"Twin"), was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for
disbelieving Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then
proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in John 20:28. He was
perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman Empire to preach
the Gospel. He is also believed to have crossed the largest area,
which includes the Persian Empire and India. (Source: <a
href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_the_Apostle</a>
St. Thomas Christians and other Christian sects in Kerala History
The St. Thomas Christians of Kerala firmly believe that St. Thomas the
Apostle is the father of Christianity in India. According to their
tradition, he landed at Maliankara, near Cranganore in 52 A.D. He
preached Christianity first among the Jews and then converted twelve
Brahmin families from whom the Syrian Christians trace their
genealogy. St. Thomas also founded seven churches at the following
places: Maliankara, Palayur, Kottakavu, Quilon, Niranom, Nilakkal,
and Chayal. After several years of work in Malabar, the Apostle went
to the Coromandel Coast (East Coast) where he was assassinated by
irate Brahmins (or by a hunter) in 72 A.D. This tradition along with
many others legends is found in ancient Christian songs (seventeenth
century and later) like the Veeradian Pattu, Thomma Parvom, and Margom
Kali Pattu. The Acts of St. Thomas, an apocryphal work by the Syrian
Bardesan (220 A.D.) also mentions the missionary work and martyrdom of
St. Thomas in India. (Please read more <a
href="http://www.kerala.cc/keralahistory/index36.htm">here</a>
The lure of spices attracted traders from the Middle East and Europe
to the many trading ports - Calicut, Cranganore, Cochin, Alleppey and
Quilon - long before the time of Christ. And it was on a trading
vessel plying between Alexandria and the Malabar coast that St. Thomas
the Apostle arrived in Cranganore in 52 AD.
There he began preaching the Gospel. His teachings were accepted not
only by those who chose to become Christians but also by those who
chose to remain Hindus. The teachings eventually got integrated into
the beliefs and traditions of the local communities, into their family
history, into their songs and dances. St. Thomas established seven
Christian communities or churches in Kerala. They are in Cranganore,
Paravur(Kottakavu), Palayoor, Kokkamangalam, Malayattoor, Niranam,
Chayal (Nilackal) and Kollam (Quilon). Throughout Kerala, one can find
Christian families that are proud to claim descent from ancestors who
were baptized by Apostle Thomas. Sankarapuri, Pakalomattom and
Maliekal are the prominent ones. Some details of this combined
tradition may be found in songs - the "Rabban Pattu", the "Veeradyan
Pattu", the "Margam Kali Pattu" and others that now exist in written
records.
The Church in Kerala had a high missionary spirit. Christians from
Malabar spread their faith as far as Maldives and Indonesia.
St. Thomas Christians were considered high caste, along the Hindu
tradition, with special privileges granted by the kings. The
archdeacon was the head of the Church, and Palliyogams (Parish
Councils) were in charge of temporal affairs. There were women
deacons. They had a liturgy-centered life with days of fasting and
abstinence. Their devotion to the St. Thomas Cross was absolute. Their
churches were modelled after Hindu temples. In short, the St. Thomas
Christians of Kerala had blended well the ecclesiastical world of the
East Syrian Church with the socio-cultural environment of their
homeland. Thus, the East Syrian Church was Hindu in culture, Christian
in religion and Syro-Oriental in worship.
Please read more <a
href="http://www.indianembassy.org/new/newdelhipressfile/kerala_christianity.html">here</a>
The attacks on Christians is not from the Indian Faiths and Religions
or mentality, but it seems the global crises of ethics and value
system creating disturbance everywhere.
Thanks for your reading it.
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