church. Middle East countries and Kerala had trade relations during
the early centuries and all the evidences, acknowledged by all the
historians’ points to the fact that the Jewish settlers existed in
Cragnanore even before the Christian era. So it is very clear that
there was a sea route to Kerala coast in those days and St. Thomas
traveled to Cragnanore through this.
There is a general presumption that St. Thomas, a Jew himself by
birth, may have visited India in search of Jews settled here. As
mentioned earlier, there was a flourishing colony of Jews in Muziris (Cragnanore,
Kerala). These Jews are said to have arrived with King Solomon's
first fleet.
Anyhow as a result of the Apostle's mission, many, other than the Jews
also accepted Christianity. Most of the local converts were said to
be from higher castes and this helped St. Thomas to preach the Holy
Gospel without much opposition, in a later stage. The high caste
Brahmin families that adorned Christianity were mainly from
Pakaloomattom, Shankarapuri, Kalli and Kaliangala and members from
these houses were ordained as priests or chieftains for the
community. Besides, he is believed to have founded Christian
congregations (churches) at Maliankara, Paloor, Kottaikkavu (North
Paravur), Chayal (Nilakkal), Niranam, Kollam and Gokamangalam and
celebrated Holy Qurbono. He later went to China to spread Holy Gospel
and returned to India and during his mission, he was killed by
fanatics, and was buried at Mylapore, in the state of present Chennai
(Madras), South India, it is believed. However his relics were taken
to Edessa in the 4th century at the instance of the then Patriarch of
Antioch.
Christianity
in Kerala in the first 3 centuries
Both the Jewish as well as the local converts were
in
the beginning mentioned
as St. Thomas Christians or Nazarenes (being
followers of
Jesus
who
was
a native of Nazareth). One of the earliest references to Christianity
in India mentions the visit of Alexandria’s leading Theologian,
PANTENUS to the Indian Christians at their invitation in AD 190.
However this visit is contradicted by Eusebius, a 3rd
century Christian Historian, who says Pantenus visited the Arabian
regions, which were part of greater India (India Magnum). Any how the
general belief is that the Christians existed in Kerala from the
second half of the 1st century itself and it was St. Thomas
the Apostle who established the Christian faith in India.
In the course of time the infant Church established by St. Thomas is
supposed to have been weakened. The community had to pass through many
an obstruction and so many oppositions, main reason being the “lack of
ecclesiastical assistance”. During the 1st, 2nd
and 3rd centuries, there were no priests here and the
Christian population had been like a fold without a Shepherd. There
had been none to succeed
for those who were appointed
by St. Thomas.
World
Christianity up to 4th
century
The
Christianity that was gaining considerable influence in the 1st
three centuries among the Jews and others
in the Middle East
had to face the continuous wrath of Romans, probably out of fear of it
loosing the powers to control the whole Empire. The Roman Officials
persecuted many of the Christian fathers. This continued for about
three centuries. By the beginning of the 4th century, with
the conversion of the then Roman Emperor
'Constantine',
Christianity becomes the official religion of the Empire.
In AD 325 on the request of the Church fathers, the Emperor convened a
Synod of the entire Christian community at ‘Nicea’
and
a general norm for the administration of the whole of Christianity
was
formulated.
Accordingly, the entire Christian Community all over the world formed
as three distinct groups and each group came under the authority of
the three Patriarchates then in existence, namely Rome, Alexandria and
Antioch.
(Constantinople Patriarchate was established only in AD 381, as per
the decision of the 2nd Universal Holy Synod convened by the Empire).
As per the decision of the Synod, the
Eastern hemisphere, which included Indian Sub-continent,
continued to be
under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Antioch.
A
Persian bishop by name Yuhannun is said to have represented India in
that Synod, the veracity of which is evident from his signature in the
Nicea Synod. But some believe that the India mentioned here was
actually Greater India that extended up to the boundaries of the
present North India and Malankara (Kerala) was not part of it, and
none represented Kerala Christians, as the Christianity then existed
here was very weak and not known to many.
Establishment of the Catholicate of the East
Though the
Christian Church in Persian Empire was under the jurisdiction of the
Patriarchate of Antioch from its beginning, in due course it become
impossible for the Church members to go to Antioch and receive
ordination due to
geographical &
political reasons. Under the circumstance, the
Patriarch of Antioch used to appoint a Archbishop entitled CATHOLICOSE
to administer the Eastern Dioceses (parts
of Persian Empire) beyond the boundaries of the Roman Empire. The
second universal Holy Synod held at Constantinople in AD 381 (Canon
2), reconfirmed
the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch over the Archbishop (Catholicose)
of Selucia
(later in Tigris).
In due course, the
Catholicose of Tigris adopted Nestorian faith and defied the authority
of Patriarch and declared independence. Yet, there were Maferyono's
under the Syrian (Jacobite) Patriarch of Antioch, who as eastern
Catholicose used to administer the Church in the Persian Empire.
Later at the instance of the Patriarch of Antioch, the Indian Church
was administered by these Maferyono's of the East and Metropolitans.
II. Syrian Colonization of Malankara in AD 325
Meanwhile the Church at Malabar (Kerala) established in the 1st
century, weakened during the period of about 300 years succeeding the
Apostle’s death, mainly because there had been none to succeed the
priests ordained by St. Thomas. It was while the Christians of Malabar
remained in this unsatisfactory condition that Mor Joseph the Bishop
of Edessa (a place in the eastern border of the Roman Empire), had a
dream regarding the sad situation of the Church at Malabar. He
informed this to the Bishop-Patriarch
of Jerusalem who consulted the other Bishops as to what should be done
in this matter.
(It
was in consideration of the importance of the Holy City of Jerusalem,
the Metropolitan of Jerusalem came to be known as the 'fifth Patriarch
of Christendom', who was a subordinate to the Patriarch of Antioch as
mentioned in the Universal Synods). The
Jerusalem
Metropolitan
deputed one Thomas a native of Cana, a respectable merchant then
living at Jerusalem to ascertain the condition of the Christians of
Malabar. This Thomas on reaching the Malabar Coast found a good number
of Christians wearing the badges of their religion and from them he
ascertained about their condition. On his return he explained about
the
Christians
at Malabar and all what he saw, to the Bishop of Jerusalem.
Consequent to this, the
Church Synod
held
under the Patriarch of Antioch & all the East,
immediately decided to send a delegation to Malabar
(Kerala)
and accordingly in AD 345, around 400 odd persons from 72 families
comprising men, women and children, reached Cragananore (Kodungalloore)
under the leadership of the merchant, Thomas of Cana. The group
consisted of the Bishop Mor Joseph of Edessa as well as some priests
and deacons.
(Edessa
was in the eastern boundary of Roman Empire and not in Persia as
claimed by some people. More about the authenticity of ancient
narrations such as 'Anecdote Syria' etc, that was originally came into
existence only in the 16th century and which wrongly states that it
was Catholicose of the Persia who sent the delegation and they fled to
India fearing the persecution of Persians, and such, will be published
soon).
This
Syrian Christian
delegation
from
Edessa
was from a sect of Jewish Christians from different places of then
Canaan land (later called Palestine, now Israel). They settled as a
Colony on the southern side of the Kodungalloor
Palace street, with the permission of Perumals, the then rulers of the
region.
Meanwhile
the native Christians converted by St. Thomas, who were called Mar
Thoma
(St. Thomas) Christians, lived on the northern part of the street.
While the descendants of the former were called as ‘Southists’
or Knanaites,
after their leader Knai Thoma (Thoma of Cana), the ‘Mar Thoma
Christians’ lived on the northern part were,
from then onwards
started to
be mentioned as ‘Northists’.
The
name Malankara Church, is also supposed to be mentioned as such, for
the entire Christian Church of Kerala, from this period.
It was as a consequence of this Syrian migration of Knanaites, the
entire Christians in Kerala, came to be called SYRIAN CHRISTIANS,
as they came under the Syrian Patriarch of Antioch who had
jurisdiction over all the East and thus began using the rituals and
liturgies of the Syrian Church
of
Antioch.
Relics of
St. Thomas transferred to Edessa
History tells that
in AD 394, the relics of St. Thomas were taken to Edessa, a place that
was under the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch. There it was
entombed in a church built in his venerated memory. July 3 is
celebrated as St. Thomas day by the Eastern Churches commemorating
this hallowed event.
The Persian
Crosses
There is a controversy about the existence or influence of the
Assyrian Church of East (Nestorians) in Malabar (Kerala) before the
15th century. Some argue that this Church (Nestorian) had been in
India, as early as 4th century itself. But the Nestorian heresy had
its influence in the Assyrian Church of East, only by the end of the
5th century and it was only in the subsequent years, the Christology
of this Assyrian Church of East spread beyond the Persian Empire. So
it is very clear that the Syrian faith that was in Malankara, before
the 5th century was not Nestorian.
Again those who tries to establish the 'Nestorian influence in
Malabar' in the middle ages, mentions about the existence of the
'Persian' crosses of the 7th century, found in the 'Knanaya
Valiappalli' at Kottayam and in two other Churches in Kerala. But the
facts prove opposite. The inscriptions in 'Extrangela Syriac' and 'Phalvi'
on them revealed their workmanship was Persian and at the same time,
the Phalvi inscriptions hints that they were made by the Syrian
Jacobites. The
interpretation of
the inscriptions in Pahalavi by Dr. Burnnel (former Archaeological
Director of India) reads as follows-
|
"In
punishment by the cross (was) the suffering on this one; He who
is true God and God above, and Guide ever Pure." |
These inscriptions
are against the basic faith of Nestorians, who believed that the God
was never crucified (punished) in the Cross and only the Jesus the man
was crucified. Moreover Phalvi was never, the language of Persian
Nestorians.
Further these crosses could not be taken as evidences of an
ecclesiastical relationship with Nestorian Church only. There are
nearly two dozen crosses. St. Andrew’s cross was 'X'. Different
nations used different types. The Persian type was not a monopoly of
the Nestorians. It had been used by the Nestorians as well as the
Syrian (Jacobite) Church. Estrangeloyo Syriac too was used by both
Churches. The oldest dated manuscript (AD 464) and another of the
5th century are in the British museum -nos.14425 & 14451. Another of
the 7th century (from the Septuagint by Paul, bishop of Tella -
no.14442) and yet another 'Isaiah' identified with that of Philoxenos
of Mabug (AD 485-519, no. 17106) are also preserved there. All these
are in Estrangeloyo Characters and written by Syrian Jacobites.
III. The
2nd Syrian Colonization of AD 825
In early 9th
century the Syrian fathers Mor Sabor and Mor Aphrohot reached
Malankara with a group of immigrants, at the then famous trade center
in South Kerala, Kollam. On arrival they were accorded certain
privileges and rights by the local Ruler. That they were saintly
persons amply proven by the fact that there were many churches in
their names which is corroborated by the records of the decisions of
the 'Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor)'.
There is a view
that these fathers were Nestorians. This is only because, the Holy
fathers were mentioned as Nestorian heretics at the Synod of Diamper
convened by the Romans in 1599. But the fact is that Nestorians too,
don't recognize them as one among them. The names of these fathers do
not figure in the list of Nestorian bishops sent abroad during the
period, given by historian Assemani. Also Fr. Placid, the Roman
Catholic historian and M. V. Paul who attempted a history of the
Church of the East, do not include the names of these two Bishops in
the list of Nestorian bishops who visited Malabar. Till now, their
venerated memory of these Holy fathers is being celebrated by the
Jacobite Syrian Christians only. While Roman Catholics disowned them
and the Nestorians disclaim them, the Malankara Syrian Church had
their annual festival celebrated on the 2nd October every year, in the
Mor Shabor & Mor Aphrohot church at Akaparambu, in the diocese of
Angamali.
According to one
tradition, the Malayalam Calendar era (Kolla Varsham) started with
these holy fathers who settled at Kollam in AD 825.
Malankara
Church between 10th and 15th Centuries
During the 10th
and the 11th centuries the Malankara Church was within the authority
of the Patriarch of Antioch. This is authenticated in the Travancore
State Manual as also in other books, such as that authored by the
protestant historian Huff. Unfortunately, falling prey to some Roman
Catholics propaganda to promote their own history and also to
disseminate some vested interests, some in Malankara recently are
propagating a new version that the Malankara Church had connections
only with the Persian Nestorian Church till the 17th century. But all
the circumstantial evidences and history proves otherwise.
As for the 12th
century, there is an authoritative record now safely maintained at
Cambridge University, which clearly indicates the ties of Malankara
Church with that of the Syrian Patriarchate of Antioch in the period.
This is the Bible written in Estrangeloyo script during the time of
the great Patriarch Michael (1199). This book, which was in Malankara
from the 13th century, was presented to Dr. Claudius Buchannan, one of
the earliest protestant missionaries who came to Kerala in 1807, by
the then Malankara Metropolitan Mor Dionysius the Great. It contained
special Gospel portions for reading on the feasts of the Mother of God
and the Gospel readings for the Holy Mass on Saturdays in lent. There
are in the notes contained in the book, very respectful references to
Mor Severios, the famous Patriarch of Antioch. All these would show
that this book was not Nestorian because they do not venerate Mor
Severios, nor do they call St. Mary as Mother of God.
In the 13th and
14th centuries, it can safely be assumed that the Malankara Church
continued to stay within the Syrian Orthodox belief. In the 14th
century, a Roman Bishop named John de Marinjoli is believed to have
landed in Kollam. But he had no connection with the Malankara
Church. In 1328 Pope John XXII had ordained the Friar Jordanoos as
Bishop of Kollam and deputed him to India, but he does not seem to
have reached India.
In short, from all
the circumstantial evidences, it has to be believed that between 4th
and 15th centuries the Malankara Church remained as part of the
Universal Syrian Orthodox Church. This fact is recalled in the
scholarly work of Arch Bishop Mar Iwanis of Syrian Catholic Church
(Fr. P T Vargheese), "Were Syrian Christians - Nestorians". It says
"Thus from internal - external and circumstantial evidences, it is
evident that the church in Kerala was nothing but Jacobite before the
15th century". Again late Paulose Mar Gregorios of Indian Orthodox
Church (Methran Kakshi) says (ref. Shema Vartha, 1968 Oct) "We in
India belong to this Patriarchate even if we have our own Catholicose
and are autonomous
(not autocephalous).
We have no other source from which to receive our ancient tradition -
except the tradition of Antioch, of the great Syrian Church which once
had spread through the length and breadth of Asia right up to China
and Korea".
III. Nestorian influence
From the 14th
century onwards, the Syrian/Syriac (Jacobite) Patriarchate of Antioch,
gradually become weak following the continued persecution by the
Romans, Mohammedans and also because of internal squabbles. In this
period of serious crisis, the Patriarchate was not in a position to
send any dignitaries to Malankara. By the 15th century, the Episcopal
ties, which the Malankara Church had with its parental church at
Antioch, was completely broken. So when the Nestorian bishops landed
here in AD 1490 for the first time, they were received by Malankara
Christians without any opposition. Moreover, since there was certain
similarities in the liturgy and rituals of both the Jacobites and
Nestorians, Malankara Syrian Christians who until then followed the
Jacobite faith, were not reluctant to accept these Nestorian bishops.
To prove that the
Church in Kerala was not Nestorian before 1490, it is only to recall a
Nestorian bishop who came to Malankara in this period. He wrote to
the Nestorian 'Catholicose-Patriarch' that, he was well received by
Christians, that there are about 30,000 Christian families here and
that the name of the area was Malabar. Obviously he was writing to a
Patriarch who did not know much about Malankara.
From AD 1490 till
1599 Malankara Church had received Metropolitans from the Nestorian
patriarchs of Persia. Yet it cannot be assumed that the entire
Malankara Church took to Nestorian faith, this presumption is
supported from the decisions of Synod of Diamper in which it is
recorded that, before the arrival of Portuguese, there were people who
held Dioscoros, who was revered holy father of the west Syrian Church,
in reverence and that Western Syriac was in use here in addition to
the use of Chaldaya (Chaldean) Syriac and that the liturgy of baptism
used by the Jacobite Syrians was in operation. Yet it may be supposed
that from 1490 till 1599, when the Synod Diamper was convened and the
Malankara Christians were forcefully drawn to the Roman Catholic
Church, the Church may have been under the suzerainty of Nestorians.
IV. Introduction of Roman Catholic faith in Malankara
The Roman Catholic
faith started to have its foothold in Malankara with the arrival of
Vasco De Gama, the famous Portuguese sailor in 1498. Initially the
Portuguese Priests concentrated on the poor people living on the sea
coast of Kerala and Goa and converted many to the Latin Catholic
faith, some times even forcibly. But later they tried to introduce
their faith among the Syrian Christians of Kerala. For that they even
adopted some unholy practices.
On June 20, 1599
the Roman Catholic Archbishop Menezes, with the help of local rulers,
convened the historical Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor) and thereafter
started forcibly converting the Syrian churches as Latin, burned all
the historical documents, and thereby terrified the Syrian
Christians. The Malankara Church had to suffer servitude and
indignities under the Roman Catholic bishops.
Finally in
response to the continuous appeal of the Thomas Arkhidyakon
(archdeacon), who was then giving leadership to Malankara Church; from
the Patriarchate of Antioch came Mor Ignatius Ahattula (Ahadullah) in
1653. The tradition is that the Portuguese arrested him, tied him up
and cast him in the Ocean. Consequently, the Syrian Christians get
agitated and as a result, a large gathering of about 25,000 assembled
at Mattancherry and took Oath at 'Koonan Cross' which happens to be
known as the historical 'Koonam Kurisu Sathayam' in 1653 and
declared that they and their future generations will ever be loyal to
the throne of Antioch and also vowed to fight against the atrocities
of the Roman/Latin Catholics.
The Malankara
Church sent request to the Patriarch of Antioch again and in 1665
Saint Gregorios of Jerusalem was deputed to Malankara. The link
between Malankara and Antioch that was broken and remained separated
for about 150 years was re-established with the arrival of this Holy
Father. Saint Gregorios ordained, Arkhidyakon as Bishop who assumed
charge as Mar Thoma I. And once again, Malankara Church becomes the
integral part of the Syrian Orthodox Church, adopting its rituals,
rites and liturgy as before.
V. Formation of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church of Thoziyoor
During the time of
Mor Dionysius I (the sixth successor to Mar Thoma I), Mor Gregorios,
one of the two representatives of the Holy See then in Malankara, who
had earlier consecrated Mor Dionysius I, consecrated Kattumangat
Abraham Ramban as Mor Kurilose at the Mattancehrry Church in December
1772. Since this consecration was not acceptable to 'Mor Dionysius I'
or 'Mor Ivanious' (the other representative of Patriarchate), there
started a rift. Both the Rajas of Travancore and Cochin finally
decided against Mor Kurilose (Kattumangattu) and so he has to withdrew
to Thozhiyoor (Anjoor, near Kunnamkulam) in British Malabar, where he
laid the foundation of an independent Church in 1774.
VI. Protestant faith in Malankara
With the
establishment of British East India Company, missionaries from Britain
started their work in India. These missionaries gradually tried to
control the Syrian Orthodox Church, by introducing their reformed
teachings. In spite of the interference of powerful agents of the
British Government, the Malankara Church rejected the western
influence and stuck to its connections with the Holy See of Antioch.
Thereafter the Syrian Church in Malankara had to face a series of
internal dissensions.
It was around that
time, Palakunnath Abraham Malpan (Malfono), a prominent priest of
Malankara Church sided with the European missionaries and modified the
liturgy to suit the Protestant views. Later his nephew, Deacon
Mathews, went to the Patriarchate and producing a false record, which
showed the authorization of Malankara Syrian Church, get ordained
himself as Mor Athanasius.
Earlier Mor
Dionysius IV, the then Metropolitan of Malankara Jacobite Syrian
Church had sent various petitions to the throne of Antioch praying for
sending more Bishops. In one such letter he says that despite 11
petitions since 1825 no Metropolitan came and consequently the
Malankara Church had spiritually deteriorated and that if a
Metropolitan was not sent now the Patriarch will be answerable.
But the Patriarch
was of the opinion that it was better to ordain people from Malankara
itself. It was in this context that when Deacon Matthews of
palakunnath from Malankara who actually had a protestant view, reached
the Patriarchal Monastery at Turkey and producing a false record of
authorization of Malankara Church, got himself ordained as Mor
Athanasius. After Palakunnath Mor Athanasius returned to Malankara,
the Association of representatives came to know about the malicious
act of Mor Athanasius, so they wrote to the Patriarch about the
Protestant inclinations of Mor Athanasius. The Patriarch felt very
sad on being cheated, and consequently he sent a representative, Mor
Kurilose Yuyoqim on the request of Malankara Syrian Church. On his
arrival, Mor Dionysius IV who was then very old, handed over the
administration of Malankara Church to the delegate Mor Kurilose
Yuyoqim and he as per the wishes of Malankara Church and under the
order of the Patriarch, excommunicated Mor Athanasius of Palakunnath.
But with the help of British authorities, Mor Athanasius was able to
move freely and majority of the Church properties and most of the
parishes in Kottayam and its southern belt, came under him. All the
time, the northerners (places north of Kottayam) were able to
effectively block the Protestant aggression on its fundamental faith.
Hence the European missionaries or Palakunnath Metropolitan and his
aides were not able to have much influence there, except in parts of
Kunnamkulam.
Later Pulikottil
Fr. Joseph with the consent of the entire Malankara Church went to the
Patriarchate at Mardin in Turkey and was ordained as Mor Dionysius
Joseph by the Patriarch Mor Ignatius Yakub II (1847-1871). On his
return he together with Mor Kurilose Yuyoqim made efforts to get the
royal proclamation in favour of deposed Metropolitan Palakunnath Mor
Athansius, cancelled, but could not succeed.
It was then, at a
Malankara Church meeting held in 1872 under the leadership of Ramban
Geevarghese (St. Gregorios of Parumala), requested for the immediate
help of the Patriarch of Antioch, to save it from the serious crisis.
Consequently, in 1875, Patriarch Ignatius Peter III (IV) 1872-1894, in
spite of his old age traveled to India. Just before reaching
Malankara, the Patriarch went to England and convinced the British
authorities about the real problems pertaining in the Malankara Church
and on being convinced, the British authorities in England, gave
orders to the British government in Kerala, to not interfere in the
internal matters of Malankara Church. On reaching Malankara, the
Patriarch held series of discussions with the Malankara Syrian
community, and finally decided for the formation of six new dioceses
and also a Malankara Syrian Christian Association, for the effective
administration of Malankara Church. The entire Malankara Church was
happy at these and in August 1876, a Synod was held at Mulunthuruthy
and at that historical meeting, with almost all the representatives of
Malankara Church, decided in favour of the decision of the Patriarch.
Saint Gregorios (Parumala) who was then a Raban, was the personal
secretary of the Patriarch and it was with his help the draft for the
'Mulunthuruthy Synod' was formulated. The historical 'Mulunthuruthy
Padiyola' adopted at the Synod, besides explaining about the
history of Malankara Church since its evolution, once again recalled
the services of the great See of Antioch and thanked the Patriarch for
his sincere efforts that helped to continue the ancient true faith of
the Malankara Church. As per the decision of this Synod, Pulikottil
Mor Dionysius Joseph was appointed as the Malankara Metropolitan and
he assumed the title 'Mor Dionysius V'. The Patriarch also
consecrated 'Holy Moron' for the first time in Malankara. His
Holiness before completing his historical Apostolic Visit to Malankara,
ordained six new Metropolitans, including Saint Gregorios of Parumala,
who was his closest aide and private secretary. It was then for the
first time in Malankara, a group of native Metropolitans was there to
administer the affairs of the local Church. Thus with the help of the
Patriarch of Antioch, the Malankara Church was able to recoup its lost
glory.
Later the
Malankara Jacobite Syrian community won the litigation that continued
in the local courts and 'Mor Dionysius V' was accepted as the
legitimate head of the Malankara Church under the Holy See of
Antioch.
This finally
resulted in the separation of a group of people with protestant views
under the leadership of Mor Athanasius Thomas, the cousin of Mor
Athanasius Mathews who was earlier excommunicated by the Malankara
Church and they organized themselves as Mar Thoma Syrian Church of
Malabar.
VII. The third major split in the Malankara Church
In 1902, the Holy
Episcopal Synod of Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church held under the
then Malankara Metropolitan, Pulikottil Mor Dionysius, selected two
Metropolitan-designates and in 1908 they were ordained as Mor Kurilose
Paulose (Kochuparambil) and Mor Dionysius Geevarghese (Wattesseril) by
the Patriarch of Antioch Mor Ignatius Abdeh-d'Aloho II 1906-1915. The
next year the Malankara Metropolitan Pulikottil Mor Dionysius V, who
led the Kerala Church in one of its most difficult period, died and in
his position the newly ordained Metropolitan Mor Dionysius Wattesseril
was instituted with the title 'Mor Dionysius VI'. But unfortunately
within a short period, the new Malankara Metropolitan trustee Mor
Dionysius VI had differences of opinion with his two other
co-trustees, the renounced Syriac scholar 'Konatt Mathen Malpan'
(Priest trustee) and C. J. Kurien (lay trustee). Within a short tome,
this conflict become so serious, and thus started challenging the age
old relationship, that the Malankara Church has with the Patriarchal
See of Antioch. Finally in 1911, when Wattasseril Mor Dionysius VI
started to defy even the orders of his spiritual supreme, the
Patriarch Mor Ignatius Abdeh-d'Aloho II 1906-1915, the bishop was
excommunicate d. A year later in 1912, Wattesseril Mor Dionysius
managed to bring to Kerala, Abdul Mesiha, a former Patriarch who was
dethroned by the Holy Synod because of his un-canonical practices and
get ordained a Catholicose for his group. The Syrian Christians
argued that a important order like the Catholicate that was abolished
in 1865 as per the decision of a Holy synod, can be reinstated only
through another Episcopal Synod and above all in this particular issue
the Abdul Mesih who was supposed to be ordained a Catholicose in
Kerala was an un-canonical Patriarch, dethroned by a Synod.
The fact that
Abdul Mesih was not a Patriarch is strengthened with further
evidences, when it is considered that Wattasseril Mar Dionysius went
to Patriarch Mor Abded'Aloho (Abdullah) II for his ordination as
Metropolitan, who had succeeded Abdul Mesih, although Abdul Mesih was
living there at that time. If Abdul Mesih was the canonical
Patriarch, as claimed by the Methran group, then why did Wattasseril
Mor Dionysius, the father of the Methran group went to Patriarch Abdeh
d'Aloho II, the successor to Abdul Mesih to get ordained, is very
mysterious. This was the contention of the Jacobite Syrians.
Formation of
Methran's Party which subsequently adopted the name 'Orthodox Syrian
Church of Malabar'
Within a short
period, the schisms in the Malankara Church reached a flash point and
brought forth the unfortunate division in the Jacobite Syrian Church.
While many from the three southern dioceses sided with Wattessril Mor
Dionysius, almost the entire northerners continued to be the part of
the Universal Syrian Orthodox Church under the Holy See of
Antioch. The group led by the Wattasseril Mor Dionysius came to be
called as 'Metran Kakshi' (Bishop's Party) and the those who continued
to be faithful to the Holy throne of Antioch were mentioned as 'Bava
Kakshi' (Patriarch's Party). While the 'Bava Kakshi' continued to be
known as Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, the 'Methran Kakshi' by the
middle of 1920's adopted the name first as 'Orthodox Syrian Church of
Malabar' and then 'Orthodox Syrian Church' after the adoption of a
constitution in 1934, for their group.
After the split in
1911, Kochuparambil Mor Kurilose Paulose who was ordained together
with Wattesseril Bishop, was elected as the Malankara Metropolitan of
the Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church of Kerala and after him Mor
Athanasius Paulose the Great (entombed at Thrikunnathu Seminary) was
chosen as Malankara Metropolitan and his Grace continued to be in that
privileged position till his demise.
Though many peace
negotiations were going on from the days of the split, it become more
significant with the arrival of Patriarch of Antioch Mor Ignatius
Elias III in 1931. He created a favourable atmosphere by canceling
the excommunication of Wattesseril Mor Dionysius and tried his best to
heal the breach. His Holiness did not spare any effort to bring
about peace in Malankara but unfortunately he passed away before
fulfilling his desire and was buried at Majanikkara and his tomb
church is now a major pilgrim centre of Malankara Syrian Christians.
Peace in
1958
The negotiations
for a long standing peace continued in spite of the Patriarchal sides
complete victory in the various Courts of Travancore-Cochin states in
late 1940's and 1950's. When Moran Mor Ignatius Yakub III become
the Patriarch 1957, he in his very first bull, expressed his desire
for the unity of the Church in Malankara. This was at a time when the
Patriarch's side had won the case in the High Court and he made many
sincere efforts, which is even now recalled by many. But
unfortunately even then, the Metran faction was not willing for peace
until they felt strengthened by the Supreme Court verdict which went
in their favor albeit on a purely technical and legalistic point. On
16th December 1958, following a series of discussions that was
continuing for many years, the Patriarch and the then supreme
administrator of Metran group, the Catholicose, accepted each other.
The Catholicose however, in his letter of acceptance, on the last
minute added a clause that he accepted the Patriarch "subject to the
constitution of Malankara Church" (a constitution formulated by the
Metran Kakshi in 1934). This was contrary to the understanding reached
earlier and was a real shock for the peace loving people of Malankara. Anyhow
the Patriarch tried his best to pacify the Malankara Jacobite Syrian
community, hoping that a complete peace and harmony would become a
reality in a near future in the Malankara Church.
But almost
immediately after the accord of 1958, the Catholicose and his group
took some steps which not only wounded the sentiments of the Syrian
Christians, but also gave the impression that they would not give the
Patriarch or the Jacobite Syrian community, due respect. Most of the
people and clergy and all the Metropolitans, unhappy as they were,
remained silent resigned to their "fate". However after a series of
aggression, such as that happened in Arthat Simhasana Church,
Kallumkathra Church, Kattapurathu Church etc., many of the faithful
were forced to react and as a direct consequence to this, a meeting
of the representatives of the various parish churches, who were in
favour for the continuation of the Apostolic faith, was convened at
Manarcad in 1960. The large gathering assembled there protested
against the forceful entry of the Catholicose to many churches and for
the introduction of his factions faith, contrary to the agreement
reached with the Patriarch earlier. On the request of the faithful
assembled there, Mor Philixinose went to Damascus to call on His
Holiness and submit their grievances. But His Holiness who was
against another split in the Church, sent back Mor Philixonse with
instructions to co-operate with the Catholicose to the maximum, in
spite of any such ill-treatments. Patriarch Mor Ignatius Yakub III
tried his best to keep the accord of 1958 and avoided for maximum, any
of the provocation of erstwhile Metran group. But still the
Catholicose suspended Mor Philixinose Paulose from the Episcopal Synod
of the united Church on 17th June 1960, there by paved way for the
continuation of enmity among the Syrian Christians.
In spite of many
such difficulties and mental agony, the Jacobite Syrian community
under the instruction from the Patriarch, continued to co-operate with
the united Church. The Patriarch's firm belief was that the time will
wound the healing.
Consecration
of the Catholicose in 1964
In 1964, Patriarch
Moran Mor Ignatius Yakub III arrived in Malankara and ordained Mor
Augen as Catholicose of the East 'Mor Baselius Augen I'. Thus, the
Catholicate was established in India with its administrative
jurisdiction limited to this nation, as per the decision of Universal
Episcopal Synod held at Kottayam, presided by the Patriarch Ignatius
Yakub III of Antioch and attended by all the bishops of the Syrian
Orthodox Church in India, and bishops from the Middle East who had
accompanied the Patriarch.
A new era of peace
and unity started with it, which continued for some years. But by the
seventies, Catholicose Mar Augen under pressure from the extremists in
his group began to claim that he was sitting on the throne of St.
Thomas and declared equality with his superior, the Patriarch of
Antioch and all the East. And also fundamental changes were made in
the history and faith of the Malankara Church that was followed for
centuries, in order to suit their needs, particularly in the Sunday
Schools and other such organizations. These new twisting to the facts,
hurt not only the Syrian Christians of Malankara but also the
Patriarch who had brought peace to the Church in India.
The people, who
were eager for the continuation of its Holy Apostolic faith, organized
themselves and worked tirelessly for the revival of the true
faith. Finally due to the continued requests of the bishops, clergy
and the vast number of people, the Patriarch had to convene the
Universal Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church in 1975 and had to take
necessary action against the defiant Catholicose. Because of the
stubborn attitude of the opponents, the Patriarch was forced to
excommunicate the Catholicose Augen I, in order to safeguard the true
faith of Malankara Church, after giving ample time to correct his
stand.
Ordination
of the Catholicose Aboon Mor Baselios Paulose II
Consequently the
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church elected Mor Philxinose
Paulose as the new Catholicose-designate and in 1975 he was ordained
as Catholicose Mor Baselius Paulose II for the Indian Church. In the
2000 year long history of the Holy Church, Catholicose Mor Baselious
Paulose II was the first prelate from Malankara, who had the
opportunity to lead the ordination ceremony of the
Patriarch of Antioch
and all the East, Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas in 1980.
His Beatitude continued as chief prelate of the Malankara Church till
his demise on 1st September 1996 and was entombed at the famous
Malekurisu Dayro, near Ernakulam, where the Holy relics of many saints
including that of Saint Gregorios (Parumala) is interred.
VIII. Enthronement of a new Catholicose & the present administrative
setup of the Malankara Church
On
27th December
1999, H. E. Mor Dionysius Thomas (Cheruvallil), the president of the
Holy Episcopal Synod in India and Metropolitan of Angamali, the
largest diocese in Malankara, was elected as the new Catholicose-designate
of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church under the Holy See of
Antioch. On 26th July 2002, H.E. was enthroned as the
Catholicose (Maphriyono)
Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I by His Holiness Moran Mor
Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, the Patriarch of
Antioch & all the East, Supreme head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox
Church. It was after a gap of 6 years, a new Catholicose was
appointed for the Church in India in the East. Mor Baselios Thomas I
succeeds Mor Baselios Paulose II (+1996) as the Catholicose (Maferyono)
of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church. Two weeks before the
historical consecration ceremony, a new constitution was adopted for
the Church in India namely 'Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
Association' and was registered as per the Indian Charitable Trust
Act. As per this constitution, the Catholicose will also function as
the Metropolitan-Trustee. The other main office Bearers of the
Association are, a Priest-Trustee (Very
Rev. Dr. Kurien Corepiscopos Kaniamparambil), a Lay-Trustee
(Mr. George Matthew Thekkethalakkal), and an Association Secretary
(Mr. Thambu
George Thukalan). A working committee comprising of 18 members and a
managing committee of 120, were also elected from the 3960
representatives that participated in the Association from 700 odd
parishes in Kerala, India. The Holy Episcopal Synod of Church in
India also ratified its earlier decision to reappoint Metropolitan His
Grace Mor Gregorious Joseph as its secretary.
In
the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, the Patriarch of
Antioch & all the East is the spiritual supreme, but the temporal
powers of the local Church in India rests with an association,
elected from among the representatives of Parishes of Malankara, and
is to be administered under guidance from its Chief prelate, the
Catholicose of India. While the Chief Prelate of Malankara Church
has powers to administer the general affairs of the Church in India,
he has limited authority over individual parishes.
The most
important part of the administrative set up of the Church is that,
each individual parish has power to take any decisions related to them
on their own and no external body can interfere in their internal
administrative structure. The Church is of the view that these
individual parishes, particularly almost all the ancient churches,
have been established by the desire of the parishioners and the
central structure of the Church participated only in spiritual
guidance. This is so in the cases of new parishes also, except
otherwise mentioned. In short, while the Bishops gave guidance to
the spiritual matters and administer the few common properties of the
dioceses, it is with the parishioners the administration of the
individual churches rest. Thus a complete democratic structure exists
in the Jacobite Syrian Church which makes its so unique. This
administrative structure came into existence in Malankara with the
approval of Mulunthuruthy Synod, that was held in AD 1876 under the
leadership of the spiritual supreme of Malankara Church, the Patriarch
of Antioch & all the East, His Holiness Mor Ignatius Peter IV.
Besides this,
there are other churches/associations, independent of each other that
came into existence in the last century, established on the desire of
the laity and are under the direct jurisdiction of the
Patriarch. They are the Simhasana (Thronal) Churches, the St.
Anthony's congregation and Honawar Mission based at Mangalore (founded
by Mor Julius Alwarez), the Evangelical Association of the East ('Pourasthya
Suvisesha Samagam') and the Syrian Orthodox Archdiocese of Greater
India (comprising of Outside Kerala dioceses-in India). All of these
are administered by Metropolitans appointed by the Patriarch of
Antioch. Also there is a Knanaya diocese that was established in
early 20th century for the migrant Knanaites and is under the
administration of a Metropolitan. All of the above dioceses have their
own associations and decisions pertaining them are taken by themselves
and with the approval of the Patriarch of Antioch. For the proper
training of the clergy, a
Theological Seminary
functions at Udayagiri (Vettickal), near Mulunthuruthy. A new
Administrative head
quarters is presently under construction at Puthencuriz and
is expected to be fully functional by the end of 2002.
Conclusion
The
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, though in its long history, had to
put up with stiff challenge, trials and tribulations, by God's grace,
even now it continues to, practice the true Apostolic faith taught by
its Holy fathers and be a part of the ancient Universal Syriac
Orthodox Church with its distinct identity.
Source:
http//malankarachurch.com
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