World & Indian Church History (Eng)

Life Christian University
COURSE SYLLABUS
WORLD CHURCH HISTORY AND INDIAN CHURCH

HISTORY
COURSE OBJECTIVE:
To study the origin of the Christian Church worldwide and in India, including its Jewish roots and its
development from the Day of Pentecost through modern times.
COURSE TEXT:
Title Author
The Story of the Christian Church Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

Bible – Acts chapters 2 – 19
History of Christianity in India Frederick S Downs
The Early Spread of Christianity in India A Mingana D D
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: All Students

1. Read the required text.
2. Attend all classes or listen to recordings of any missed classes if absentee is excused.
3. Take required exam the last night of class.
4. Write one 6-page research paper on any outstanding personality in church history (e.g. Athanasius,
St. Augustine, Martin Luther, St. Francis, George Fox, John Knox, John Wesley, etc.)
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Level 5 and 6 Students

In addition to the above requirements:
1. Read Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians by James Lawson 1.
2. Instead of the 6-page paper, Level 5 and 6 students should write a 12-page research paper.
1 Available as a print-on-demand book from Anchor Books at 800-444-4484. Ask for LCU discountand
allow 2 weeks for delivery. ISBN: 978-088-368-5174
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WORLD CHURCH HISTORY AND INDIAN CHURCH HISTORY
SECTION 1: WORLD CHURCH HISTORY – PART A.
I. A History of the Early Church
A. Jewish History
1. Israel as a kingdom was established under David.
2. Kingdom was divided after Solomon.
a. Northern kingdom (Israel) taken exile by Assyria in 721 B.C., never restored
b. Southern kingdom (Judah) taken exile by Babylon in 586 B.C. for 70 years
1) Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.
2) Persian King Cyrus allowed Jews to return and rebuild.
3. Greek empire, under Alexander the Great, conquered known world, benevolent to Jews
a. Alexander died in 323 B.C. - Kingdom divided among four generals
b. Ptolemy ruled over Palestine - benevolent to Jews
c. Seleucid King, Antiochus the Fourth (Epiphanes), began controlling

Palestine in 175 B.C. - outlawing Judaism
d. Jews revolt - Maccabees prevail - Judaism preserved

e. Sons of Mattathias become both civil and religious leaders - (Has moneandynasty)
4. Jews make concessions with Romans.
a. Pompey's triumph
b. Herod the Great (37 B.C. - 4 B.C.) – Mt. 2:1
c. Herod Antipas (4 B.C. - A.D. 39) – Mk. 6:14-29; Lk. 23:7
d. King Herod Agrippa (A.D. 37- 44) – Acts 12:1-10
© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 1

5. Under Roman rule, Jews self-governing by 70 member council (Sanhedrin) and the High Priest
who was usually appointed by the Roman ruler.
6. Jewish life
a. Synagogue - became center of Judaism during the exile in Babylon.

Required wherever ten adult male Jews were found.
1) Formal services every Sabbath morning and feast days

a) The Shema recited
b) Prayers
c) Selected reading
d) Discourse by one chosen by synagogue ruler – Acts 13:15
e) Priestly benediction
2) Most important function was instruction in the Law provided by ordained rabbis
3) Synagogue rulers exercised civil and religious authority
b. The Temple
1) Herod's Temple - the royal porch served for religious instruction
2) Court of the Gentiles
3) Court of the women
4) Court of Israel
5) Court of Priest - contained altar and laver
6) Holy Place - 7-branched lamp stand, table of showbread, and golden altar of incense
(only priest had access)
7) Most Holy Place - High Priest had access only once a year
8) Worshipped conducted by priests offering morning and evening sacrifices

accompanied by burning incense
9) Temple supported by annual half-shekel tax and other sources supplied huge revenue.
The “chief priests,” through intermarriage and Roman favors, controlled enormous
wealth and political power.

B. Birth of Christ - "the fullness of time" – Gal. 4:4
1. Roman peace, roads, culture
2. Greek language and philosophy
3. Jewish synagogue system
C. Birth of the Church
1. Day of Pentecost - coming of the Holy Spirit

2. Peter preached - 3,000 saved - Acts 2:41-47.
3. Division arises concerning inequitable distribution of goods for Hebrew and
Greek Jews - Acts. 6:1-6
4. Stephen's preaching and martyrdom - Acts. 6,7
D. Expansion of the Church to 68 A.D.

1. Jesus - Jewish Messiah – first believers were Jews
2. Persecution arises in Jerusalem - believers scattered
3. Philip goes to Samaria - Acts 8
4. Saul converted - Apostle to the Gentiles - Acts 9
5. Peter preaches to first Gentile converts - Acts 10
6. Barnabas goes to Antioch – first Gentile church - Acts 11:19-26
7. Barnabas and Paul – first missionary journey - Acts 13
8. Council at Jerusalem - Acts 15
9. Paul's second and third missionary journeys
10. Paul's arrest - 3 years in Caesarea, 2 years in Rome
11. Paul acquitted - traveled through Asia Minor - arrested again at Nicopolis -
taken to Rome where beheaded in 68 A.D.
12. Peter also martyred by Nero in 67 A.D.
13. Multitudes of Christians put to death by Nero in first imperial persecution
E. Jews or Christians?
1. In early days, Christians were considered another sect of Judaism which was
exempt from Roman law concerning emperor worship.

2. As Gentile church grew, Romans recognized Christianity as an illegal religion.
First imperial persecution - under Nero in 64 A.D. - continued until
Constantine became emperor in 313 A.D.
3. When the Jews of Palestine revolted against the Romans, Jewish Christians
had to decide whether or not to support the revolt. James was killed by the
Jews in 66 A.D., and all Jewish Christians left Jerusalem.
4. In 70 A.D., Jerusalem was destroyed. The destruction of the temple was the
major event that separated the Jewish community from the Christians.
5. In 84 A.D., Jewish leaders sent word to all synagogues to exclude all

Christian Jews from their assemblies.
6. The Church soon became a Gentile Church.
F. The Church from 68 A.D. to 120 A.D.
1. Little is known after the death of Paul
2. Book of Revelation gives clues to what various churches were facing - Rev. 2,3
3. Second imperial persecution under Domitian in 90 A.D.
4. Death of the apostle John about 100 A.D.
5. Letter of Pliny to the Emperor Trojan in 112 A.D. “Temples of gods in Asia
Minor almost forsaken because Christians were everywhere in multitude."
6. Church services patterned after that of the synagogue, with these differences:
a. Worshipped on Sunday
b. Lord's supper
7. Baptism - the rite of initiation into the Church
II. The Medieval Church
A. The Holy Roman Empire (10th -19th Century)

1. Charlemagne (742 - 814 A.D.)
a. King of the Franks
b. Conquered all lands
c. Crowned “Charles Augustus, Roman Emperor” by Pope Leo III (800 A.D.)
2. Constant rivalry between the emperors and popes for power
3. Succession of emperors ended in 1806 - Francis II renounced his title under
Napoleon.
B. Latin and Greek Church formally separated in 1054 A.D. Both Pope of
Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other.
1. Major cause of separation - trivial doctrines (eg. "the procession of the Holy Ghost")
2. Different customs of East and West:
West East
a. Marriage of priests forbidden a. Marriage of priest required
b. Adoration of images b. Adoration of pictures
c. Mass - unleavened bread c. Mass - common bread
d Observed 7th day fast d. No fast day observed
C. The Crusades
1. Muslim Turks invaded Asia Minor and controlled more than half of Eastern empire.
2. Eastern Emperor Alexius Commends appealed to Pope Urban II for help.
3. Crusades began with armies of knights from the west conquering portions of Holy
Land and establishing crusader states.
4. After 200 years, crusader states fell to Muslim control (1291 A.D.).
D. Reform within the Church
1. Cluniac order (910 A.D.) - exempt from local control

2. Leaders from this monastic community:

a Hildebrand (Pope Gregory VII)
b. Humbert of Mogenmoutier
c. Peter Damian
d. Frederick of Lorraine
e. Otto of Legery (Pope Urban II)
3. These leaders desired the freedom of the Church to be subject only to the
Scriptures - not civil rulers. They held the view that Christian people were to
be governed by a hierarchy of clergy under the leadership of a pope who is
superior to all secular rulers.
4. Pope Gregory VIII (1075 A.D.) drew up document giving pope absolute power.
5. Duke William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) sanctioned by pope to
conquer England.
6. Peak of papal authority - Pope Innocent III (1198 – 1216 A.D.)
7. Church established educational system
a. Education no longer limited to monasteries
b. New orders of preaching friars: Dominicans and Franciscans
E. Scholasticism
1. With papal reform came emphasis on education.

2. Cathedral schools offered seven liberal arts and theology.
3. Universities established for advanced students.
4. Soon degrees became necessary to serve as a cleric.
5. Emphasis on higher levels of intellectual understanding produced many
philosophical questions concerning theology.
F. The Inquisition
1. Scholasticism brought diverse movements which were in conflict with

doctrines of the Church or pope.

2. Third Lateran Council (1179) established Bishop's Inquisition.
a. Special court could judge actions and intentions.
b. Secret investigators
c. Inquisitor had complete authority as judge, prosecutor, and jury.
d. Convicted heretics suffered various degrees of punishment.
e. Many injustices and false accusations made for political gain.
G. Rival Popes
1. Boniface vs. King of France
2. French Pope Clement I moves from Rome to France
3. Italian pope at Rome
4. Schism lasted 68 years until 1449.
5. Italian Pope Nicholas I brought back unity of Papal States.
6. Papal interest in the arts and political authority overshadowed spiritual
concerns and needs of the people.
H. Renaissance
1. "Rebirth" - reviving of classical Greek and Roman values in art, politics, and
life styles
2. Interest in ancient writings was a motive for the development of the printing
press (Johann Gutenberg 1445).
a. First complete book printed was the Bible in 1456.
3. This invention spread all over Europe, creating a wider and more critical
reading public.
I. Spiritual Revival
1. Greet Groote (1340 - 1384) – “DevotioModerna”
2. This movement produced many authors who challenged humanist, openly
revealed corruption in the Church and the need for moral standards and true
devotion to Christ.
J. The Reformation
1. Martin Luther - 95 Theses (Oct. 31, 1517)
a. Excommunicated by pope (1520) - doctrines outlawed
b. Translated Bible into language of the people
c. In 1529, Emperor Charles I sent forces to Germany to arrest Luther.
1) German princes made a formal protest, stood by Luther, and
fought the Emperor's armies.
2) These protesters became known as "Protestants."
2. The Reformers
a. Three main traditions developed:
1) Lutheran - Germany and Scandinavia
2) Zwinglian and Calvinist - Switzerland, France, Holland, and Scotland
3) Church of England
b. Reformers believed:
1) The authority of God’s Word
2) Salvation by grace alone
3) Priesthood of the believer
c. Church not only divided between Catholic and Protestant but the
Protestant movement was divided by many theological doctrines.
K. Catholic and Protestant struggles in England

1. King Henry VIII proclaimed himself Head of the Church in England (1534).
2. King Edward VI (1547- 1553) supported Reformation under Thomas Cranmer.
3. Queen Mary (1553- 1558) attempted to restore Catholicism by persecuting
Protestants.
4. Queen Elizabeth (1558 - 1603) permanently restored Protestantism in
England.
5. New Church of England composed of two groups:
a) Anglicans - ceremonies resembled Roman Catholicism

b) Puritans - desired a truly reformed Church beyond what the government
had established
6. Puritans soon no longer regarded Church of England as the true Church.
a) Began independent congregations known as the Congregationalist
movement
b) Government repression forced Puritans to leave England.
c) Many sought refuge in the Netherlands. From this group came
the "Pilgrim Fathers" who emigrated to America.
L. Catholic Reform
1. Oratory of Divine Love (1517). Fifty clergy and laymen stressed need of
reform through love and moral purity.
2. Pope Paul III - made major changes by appointing these Catholic reformers
to College of Cardinals and a reform commission.
3. New Ascetic order - Jesuits under Loyola had three main emphases:
a. Education
b. Counteracting the Protestants
c. Missionary expansion
4. Major instrument of Catholic Reformation - the Inquisition
SECTION 2: WORLD CHURCH HISTORY – PART B.
III. Protestant Revival – The Great Awakening
A. At the beginning of eighteenth century, the Church was characterized by

lethargic moderation.
B. George Whitefield, Anglican clergyman, preached in London and Bristol in

1737. Whitefield started field preaching and recruited lay preachers.

C. Howell Harris began Welsh Calvinistic Methodist Church and his efforts
brought revival to Wales.
D. All-night prayer meeting held where George Whitefield, John and Charles
Wesley testified to a powerful move of the Spirit of God that intensified their
conviction that the people of Britain must hear the Gospel at all cost.
E. John Wesley
1. Established many missionary societies - founder of Methodism
2. Recruited circuit riders to establish preaching itinerary
3. Methodism quickly spread over England, Ireland, Wales, Scotland, Germany

and much of Europe, then into North American Colonies
4. John Wesley traveled over 250,000 miles in his lifetime
F. Charles Wesley - England's most gifted hymn writer, produced over 7,000 sacred
songs.
G. Revival in North America
1. Jonathan Edwards took father’s pastorate of Congregational Church in

Northampton, Mass. in 1733.
2. By 1743, revival had spread to all of New England, New York, New Jersey,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia.
H. Evangelical United Front - James McGready and Peter Cartwright began

"camp meetings" on country's frontiers. By 1855, the Methodists and
Baptists were leading revivalists.
I. American Bible Society raised up to fight Catholic influence in the West

byputting Bibles in every school room in America.
J. Church divided North and South
1. In 1845, Southern Methodist declared themselves independent.
2. That same year, the Southern Baptist Convention was organized.

K. Charles Finney preached to thousands on frontier and cities - entire
communities were converted.
L. D. L. Moody established Chicago Evangelization Society, known today as the

Moody Bible Institute.
IV. The Pentecostal Movement
A. In the late 19th century, Christians showed strong interest in supernatural

works and divine healing.
B. Divine Healing Conference in London (1885)
C. Alexander Dowie - Father of Healing Revivalism in America
1. Established Christian Catholic Church in Chicago (1896)
2. Built the City of Zion - (1900)
3. Ousted from Church in 1906 - for extremes of lifestyle and questionable

Revelations
4. Leaders emerged from Dowie's ministry:
a. F. F. Bosworth
b. B. B. Bosworth
b. John G. Lake
c. Raymond T. Richey
D. Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles (1906)
E. Organized Pentecostal movements:
1. The Church of God
2. The Assemblies of God

3. The Pentecostal Holiness Church
4. The Christian and Missionary Alliance Church
5. The Foursquare Church - Aimee Semple McPherson
F. By the 1930’s, Pentecostal churches were characterized by numerous sects

caused by splits and controversies. They were not recognized by fundamentalist
organizations.
G. After W.W. II, fundamentalist changed their position, officially recognized

Pentecostal denominations, and received them into the National Association of
Evangelists.
V. The Charismatic Renewal of 1960's

A. Those who had experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit and divine
healing returned to their denominational churches.
B. By the end of the 60's, almost every denominational church had within it a
charismatic assembly.
INDIAN CHURCH HISTORY
VI. ST. THOMAS TRADITION
The History of the Church, in India can be traced back to A.D. 52 when St.
Thomas, one of the Apostles of Jesus Christ landed on the Malabar Coast. This
has been the constant tradition of the Syrian Christians of Malabar (Kerala) though
we do not have any contemporary records except the writings of certain historians
of the later period telling about the early Christians in Malabar and the stories
about St. Thomas. But in the absence of rival claims and the presence of the strong
tradition of the Malabar Church in favor of the St. Thomas tradition it is to be
believed that the Church in India was originated in the 1st century and Christianity
was brought into India by St. Thomas.
Conditions in south India in the first century:- The historical social and
geographical condition in South India in the 1st century were favorable for the
introduction of Christianity into India. South India was divided into three
Kingdoms at the beginning of the Christian era. The three Kingdoms were –
Chera, Chola and Pandya and each was ruled by a chieftain or king. These kings
were not despotic rulers, but were advised by the Brahamins. There was free
intercourse between the countries. The people were opening minded and therefore
it was possible for them to welcome this new faith.
Cranganoor (Kodungaloor) was the cosmopolitan port of the Malabar Coast

at this time. Egyptian, Syrian, Arab, Chinese and other traders were seen their
carrying on trade between the west and the far east. Traders of all important
nations had their settlements and factories at Cranganoor. There were attracted St.
Thomas to the Malabar Coast. People from the west used to come to Indian either
by sea for trade. St. Thomas could carry on his evangelistic work in Indian with
the help of the Jews who knew both Syrian and Malabar language.
Christianity was introduced into the Chera Kingdom. The Chera kingdom
was established by a Brahmin known as Parasuram. At the beginning of the
Christian era the independent Chera kingdom was ruled by the Perumals. Nairs
were soldiers and Nampudiries (Malabar Brahmins) were the Chieftains. The form
of government was more or less democratic. The social systems were controlled
by the Nampudiries. According to the caste system, they were at the top.
The story of St. Thomas:- We have in the New Testament on e book, i.e., the Acts
of the Apostles, which accounts for the early development of the Christian Church.
However, later on it was felt that the Acts of the Apostles was insufficient to give a
full description of the Acts of all the Apostles. Therefore at a later period some
books like Acts of John, Acts of Judas Thomas were written. These are known as
apocryphal books.
In Acts of Judas Thomas there is an interesting story telling how the apostle
Thomas came to India. This story begins by telling that the Apostles cast lots to
decide where each should go and preach. India fell to the lot of Thomas. But he
was most unwilling to go. But Christ appeared to a merchant from India named
Habban, who was in the employ of king Gudnaphar, and offered to sell him a slave
who was a carpenter. Habban bought Thomas for twenty pieces of silver and took
him to India. There the King wanted him to build a palace for him. He also gave
him a large sum of money for the work. But Thomas gave away the money to the
poor. When the King knew about this he was very angry. Thomas declared that he
had built a heavenly palace for him by helping the poor. King Gudnaphar put him
in prison. Gad, the brother of the king, became ill. During his illness he had a
dream. In this dream he saw a wonderful palace built for the King in heaven by St.
Thomas. When the King heard about this, he and his brother were baptized. Also
St. Thomas was given freedom to preach the Gospel in their kingdom.
This story of St. Thomas seems to be a legendary one, but it is not totally
false because during the 19th century, numerous coins with the name of Gudnaphar
were found in Punjab and Afghanistan. Some other evidences of the historical
character of the Gudnaphar story are also available.
St. Thomas tradition in the Syrian Church:- According to Dr. J. B. Keny the visit
of St. Thomas, the founder of the Church in South India cannot be positively
proved. But there is nothing improbable in the story of the Apostle Thomas
evangelizing south India, because of the strong local tradition as to the origin of the
Church in South India. According to the tradition of the Syrian Christian Church
in Kerala St. Thomas landed in the year A. D. 52 at Cranganoor near Cochin and
preached the Gospel throughout the Malabar coast and established churches in
seven different places, i.e. Palur, Parur, Gokkamangalam, Cranganoor, Chayal,
Niranam and Quilon. Syrian churches still exist in some of these places. Except in
Chayal all other places are in the coastal region. St. Thomas, by his simplicity and
saintly life could win many converts from the high caste of the Hindus, though
they were far superior in intelligence and philosophy. The four Brahmin families
who became Christian were Pakalomattam, Kalli, Sankarapuri and Kaliamkat.
Today many of the Syrian Christian families claim that they are the descendants of
these four Brahmin families. After this St. Thomas crossed the Western Ghats and
preached the Gospel in Madras State and people believe that he even went to China

and finally returned to Mylapore in Madras city where he was murdered by some
of the Brahmins who were against the idea of convering Hindus to Christianity.
The body of St. Thomas is supposed to have been buried in Mylapore or St.
Thomas Mount where we find today the Roman Catholic Cathedral over the tomb
of St. Thomas. It is believed that a merchant took away the bones of St. Thomas
from Mylapore and buried them in Edessa in Persia because St. Thomas
established churched in Persia of his way to India. This is mentioned in the poem
written by St. Ephram in Edessa about (363-373). In 1952 Christians throughout
South India celebrated the supposed 19th death centenary of St. Thomas was
celebrated in Cranganoor, where St. Thomas landed. In 1954 the 1st Indian Roman
Catholic Cardinal in Bombay. Cardinal Gracious – brought a piece of bone of St.
Thomas from Edeasa and buried it in Gova. The Christians in South India
celebrate July 3rd as St. Thomas Day to commemorate the day of the removal of the
remains of St. Thomas to Edessa.
QUOTATION TO SUPPORT ST. THOMAS TRADITION:- The following

quotations from early historians are in support of the St. Thomas tradition.
1. Jeromo:- “The Son of God was present to all places, with Thomas in India,
Peter in Rome, with Paul in Illyria, with Titus in Crete, with Andrew in
Achaea, and with every preacher of the gospel in all the regions they
traverse.” – 4th century.
rd
2. Dorotheus – Bishop of Tyre (3 century) – says that Thomas after having
preached the gospel to the Partisans suffered martyrdom in Calamine, a town
in India. (Calamine means little mount in Mylapore).
3. St. John Chrysostom (347-407) says that from the earliest days of
Christianity the tomb of St. Thomas was venerated in the east as that of St.
Peter at Rome.

Refines who who went to Edessa in 371 and lived there for 25 years says that the
Apostle’s remains were removed from India to Edessa.
Marco Polo, 13th century, after visiting the Shrine at Millipore recorded the
following:- “The Shrine of St. Thomas in the province of Malabar: both Christians
and Saracens(Muslims) visit the place as pilgrims. Christians also take some soil
from where he was killed to be used for curing sick people.” Marco Polo also
states that St. Thomas was killed accidently by a hunter while he was praying.
Probably, this story was invented by the Brahmins to hide the fact that they are the
descendants of the murderers of St. Thomas. After two centuries Christians at
Mylapur disappeared and the lamp at the Shrine was kept by Muslims. Probaly
they went to Kerala and settled down there.
VII. THE EARLY CHURCH IN INDIA (MALABAR CHURCH)
(A) The Early Malabar Christians:-
Nazarenes :- The Christian communities founded by St. Thomas in the Chola and
Pandya Kingdoms did not survive for a long time ,because of persecution. But
those in the chera king –dom still survived. Political motives were responsible for
this annihilation of Christians in chola and Pandya. These three kingdoms-Chara,
Chola, Pandya-were attacking each other.
Then the Chera king was defended by the Christians and the Christian merchants
by supplying arms and money. This made the Chera king very powerful .Malabar
Christians were known as a military class. As they were the allies of the Chera
king. The other kings in Chole and pandya hated Christians in their king-doms and
persecuted them.
The St. Thomas Christians of Malabar were known as. Nazaranies’’ It is not
sure whether St. Thomas gave them the Dravidian liturgy or the Syrian liturgy. He
did not try to change the time-honoured customs of early Christians .He did not
force them to change their dress or hair style. He insisted on only two things –
accepting Christ as the Saviour and accepting the Cross as the sign of Nazarani.
(b) Exodus of Canse Thomas-(345 A.D.)
Of the history of the Church in India for the first three hundred years till the
coming of Thomas Canan or Cenae Thomas we know very little. In the 2nd century
A.D. Demetrius, the Bishop of Alexandria sent to India Pantaenus, a Christian
teacher (a great philosopher)from the Catechetical /School of Alexandria as a
request had came from India. Pantaenus discovered in India St. Matthew’s gospel.
Written in Hebrew.
Pantaenus being a Greek philosopher, could argue with the Brahmins of South
India. His writings and the writings of his disciple, Clement, tell that the story of
St. Thomas is historical .Again at the great Council of Nicaca in A.D. 325, Bishop
John from Persia subscribed as Metropolitan .of Persia and of Great India. This
suggests that India did not have a Bishop of her own till the 4th century and the
Church in India was also under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Persia and also this
shows that the Church in India and the Persian Church were so closely connected
even in the early period, not only after the 4th century.
During the 4th century A.D. the Metropolitan of the town of Edessa and the
King of Edessa, both bad a vision of St. Thomas who asked them to help the Indian
Church. As a result, the King sent 336 Syrian families under the leadership of
Canae Thomas to India. Canae Thomas was a Syrian merchant from Jerusalem.
They entered Kodungalour (Cranganore) with the permission of Cheraman
Perumal in 345 A.D. The Church of St. Thomas was in a state of disorder till the
coming of Canae Thomas who realised that the Christians of Malabar were in want
of priests. Therefore he brought Bishop Joseph and many priests and deacons from
the Middle East to India. King Cheraman Perumal was pleased with Canae Thomas
and the Christians. So he granted many privilege of honour written on copper
plates, some which still exist in Kerala Canae Thomas had trade connections with
all important parts of the Mediaterranian, Persian Gulf, and Indian sea. So he got a
great welcome from King Perumal and was given Mahadevs Pattanum without
charge. He and all the Syrians who came with him settled down there and it
became the second biggest city in early St. Thomas Christians who came from the
high caste and merged into a single Syrian Christan Community – Canae Thomas
himself married a lady from Malabar. But Knanaya Syrians in Kerala claim that
they are the descendents of Canao Thomas and they do not intermarry with others.
They are known as Southists (Southern Christians) and other Syrian Christians are
Northists. Canae Thomas won many honours from Cheraman Perumal who
accepted him as his trusted adviser especially in matters of commerce. He was
given the monopoly of the inland and foreign trades. So his descendents were
known as Perumchetty (great merchants). Canae Thomas and his followers
became very wealthy. Many Malayalam songs describe their prosperity in glowing
terms, especially Canae Thomas. He became supreme in the Council of the
Nampudiries of Malabar. Canae Thomas got the privilege of double leaf plates of
food during feasts. This privilege given by Perumal still exists in Malabar.
Tradition says that once the five artisan’s carpenters, masons, goldsmiths, black –
smiths and bronze-smiths left Kerala and went to Cylon, because the king did not
need their protest against intermarriage. But Thomas Canan with the influence of
Ceylon brought them back and as a result King Perumal made these artisans to be
the servants of Canae Thomas and his descendents. He was given the title Ravi
Kanthan.
(c) Syrian Christians:- from the time of Canae Thomas, the Malabar Christians
were known as Syrian Christians as they mingled with the Syrians and followed
the Syrian liturgy(a form of prayer) . The Church spread throughout the length and
breadth of Perumal’s kingdom and a regular flow of clergy and Bishops were kept
up from Syria. Up to the coming of the Muslims, Syrian Christians were
controlling the trade with Mediterranean ports. Syrians come to be respected and
feared by all and also they had good relationships with the king. Christians were
not under village Chiefs, (Nampudiries) but directly under the king. If a Hindu
committed a crime against a Christian, it would be pardoned only by the paying of
gold or land to the Christian Church. Their Bishops were respected as kings. In
the 16th century one Hindu King gave this privilege to Nairs and then the
Christians declared war against the King. So the King had to cancel his
proclamation. Perumals had to like Syrian Christians because of their military
power and economic prosperity.
(d) Christian Dynasty:- According to tradition the power of the Christian

Community extended so much that in course of time they claimed the right to elect
from themselves their own King. His jurisdiction was to be over them all, though
scattered in the dominions of various kings, and he was to defend them from
violence, and tyranny. There were two Christian kingdoms in Malabar during the
middle ages – Valiar Pattam and another Diamper (Udayamperur). An Arabian
traveler who visited in 9th century mentions the Syrian King in Valiar-Pattam near
Cranganeer. Another historical record from the writings of Pope John XXII to the
Christians of Malabar also mentions the King of the Christians.
(e) Syrian Christians and the Nestorian Connection:- As it was stated befor the
Church in India was closely connected with the Persians Church even from the
early days. The oldest monuments of the Christians Church in India are some
ancient Persian crosses. One of them is found at Mylapore, St. Thomas Mount,
and the other in the old Jacobite. Church at Kottayam in Kerala. These crosses
probably belonged to the 9th century or before. Some other crosses are also found
in other places like Kadamattam and Mattuchira in Kerala. According to tradition
the Persian Church accepted the Nestorian Christology (i.e. Christ had both human
and divine attributed equally) in the 5th century and as a result the Church in India
also accepted the Nestorian doctrine. Till the coming of the Jacobites the Church
in Malabar was Nestorian. Even today we find a Nestorian Church known as the
Church of the east or Chaldaean Church in Trichur, Kerala. (The Nestorian
Patriarch is now in America). It is Muslims the Persian Christians migrated to
other places. The Chaldean Nestoran Church is still using Chaldean Syriac, while
the other Syrian churches are using the Maranaya (Antiochan) Syriac language. Of
course most of the prayer books are now translated into Malayalam, except in the
Nestorian Church. Cosmos who visited India during the 6th century states that he
found a Nestorian Church in India. Persian Christians settled down in many parts
of India and Ceylon. Besides the Syrian Christians of Malabar there were probably

many Nestorian small congregations in other parts of India –like Bombay, Patna
and Madras. But the churches outside died but leaving no history or traces behind.
The power of the Syrian Christians declined when the Muslims began to come to
India. The flow of Bishops from Syria also was restricted. The Muslims became
the rulers of the Middle East. Up to the coming of the Muslims Cranganoor was
the most important part, but after that Calicut became the important kingdoms –
Calicut, Cochin and Travancore.
VIII. The Portuguese Period - St. Francis Xavier
The arrival of Vasco de Gama from Portugal in 1498 May 20th in Calicut via
Cape of Good Hope is a very significant event in the history of India as well as in
the history of the church in India. Calicut was the capital of the land of Zamerin
who was a friend of Muslims. Therefore he adopted a hostile attitude to the
Portuguese. But Raja of Cochin likes the coming of Portuguese people because he
had to escape from Zamorin and Muslims. So he immediately made friendship
with Portuguese people and Vasco d agama that went to Cochin then. It was the
great joy to Syrian Christians too. The Syrian Christians thought that they could re-
established their lost power with the help of Portuguese. Vasco de gama also
wanted to make friendship with Christians because the latter were powerful
community. They agreed to have pepper trade with the Portuguese and also they
supplied 50,000 guns men to the Raja of Cochin to strengthen his military power.
There were 30,000 Christian families in Malabar at this time. The Syrian Christian
even presented to Vasco de gama, the rod of the last Syrian kind in order to make
friendship with the Portuguese. The Portuguese people who were the Catholics did
have very little knowledge of Indian religions. They thought India is Christian
Country. Vasco de gama happened to worship a Hindu image Mariyamma (Kali) in
a temple thinking it was the image of St. Mary.
The Indian Christian within a short time realized the unclean way of living of the
Portuguese and gave them the nick name parakeets. The Hindu’s and the Muslims
also found out the unclean living of Portuguese, their pork eating and immorality.
Their attitude towards the local people was arrogant and contemplates and they
have no sexual moral law. That is why they were given the name “Parakeets”
(Unclean barbarians). Portuguese people wanted to marry Syrian Christian girls but
the Syrian Christians did not like that idea because of the immoral habits of sailors
and soldiers among the Portuguese people.
However, the Portuguese people had their political power. They could drive away
the Arabs from western cost and took the lead in business. They had the spirit of
adventure and were crusaders. They spread throughout the western cost. A large
number of clergies, bishops of Roman Catholics from Portugal landed in India.
They found that the form of worship of Portuguese people is different from the
Syrian rates and also their way of life is not computable to the Syrian nations of
respectable ceremonial life.
Portuguese people settled down in Goa, Cranganoor and Calicut and they started
spreading Roman Catholicism. Wherever Portuguese flag flew the Portuguese
missionaries came there to spread Catholicism. Pope Alexander gave permission to
the Portuguese missionaries in the West. They rebuilt the city of Gova and made it
as the capital of Portuguese Empire in the east. They had earlier settlements in
Calicut, Cochin and Cranganoor which were subordinate to Gova. In 1534 Gova
raised to the level of a Bishopric and in 1557 Archdiocese of the Arch Bishop of
the Roman Catholic church in India, and cranganoor and cochin dioceses were
under Gova.
Franciscans and Dominicans were the pioneers in missionary work from

Portuguese in India. In a short time Gova became a Christian state. Then they
worked all over South India from western Costs to eastern and up to Mylapore. It
so happened that all the Paravas (Pearl fishers of eastern coast became Christians.
20,000 took baptism within a short time with the intention to get themselves
protected from the Arabs who treated them badly. Arabs even took away desirable
girls from this areas and sold them as slaves. They sold the head of Paravas at the
rated of 15 Np. Then one of the employee of Portuguese Joaodecruz who became
a Christian advised the Paravas to seek the help of Portuguese. They took baptism
on the condition that they would be protected. This led to the open war between
Portuguese and Muslims. Portuguese with Raja of Cochin and Syrian Christians
army combined and inflicted a crushing defeat on the Arabs at the place Vidalia
(Vedalai Battle). The battle put an end to the power of zamorin of Malabar.
Therefore it was easy for the Portuguese to convert 20,000 paravas but much more
difficult to bring them up to Christian way of living.
St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
It was at this period king John 111 of Portugal having the intention to expand his
dominions appealed to the pope to send missionaries to India .The first man
selected for this was St. Francis Xavier .We do know little of his early life. He
belonged to the royal family of Navarre and France. He did his studies in the
university of Paris, later on worked as a professor in Philosophy there .He was
influenced by St. Ignatius Loyola member of the same practicing celibacy and
poverty .St Francis Xavier was one among them. This brotherhood is known as
society of Jesus (society of sannyasi priests).St Francis Xavier left his job and
plunged into India as a letter from king James of Portugal and also a letter from
pope by giving authority but he was depending on his own devotion to Christ.
He was warmly welcomed by the Gova Christians with great honors, with
palanquin and decorations, but to their surprised they found the saint in rag clothes
and bare footed. Everybody impressed that he was not go first to the hospital not to
the palanquin. He prefers to walk and all the people followed him. He did not like
the metropolitan atmosphere of Gova .He began to serve the lepers. He saw greater
need among the Indians than the Europeans in Gova. Not to be minister “was his
motto. He wanted to work with the miserable people of India .He saw good
mission field among the converted paravars, poor fisher men.(20,000 converts
whom we have already mentioned ,who lived on the south –east coast of Madras
state. Tinnevelly and surrounding places). He used to walk around the villages the
villages and collect children and adults and taught them Ten Commandments,
Lord’s Prayer and other prayers. After some time he visited Travancore and got

converted a large number of another fisher caste called mukavars. When he was
working among the refugees .When pandya king marched against Travancore,
Trancis Xavier performed a miracle which made the enemy to go back .Because of
this the king of Travancore received.
Francis Xavier with great honours. This helped him to work among the mauves in
the western coast of Travancore. After three years he went to eastward further to
the rising sun, probably to East India’s. He went to Japan and worked there.
People from manner on the coastal region near cape coumarone invited him to
work there. He sent a priest who baptized a large number of fisher men. The King
of Jaffna got anoid at this. He with an army forced these new converts to give up
their christian faith. His soldiers butchered 700 new Christians. This news made
Xavier very sad. He requested the viceroy to protect the remaining Christians. But
he refused. So the missionary activity in Mannar had to stop. Xavier left India in
1545. He reached an Island in Melucuss and worked there for 3 years without
going to Japap though intended. He came back to India in 1548 and worked again
for 15 months organizing Jesuit mission. After this He went to Japan and worked
2 years and founded a church there. In 1552 he returned to India and landed
Cochin. He understood that the church affires in India at this time was not
satisfactory because of the unworthy Christian workers. This caused quarral
among the workers. Xavier tried to settle the matter somehow. He then decided to
preach the gospel in China. But Portuguese people in Gova did not encourage him
to do so because chinees were hostile to Portuguese and English. But Xavier sailed
to China in April 1552. After a hazardogs journey he reached an island near the
main land where the foreigners were allowed to come in. Though he wanted to go
to the interior China, his master called him back to eternal rest. He was a courtier,
mystic, scholar administrator and missionary. His death was mourned by all in the
east and the west, everybody who knew him. Portuguese people took his body
back to Gova and buried there. His body is kept intact to this day. He is a man
respected by both Christians and non Christians. His sincerity, his devotion to
Christian came compassion for suffering humanity, his exuberant energy, his spirit
of renunciation made him one of the greatest saints Europe has even sent out to the

East. It was not the reward of heaven or the fear of hell but his compassion
formankind and the love for, Christ, motivated him to work as missionary.
Although he was a Roman Catholic he was not of the sectarian kind.
“My God I love thee,
Not for the reward in heaven should I love thee well not for the sake of reward in
heaven nor for the fear in hell”
This song about him shows his motive. He was a mystic. He used to communion
with God and fall into pits of costacy. Always a mysterious joy radiating from his
face. He had a will to suffer. He had a strong will to suffer for his brothers.
700,000 were converted by his work within Ten years. He established schools for
the material advancement of these people. He was interested in both spiritual and
physical advancement of his converts. He was a member of the Society of Jesus.
So this society has a hold in India also. He planted missions in several places in
India, Japan and Indonesia.
IX. Coming of English missionaries and the influence of Protestants on

Syrian Church – Mar Thoma Separation.
The contact with the protestant missionaries in 18th century brought into a now
spirit in the now spirit in the Syrian church. In 1806 Dr. Bachanan visited India.
He got interested in the Syrian church. He got syriac scriptures printed and also
translated some of the liturgical books. He established Parish schools for the
education of Syrians. Curnal Mundro also got interested in the Syrian church
(1810-1820). He established a college for the Syrian clergy men. The Catholic
missionaries discouraged the clery men to marry while the protestants encouraged
them to get married to avoid irregularities. Some of the early British missionaries
who came to Kerala are Bishop middleton, Benjamin Barley, Rev Thomas

Dawson, Joseph Fenn, Hentry Baker, Rev Thomas Norton. These missionaries of
the C.M.S. mission started literature work. They got Bible translated into
Malayalam and also published Malayalam Dictionaries and printed. They started
village schools in many places where there Syrian Christians. They discouraged
the practice of ordaining uneducated and immature people. C.M.S College
Kottayam was established to give general education and theological education to
Syrian clergies and those who were intending to be clery. They hoped that all the
evil practices crept into the Syrian church during the Portuguese period would
gradually be removed. Even today we find so many such practices still existing in
the Jacobite church such as –auricular confession, ordaining immature boys, prayer
to dead saints etc. Bishops (metrans) were interested to give ordination to
immature boys because ordination was a source of income to them. Such
ordination was not practiced in Antioch. Lay people were ignorant of doctrines
and teachings of the Bible. So the English missionaries wanted to bring about
reformation in the Syrian church through education. They did not want to have
separate protestant church in India. Bishops also felt the need to reform the church
and therefore they allowed the missionaries to work in their churches.
Thus the work of the English missionaries was appreciated by the Syrian
Church.
But the trouble arose during the time of Mar Dyanasis IV. He is known as
Cheppadu Mar Dyanasius Metran. He was consecrated by the Thozioor Metran
(Bishop) Mar Philexinos because Dyanasis 111 died before consecrating his
successor. Mar Dyanasis was not in flavour of reformation and the work of the
English missionaries, probably because he practiced symoney and ordained
immature boys and misappropriation of church funds. During this period Mar
Athanasius came from Antioch and asked Mar Dyanasis IV to be reconsecrated by
him. But Dynasis did not agree to this. Therefore he was dismissed by the
Antiochan Patriarch. Then those Syrians who were against reformation reported to

the Patriarch in Antioch that these missionaries were responsible for the expellsion
of Mar Dynasis. Now the missionaries learned the relationship between Syrian
church and Antioch.
Until 1836 Anglican (CMS) missionaries had no idea of a separate church. But the
missionaries came afterwards wanted to have a separate CMS church in Malabar.
They took away the copper plates kept in Kottayam seminary without the concern
of Bishop Synopsis. As a result the missionaries were forbidden to preach in
Syrian churches. In spite of the opposition the missionaries entered the churches
and preached. Bishop of Calcutta, Bishop Willson inter feared and made certain
proposals:
(1) The matron (Syrian Bishop) should ordain clergies only after passing certificate
cause in collage and having good conduct.
(2) The accounts of the church should annually be submitted to the British resident.
(3) There should be a permanent source of income for the priests and church.
(4) Schools should be established by every parish church.
(5) Priests should read Bible during Sunday service.
(6) Prayers should be in malayalam instead of syriac.
For this purpose he called a synad in 1836 at Mavelikara in Kerala. But the Syrian
Bishop rejected all these suggestions and sent a circular to every parish telling that
anyone associated with missionaries be excommunicated and these studying in
Mission college would be denied of ordination. After this incident C.M.S
missionaries formed Anglican congregations. Some of the Syrian churches
became C.M.S churches. Eventually in 1878 C.M.S diocese of Travancore and
Cochin was formed. The example of Anglican church in evangelizing non
Christians, their educational institutions and educated clergies and well organized
parishes challenged the Syrian church. This led to and Mar Thoma separation
from the Jacobite church initiated by Abraham Malpan (Martin Luther of the
Syrian church)
X. History of the Orthodox Churches (Syrian churches) in Modern India
1. Mar Thoma Church
Mar Dynasis Bishop sent the circular to warn the people against associating with
the Anglican missionaries. In spite of this circular so many people sent their
children in mission school which was the only educational centre. By this time
Abraham Malpan of Maraman worked for a reformation within the Syrian church.
He was the guiding spirit of the reformed party. He was born in 1796, ordained
while a boy by Mar Thoma VIII, received full ordination (priesthood) at the age of
16. He became a malpan (teacher in syriac) in CMS college, Kottayam. He was in
dialama, whether to join C.M.S church remain in the unreformed Jacobite church.
He spent more time for church reformation. He destroyed some of the images of
saints and stopped festivals of remembering them. He introduced new litergy and
started seading O.T. and N.T in Malayalam in the Church. Many deacons helped
him in this. Syanisis IV excommunicated the whole reformed party and refused to
ordain any minister from that group. This caused a great anxiety. Then Abraham
Malphan got an idea to get a Now Bishop for them. He sent his nephew a deacon
who was studying in Madras Christian college to Antioch to get ordained by the
Patriarch who had already received complaints against Mar Dynasis. The patriarch
ordained him a priest and then consecrated him with the little Mar Atanisions in
1942 AD. The following year he returned to Malabar. He claimed to be the
Malankara metran (Biship of Malabar) with the support of the reformed party. The
long dispute between Mathews Mar Athanesis and Mar Dynasis finally resulted in
the separation of the reformed church. Abraham Malphan died soon after the
arrival of Mar Athenesions.
Mar Athenesies appealed to the British resident claiming that he had the authority
firm Patriarch to be the Malankara metran. By this time some people sent
complaints to patriarch of Antioch against Mar Athenesios. So the Patriarch sent
Mar Kurilose from Syria to enquire the matter and also with some blank sheets

with his signature to be used when occasion comes. Mar Kurilose from Syria
toenquire the matter and also with some blank sheets with his signature to be used
when occasion comes. Mar Kurilose claimed to be the Malankara matran and Mar
dynansis said him. Then the Government interfeared and declared that Mar
Athanisios remained to be the Malankara metran and he ordained many priests and
deacons. Mar Dynasis died and the patriarch consecrated another Bishop from the
same family (Pulicottu) with the title Mar Dynasius Joseph. Then the Patriarch
Moran Mar Ignatius Peter III visited Travancore to settle the matter. Patriarch
informed the government that he is infavour of Mar Dynaisius. The government
had already decided not to inter fear in the ecclessiastical matters of the church.
Therefore the government had to withdraw the declaration in favour of Mar
Atenesios. The Patriarch held a synad in 1876 and made some rules to bring the
Jacobite church closely under the control of Antiochan Patriarch. The whole area
of Melankara (Kerala) divided into seven diocenses named after the following
places.
(1) Quilon (2) Thumpoman (3) Miranam (4) Kottayam (5) Cochin (6) Kantanad (7)
Angamali. Besides Mar Dynasius six more. Bishops were consecrated to be in
charge of these seven dioceses.
When Patriarch sided with Dynesius, Mar Athanesios, denied the authority of
Patriarch and worked more for the reformation. He encouraged the changes in
litergies, Bible reading, preaching Sunday school and many such active Christian’s
enterprises in the church. He died in 1877. For 25 years he had held the position
of Metran though it was a stormy period.
Mar Athanesius was succeeded by Mar Titus 1. During this period the unreformed
party filled a case against Mar Titus 1. In this case the reformed Syrians failed as a
result they had to give up all church properties, seminary etc. This small group of
Syrian Christians took the name Mar Thoma church and claimed that it is the true
representative of the ancient apostolic church in India founded by St. Thomas (Mar
Thoma church is characterize by strong zeal and earnestness)

During the time of Mar Titus 1 though they lost all their churches except Maramon
and Kozhencherry, they laid the foundation for a number of new church buildings
for the development of the church. Mar Titus 1 consecrated Titus II Mar Thoma
and later one another Bishop Abraham who became Abraham Mar Thoma. He
was very spiritual minded. He is considered as one of the saints in India. He
promoted evangelistic activities in the church. In 1880 Mar Thoma evangelistic
association was established. The famous Maramon convention is the auspicious of
this association. Abraham Marthoma started Voluntary evangelistic association
having its branches in each parish and also there is a woman’s auxiliary of this
both having training institutions. Mar Thoma Sunday school samajam started in
1905 having about 2000 Sunday schools with inspectors for each centre and also
having Sunday school mission. Abraham Mar Thoma consecrated two Bishops
Yuhanan Mar Thoma Mathews Mar Atanesios. Though this church had a small
beginning now it has been developed as very active Christian’s church in India. A
group of Mar Thomites got separated from this church and started a new church.
St. Thomas Evangelical church.
2. Jacobite church
The Syrian church which continued to be under the Patriarch of Antioch after the
Mar Thoma seperated is known as the Jacobite church. We have already discussed
how the Malabar church got the Jacobite connect in. It is also known as the
Orthodox Syrian church of the East. The trouble in the Syrian church did not end
with the separation of the Mar Thoma church. The Jacobite church again divided
into two parties Metran party and Patriarch party as a result of the dispute on the
question of the authority of the Antiochan Patriarch over the Malabar Syrian
church. Mar Dionysius Joseph died in 1909. During this period Abdulla patriarch
of Antioch consecrated two Bishops for Malabar –Mar Geevarghese Dionysius and
Mar Kurilos. Mar Geeverghese refused to do so. There upon the patriarch
excommunicated him. But Mar kurilose agreed to it. Thus one party recognized
the direct authority of Partiarch and the other did not. So Mar Kurilose was
appointed by the Patriarch to be the cheif of the patriarch party. The other party –
the metrans party later on known as Catholices party as the chief Bishop took the

title catholicons which is another name for patriarch. Soon after Abdulle Patriarch
left Tranvancore. A former Patriarch of Antioch – Abdul Masihe came to
Travancore. This Patriarch consecrated three Bishops for the Metrans party and
also he consecrated Mar Ivanios Bishop as Catholics with the title Mar Bazillions
Catholics Bhava. According to the Patriarch party Abdul Masiho Patriarch was not
the official Patriarch and therefore that consecration of Catholics was invalied.
The third catholicons was consecrated neither by Patriarch but he was raised to that
position by two bishops. One of the Bishops consecrated by the 3rd catholicons
known as Mar Ivanios joined the Catholic Church and formed a new Syrian church
retaining the Antiochan rites (Jacobite) though a Catholic Church. Mar Ivansose
became the Arch Bishop of this Catholic Syrian church.
After the death of abdulls Patriarch and Abdul Masiho another Patriarch – Mar
Eliac from Antioch came to Malabar to settle the dispute. But he could not.
Thereupon he excommunicated the metran party. So the metran party (Catholicons
Party) not at Kottyam in 1934 13th of March and doclated as an independent Syrian
church. But the case in the law court claiming the church property continued. The
head of the Patriarch party – in Malabar is one of the Bishops.
In spite of the requested negotiations initiated both by the Syrian Christians and by
the Anglican Church the divisions in the Jacobite church continued till 1959. When
the Supreme Court gave judgment in favour of Catholicons and then the Patriarch
agreed to recognize the catholicons. It is a matter for great rejoicing that after
years of schism the two sides have been reconciled.
Now the Jacobite church has come out with a new zeal for evangelism. They have
started mission centres, Sunday schools youth organization etc. Though the
Jacobites are labeled as monophysites by others, the leaders of this church deny
this fact. But still Jacobite church does not have official inter communion with
other denominations, though they cooperate with Mar Thoma and Anglican
churches. This church has 10 dioceses and over 600 parishes and over 600
hundred priests in Kerala.

3. Nostorian or Chaldean Syrian church:-
Church in Malabar was no doubt under the jurisdiction of the Nestorian Patriarch
of Babylon before the Portuguese period. It is believed that there were Nestorian
churches in many parts of India. But during the Muslim period all these churches
disappeared due to persecution except the church in Malabar. The Roman Catholic
Arch Bishop Manezes of Gova managed to bring the Syrian Christians in the
interior part of Cochin state refused to submit to neither the Catholics nor the
Jacobites. There was this at least a remnant that remained faithful to Nostorianism
even today. At present a community of ten thousand persons in Trichur district of
Kerala who are in communion with the Chaldean Katholikos having their own
Matron. This church still uses the syriac liturgy. (Chaldean Syrian)
4. Thozhiyur Church is an independent diocese of the Syrian church. It was

already mention how Thozhiyur got separated from the rest of the Jacobit church.
At present this church is existing only in Thozhiyur near Trichur having one
metran and few priests.
Besides these Syrian Orthodox churches there are few other Syrian churches which
are small churches separated from the Jacobite or Chaldean churches and accepted
the authority of Pope. They are Rome-Syrians.
XI. HISTORY OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH IN INDIA SINCE

1800
After the period of the earlier Jesuit missions in the Catholic Church in India, there
was a period of dark age of decadence which reached its lowest point in the early
years of the nineteenth century. The reasons for this decline were (1) decline of
the power of Portugal (2) the active missionaries had been the Jesuits. They were
removed from India by the Pope in 1773. (3) Catholic Christians in South had
been scattered by war and persecution in the time of Tippoo Sultan. (4) Some
joined the protestant church when Tranquebar mission started.

The beginning of the modern missionary movement in the Roman church in India
may be dated from about 1830. In addition to the earlier Portuguese dioceses
certain vicariates apostolic were created during the eighteenth century by the
propaganda. The earlier dioceses were Cochin, Goa and Mylapore. Cochin
included Kerala Southern Tamil Nadu and Ceylon. Mylapore extended from
Tamil Nadu to Orissa and Bengal. The dioceses were under the Portuguese while
vicariates were directly under the Pope. Vicariates were mostly in Malabar (Syrian
Catholics) Bombay and Patna (Tiber-Hindustan mission concerned with North
India).
Besides these there was a new vicariate at Pondicherry.
Pope Gregory XVI set the modern missionary movement in India. He was the
prefect of propaganda before he became Pope. During this period Portugal itself
was torn by civil war and Portugal could not extend its responsibilities to
strengthen the missionary activities. Pope had begun to set up new vicariates in
Madras covering Hyderabad, Nagpur and Orissa and another one in Calcutta
(Bengal) in addition to the existing vicariates in Kerala, Pondicherry, North India
Bombay. As a result by means of these vicariates apostolic it was possible to set
up rudimentary ecclesiastical organization all over India including the existing
dioceses. The Portuguese clergy men in Goa were not happy with this arrangement
because they were under control. In 1836 Portuguese Government sent Bishops to
Goa, Cochin and Mylapore to continue their support and authority over these
dioceses as they did not submit their names to Rome. But the Pope used force to
bring these three dioceses under his direct control. The result of Pope Gregary
XVI’s attempt to revive Roman Catholic missions was violent quarrel over the
jurisdiction between the supporters of Portuguese and those of the Propaganda. But
on the other hand new missions were arriving and started their work.
Among the new catholic missions, Jesuits were prominent. The Society of Jesus
(Jesuits) was restored by Pope Pius VII in 1814. France Jesuits arrived at
Pondicherry and renewed their work in the old Madura Mission. The now Jesuits
missionaries did not follow methods of de Nobili. In Bengal the English, Irish and
French Jesuits who started the work in 1834 were succeeded in 1859 by Belgians.

The Belgians mission worked in West Bengal, Orissa and chota Nagpur. In 1859
German Jesuits took over Bombay from Carmelites mission and proceeded to
develop missions in Gujarat and in Poona. Italian Jesuits came to Mangalore in
1877 where the Carmelites were working earlier.
The older Capuchin missions continued their work in North India from Bihar to
Punjab. Sardhana near Meerut a Roman Catholic centre. Agra became a vicariate
of the Capuchins in 1820. Another centre was Patna. The work of the Capuchin
missions included Chaplaincies to Roman Catholic Soldiers and the care of
churches in the military stations of North India.
In south India the Paris society based on Pondicherry extended its work in Mysore,
Coimbatore and Kumbakonam. Madras vicariate covered a vast area from Madras
to Vizagapatam, Hyderabad and Nagpur. Later on many orders and missionary
societies from several European countries joined the Catholic mission work in
India. This includes Women’s orders. Earlier missions of the modern period were
entirely staffed by men. As among the Protestants so also among the Roman
Catholics women’s work for women and girls played an important part in the
building up of the church in modern times.
Meanwhile the dispute between the Goa (or Padroado clergy) and the vicars
apostolic of the propaganda was going on vigorously. The Propagandists claimed
that the Padroadists (those who were under Portuguese had been deprived of
jurisdiction by the Pope, and they were rebels and their ministrations were invalid.
At the same time the Padroadists claimed that Pope’s Propagandists had no
authority in India unless they were approved by the king of Portugal.
The Portuguese Government took up this case with Rome. Long and difficult
negotiation followed. They made an agreement to restore the suspended seas of
Cochin, Crangnore and Mylapore but with new boundaries. Portugal was also to
have the right to found new Pudroado dioceses. Elsewhere, But in fact Portugal
was not able to expand its work in India. Gradually Portuguese control over the
Catholic Church in India was reduced.

Pope Leo XIII settled this dispute and proceeded to establish the hierarchy in India
on a regular footing. In 1886 all the vicariates were raised to the rank of dioceses
and six of them (Agra, Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Pondicherry and Verapoli or
Kerala Syrian Cathelic were made archdioceses along with the archdioceses of
Goa. Thus the modern Roman Catholic organization came into existence in 1887.
Later on many new dioceses and archdioceses have been erected. Finally in 1950
in view of Indian independence there was another agreement between Rome and
Portugal whereby Portugal renounced what remained of her Pudreado rights in
dioceses within the Indian union, and undertook to consider a revision of the
boundaries of the archdiocese of Goa.
During the last quarter of the nineteenth century the Roman Catholic missions
increased. Except some converts from the higher castes the great majority converts
came from the Sudras and scheduled castes and from aboriginal tribes. In Chota
Nagpur Lutherans (Protestants) of Gossner’s mission could get convert among the
Munas and Oraons, afterwards this area became a very fruitful field for the Roman
Catholics also. Moreover a large secession from the Lutheran church because of
unrest among the Kolas joined the Catholic Church.
Modern Roman Catholic missions have taken part in educational work at all levels
in order to educate the rising generation both Christians and non-Christians. They
started boarding homes, hostels for Christians and non-Christians and also
orphanages. There are so many technical schools to give vocational training
managed by the Catholic missions. Jesuits have been eminent in the field of
education and therefore they are running so many institutions of higher education.
Such as Loyola College, Madras, St. Xavier’s college, Bombay and Calcutta.
Convent schools for girls are famous in India.
Catholic missions are also engaged in medical work though the major medical
institutions are run by the Protestants. Roman Catholic hospitals and dispensaries
have been largely staffed by the women’s orders.

It is interesting to note how the modern Roman Catholic missions have dealt with
caste problem. In south India there were some churches and Christian colony’s
were arranged for the Brahmin Christians. This was true in the case of Syrian
Catholics of Kerala. At least there were some kind of barrier in churches making
off the portion to be occupied by the depressed classes, but subsequently this was
given up. Earlier clergy men were taken from the Brahmin Christians or Syrian
Catholics. Since 1886 the number of seminaries and ordination of Indian clergy
increased considerably. During the beginning of nineteenth century women’s
orders first came to India. Now a large number of convents have been founded in
India.
We have discussed the history of the Syrian Catholics of Kerala. They are the
Syrian Christians who did not share in the Coonan Cross revolt of 1653 but
continued to be under the Roman control. This Roman section of the Syrian
Christians now called the Syro-Malabar church. Later on in 1930 Mar Ivanios of
Bethany (Jacobite) joined the Catholic church and formed a now Syrian
community known as Syro-Malankara. It was allowed to retain its Antiochene
(Jecobite) liturgy with certain modifications.
XII. HISTORY OF THE PROTESTANT MISSIONS
Until the 18th century, we had in India the trading companies, only from Portugal.
But during the 18th century trading companies from other European nations such as
Dutch, Danes, and English etc came to India. These new comers were all
Protestants. Both the Dutch and English companies challenged the power of
Portuguese in India. Dutch this time the Mugal power declined. Portuguese
people had three motives-political, trade and religious (i.e. to spread Catholicism).
But the East India Company did not want to mix politics with religion. Their
primary motive was to gain profit and to win the kingdom. The preaching of the
gospel was the duty of ministers. Protestant ministers were not missionary minded
at that time. Some of the protestant ministers even thought that there is no need to

send missionaries to heathens because they had to guard their own Christian
community against materialism. They discouraged some of the missionaries who
wanted to come to India by telling that if God wants to convert heathens. He could
do that without western missionaries. East India Company did not like missionaries
to come to India thinking that the conversions into Christianity will be a great
hindrance to their trade, political and material gain. Unlike the Portuguese, the
main motive of English people was profit. Portuguese people had their clergymen
to correct them while the English people lived as they liked. Immorality,
corruption, violence, gambling, drunkenness were seen everywhere among English
people. Yet they claimed that they were royal Christians. The Hindus had a very
poor understanding of Christianity this time. They even considered Christianity as
devil’s religion because of the loose morality of English men.
TRANQUABAR MISSION
(The First Protestant Mission in India)
King Frederick IV of Denmar, a Lutheran was interested in missionary work. He

is responsible for sending the first protestant missionaries in India. They settled
down in a place called Tranquabar in Madras. The names of these Danish
missionaries are Ziegenbalg and Pluetachau in 1706. They were influenced by the
Pietism in Germany. They were men of determination. They studied Tamil and
started preaching. The success of their work was not spectacular. They were
handicapped by lack of funds. The prejudice of the Indians against the western
religion was the chief obstacle to them. Yet they could win some converts. The
early converts were poor. It only increased their financial burden as they had to
feed their congregation. In 1709 they raised fund and built the first Protestant
church building in Tranquebar. The government suspected them and once
Ziegenbalg was imprisoned. After he was released, he started working among the
high caste people. He studied Hinduism and attempted to convince the people by
arguments. But this method of evangelism was a failure. He came back with
admiration for their intellectual ability in spite of converting them. He realized
that the methods used by Christian workers to work among Christians do not work

in the field of evangelism especially in converting educated Hindus. Zieganbalg
knew very little Tamil and he was not aware of Hindu literature. The method of
argument to convert the heathens, he stopped. So he tried to capture the hearts. He
translated a short life history of Christ and a short catechism (question and answer
type), for the new converts. This helped the converts to understand the doctrine of
Christianity. He also published an elementary, theology book and Hymn book.
Kanabadi vathiar a new convert also helped in influencing children and adults
through music and short Bible stories. This method of evangelism adopted by
Ziegnbalg was followed by later missionaries. Ziegenbalg published a report of his
work in India. As a result many people in England got interested in missionary
work. They organized a society for the propagation of gospel (S.P.G.) in
missionary organization known as society for promotion of Christian knowledge (S
P C K) also helped them. The East India Company also got interested in the
mission work in Tamil Nadu. Company offered financial help to extend the
Tranquabar mission to Madras and Gudelleeo. In this way the foundation for the
protestant missions in India was laid by Zeigenbalg. Zeigenbalg had to face some
trouble from the Home mission Board, as they did not like the idea of allowing
caste differences in the church. However, he had a strong faith and also
willingness to work hard. In 1715 February he died.
After his death Frederick Schwartz took his place. During this period, the mission
work extended to Trichinapally, Tanjore and Nagapatam besides Madras and
Guddallore with the help of the East India Company. Schwartz could influence
many people through his dedication for work and exemplary Christian life. He had
a good zeal for the spreading of gospel. He was respected by all. Even during the
war between Hygrali and English people, Hygrali suggested his name to be
negotiator because Hydrali knew that he will not cheat him. He was considered as
a holy man and therefore Hydrali promised to give him protection during war time.
Raja of Tanjore was a friend of Schwartz. When he died in 1798 all people
inclosing prince were present. Christians Hindus and Muslims all alike said “good

padiri is no more”. Never probably, the death of a Christian missionary was
morned like this by political rulers and authorities and castes and creeds. The
prince of Tanjoor erected a monument for him.
After that no missionary worked in Tranquebar and the number of Christians went
down. There were altogether about 50,000 Christians in Tranquebar mission during
the time of schwartz. After his death the Tranquabar mission began to decline.
This was because of the lack of organization.
William Carey and Serampore Mission
William Carey was born in 1761 Aug 17th in England. His father was Eldon
Carey. From boyhood, he was the natural leader of his friends. He had
adventurous spirit. He earned money by working in a shoe factory. He had deep
Christian experience and burden for the Lord’s work. He became a minister in the
Baptist church in England. William Carey and his friends prayed for revival in the
church. This led to the formation of Baptist missionary society with the object of
sending missionaries to foreign countries. Carey already started his evangelistic
work by personal contact and publishing tracts. In 1792, He preached in the
annual meeting of the missionary society on the theme. Expect great things from
God and attempt great things for God. Carey himself was willing to go to any
country as a missionary. He came to know about the evangelistic work being done
by Dr. Thomas, a medical doctor in East India Company in India. Carey decided
to go to India as a companion to Thomas. But the circumstances were not
favorable. His congregation did not like to do mission work at the expense of their
pastor whom they loved as their souls. His wife and children also did not like to
go with him. Attitude of the East India Company to missionaries also changed.
They helped the Tranquobar mission. But now they decide not to permit
missionaries from Brittan to work in India because they feared that it would
hamper their prospects in India. Though he was very much discouraged by others
he determined to go with Dr. Thomas to India. He sailed to India by a Danish ship
and landed in India in 1793. Mrs. Carey and children also came with him. He
started learning Bengali while he was yet in the ship.

Carey and his party had no money to carry on their work. He with his wife, sister-
in-low and five children was in a strange land with our money. But his faith was
great in such a situation. During this time Thomas managed to get a job for him
and Carey in an Indigo factory. They settled down in Madnabati in Malda district.
They did the missionary work along with their work in factory. Carey realized the
need to translate the Bible into Indian languages. He mastered more than 20
languages within a short time he translated Bible into many Indian languages.
After few years Carey lost his job in the Indigo factory and therefore, he had to
leave that place. (At this time Carey wanted to establish a missionary colony or
fellowship in a convenient place. According to his request English missionary
society sent four missionaries from England. These missionaries were asked to
settle down in the Danish settlement of Serampore because East India Company
was not in favour of English missionaries coming to India. William Carey also
joined them. Thus began the Serampore mission. Among these missionaries Mr.
Marshman was a school master and Mr. Ward a printer. They started a press and
attempted to publish Bengali New Testament. During this time Carey became
professor in a college belonging to the company. His salary went to the common
fund. He had God given gift of studying new languages. He studied most of the
languages without the help of others. Within six weeks he mastered the Latin
grammar. Within seven years he mastered seven languages. He learned Hebrew,
Greek, Latin and some other foreign languages before coming to India. He had to
prepare grammar books and dictionaries for most of the Indian languages to
translate Bible. He was appointed as government translator. This helped him to
come in contact with many pandits of India who helped him to translate Bible.
Besides Indian languages he had to study even Chinese to translate Bible into
Chinese. Before his death he got translated Bible into 40 languages.
Besides being a translator, he was an educator also. He was the founder of the
Serampore University. He established schools also. He was also a Philanthropist.
He helped in removing certain evil and superstitious practices like sathi and
throwing children into ganges. Again he was a naturalist too. He became the

founder of the agricultural and horticultural societies in India. He was an authority
in Botany. William Carey was in India for 41 years. He loved the people. He led
a simple life. His child like faith helped him to expect great things from God. He
preached from the abundance of his great heart. The moral power of Christianity
was felt and recognized by non Christians through the working of Serampore
mission. East India company recognized the result of mission work. So they
renewed their charter and allowed the missionaries in 1813. This was a new
beginning for the missionary actives in India. They promoted the English system
of education in India. Carey, Marshman and Ward made plans to make Serampore
a base for mission to Malda, Dinajpur, Calcutta, Nagpur, Delhi, Ajmer and also
outside India like Indonesia. William Carey is the founder of the Serampore
University, the first university in India. At present this university has many
affiliated theological colleges.
Church Missionary Society (C.M.S)
When the company’s charter was revised, allowing missionaries to some im,
missionary societies form England, Scotland and other European counties also
form America started sending missionaries to India to exten their activities.
Among them were, C.M.S. , L.M.S, B.M.S, Scotish mission etc. The C.M.S
missionaries started work in three presidency towns-Calcutta, Madras and
Bombay.
These C.M.S missionaries were helped by the picus army officers and civilians.
The Calcutta diocecen was formed in 1812, that of Madras in 1814 and that of
Bombay in 1818. They started Bible societies, Tract and Book societies with the
help os lay men interested in Christian work. C.M.S missionaries were in charge
of contonment churches, church schools, orphanages etc. Dr. Middleton was the
1st C.M.S. Bishop in India. He formend the Calcutta diocesen commitee. He was
interested in the Higher education of Christians. He took initiative to start colleges
to promote English education and also to train schoold masters and preachers.
This was under the supervision of society for the propogation of gospel (SPG)

Bishop Middleton started in Bishopes calcutta. Though they had to face
oppositions they could win a a large number of converts from these villages. In
cetian places mass conversion took place. ( If the converts are well looked after,
then mass conversion is fruitful).
C.M.S. Missionaries worked not only in Calcutta, Madras and Bombay, but they
worked in North India Central India Punjab and also in Kerala. In saveral places
they started schools and colleges and also medical work and Bible schools. The
C.M.S. Church in India was helped by S.P.C.K (society for promotion of christian
knowledge), and later on by S.P.G (society for propogation of gospel) During this
period the Tranquebar mission stopped its work and its possessions were sold to
the Anlican mission (C.M.S). The C.M.S missionaries worked in Kerala among
the Syrian Christians. Gradually they had to organise C.M.S congregation in
Kerals.
London Missionary Society (L.M.S)
The L.M.S Missionaries started their work in India in 1798. C.M.S church is
having episcopal tradition, while L.M.S is congregationalist (without Bishops).
They established schools where ever they opened L.M.S. Mission centers. They
had their head quarters in Calcutta. They worked in harmony with C.M.S.
missionaries, and also S.P.G. All these missionary societies adopted certain
common methods of evangelism such as preaching the gospel through schools and
press. In Kerala the C.M.S missionaries agreed to work only in central and North
Kerala leaving room for the L.M.S missionaries to work in South Kerala.
As the L.M.S missionaries mostly engaged in school work little time they get for
preaching. They had some other mission centres besides in Calcutta and South
Kerala. But comparatively the work of L.M.S Mission was not so vigorous as that
of the other missions.

Scotish Mission
(Scotish Presbeterian Church)
The church of Scotland started sending missionaries to India, during the early part
of the Nineteenth century, when the British rule in India was consolidated and the
western ideas began to influence the Indians through the western system of
education. The impact of western ideas on the social political and religious life of
India through English education is tremendous. The church of Scotland played an
importan role in this.
The first scotish missionary in India probably was Alexandar Duff. He worked in
Calcutta from 1830. He was encouraged by William Carey. He was sent by the
church of Scotland. He was a man of keen intellect having religious zeal and
abounding energy and self-confidence. He had been sent to start an educational
mission in Bengal. He realised the effect of English education and the great
demand for it. He wanted start an English school to develop into a Christian
college (Scottish church college Calcutta) different form the Hindu college in
Calcutta. He realized that modern secular knowledge apart from religious
knowledge is harmful even to Hinduism. Therefore, he wanted to impart English
education as a preparation for the gospel. He was helped and encouraged by a
Bengali gentleman Ram Mohan Roy(who is the founder of Brahmasamaj) to work
out his plans. Duff could even influence the students of the Hindu college.
Through his contact some of the learned Hindus became Christians. It showed that
Christianity was not merely the refuge of the ignorant and backward and despised.
Secularism was thought to be the only fruit of English education.
But the work of Duff proved that Christianity is an alternative to secularism as the
fruit of English education. The success of Duff’s educational work, made the
government to promote English education. This led to the Educational Dispatch of
Sir Charles Wood (1854) which laid down the main lines of the modern system of
education in India. The example of Duff’s schools in Calcutta and the rising
demand for modern education led the foundation of similar schools in other cities.

It is to be noted that the Scottish missionaries led the way for modern education in
India. In Bombay, John Wilson started Wilson College, Madras, Anderson
founded Madras Christian College. In Nagpur, Stephen Hislop started the Scottish
church college. (All these were Scottish missionaries). Besides the work in
Madras, Bombay, Calcutta and Nagpur, the Scottish missionaries worked in
Punjab, Darjeeling etc. In Darjeeling area the first Scottish missionary was Mo
Larlana. Later on this mission develop into Eastern Himalayan church. Scottish
universities mission established a Scottish Universities mission college in
Kalimpong which could attract students from Sikkim, Bhutan, and the Darjeeling
hills etc and communicate the gospel. Later on the Eastern Himalayan church
became a part of the united church of North India. (UCNI) and in 1970 again it
became a part of the wider union the church of North India (C.N.I)
XIII. CHRISTIANITY IN NORTH EAST INDIA
The tem North East India refers to those portions of the country lying to the North
and east of Bangladesh, consisting of the states and territories of Assam, Manipur,
Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram and Arunanchal Pradesh.
The largest portion of the population is concentrated in the plains areas of the
Brahmaputra and suma valleys of Assam, the Tripura plain and in the Manipur
plateau. The principal languages of these areas are Assamese, Bengali and
Manipuri all of which use a similar script. Ethnically they represent an admixture
or relatively pure strains of the Providian, Mangoloid and Aryan racial groups.
Religiously the people of the plains are largely Hindu (many in Assam and of
Manipur having been concerted to that religion during the last 400 years) with a
substantial Moslm minority. Christians form only a small part of the population in
the plains. However, there are few other regions where Christianity exerts a greater
influence or is growing more rapidly.
The hills surrounding the plains constitute the largest portion of the land area and
are inhabited by a number of tribes of the Indo-mangoloid group. Most of the

several hundred tribes are small, the largest not having culture is primitive .while
some tribes had an incipient theology; religious practice consisted mainly in the
observance of taboos and rites designed to appease spirits. Beyond this,
generalization is difficult because each tribe with its own language and traditions
has a unique identity .It is among this hills men that the main Christian movement
has taken place.
Given the ethnic diversity of the region it is not surprising that its political
history is complex. Prior to British entrance into North east India in the early 19th
century the dominant though waning power was the Ahom kingdom, it’s effective
jurisdiction was limited to the Brahmaputra valley catcher, Tripura and Manipur
.In most of the hill areas there was no political structure apart from that of the
village.
Disputes over succession to the Ahom throne had led to the intervention and
occupation of Manipur and Assam by the Burmese skirmishes with the British on
the borders of Bengal contributed to the first Anglo-Barman war of 1824-26 .In the
treaty of yen dado, which followed British victory, Burma relinquished all claims
to the region and the East India Company worked out a settlement designed to
protect its own throne but was carefully watched and ,if need be directed by a
resident political Agent. A similar was made in Upper Assam with a claimant
favored by the British restored to the Ahom throne. Lower Assam, the area in
which the principal city is Gauhati, was brought under direct administration. On
the pretext of maladministration upper Assam too was brought under British rule in
1838. Gradually the hill areas were annexed in order to control the raids the hills
men were in the habit of making upon the plains ,where the British were
developing their main economic interest.
During the 20th Century the Christian movement was seriously affected by the
world wars and local rebellions.
Roman Catholic work was brought to a stand-still when its missionaries, all of
whom were gem an, had to leave the field during the First World War, the second

world war ,a part of which was actually fought in Manipur and Nagaland,
adversely affected Christian work throughout the region. It also opened the
previously isolated region to new influences that significantly altered the life of the
people socially, economically and politically. The rebellions have had an even
more disruptive influence because they have had religious as well more disruptive
influence because they have had religious as well as political -implications .The
first of these was the kaki Rebellion of 1917-19 in Manipur. Kuki tribesmen, led
by Longja village revolted against the British when the latter attempted to force
them to send conscripts for service in the the Lab our Corps being raised for war
service .It took more than 5,000 armed men two years suppress the rebellion. The
kakis bitterly resented the support given the British by the Christian Nagar of
Manipur, but once having been defeated they turned to Christianity in large
numbers.
The second rebellion was that of the Kampai cult under the leadership of a
Rongmei Naga of Manipur named Jodonang. It was a Naga traditionalist
Movement, Combining religious and political objectives. Jodonang was the
messiah of a Naga Raj which would come into existence following the destruction
of all outside influence -specifically the British, the kukis and the Christians. The
movement turned violent in 1929 and was not suppressed until
The arrest and execution of its leaders in 1931. In 1948 the movement was revived
following the release from prison of Jodonang’s close associate, Rani Gaduiliu. Its
influence was largely limited to the members of the Zelian grong tribes of western
Manipur and Nagaland.
Following Independence rebel groups under Christian leader ship but without
official church endorsement became active in Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
The activities of the rebels and the counter measures taken by the Security forces
brought great suffering to the people and made normal Christian activities
extremely difficult. Most missionaries, some of whom were suspected of having
encouraged the rebels in an effort to create independent Christian states, were

withdrawn from these areas as a result. The population was also politicized to an
extent that it never had been before. Nevertheless, it was in these areas that the
greatest Christian growth has taken place during the past twenty years. The rebel
movements and the discontent of more responsible elements in the region led to
extensive alterations of the political boundaries.
The Christian church in North East India.
The earliest Christian contacts with North East India were made by Roman
Catholic Missionaries in the 17th and 18th centuries, some of them were looking for
a route to Tibet, Others were visiting a large Christian community associated with
the Moghul garrison at Rangamati in Lower Assam. For unknown reasons this
community had disappeared by the 19th century, but a small catholic settlement of
refugee “Portuguese” soldiers dating back to the early 18th century did survive at
Bondashill in the present
Cachar district of Assam. Early in the 19th cent. the Serampore Baptists established
stations at Cherrapunchi in the Khasi Hills and Gauhati in the Brahmaputra valley,
but this work was not continued after the death of the last of the serampore Trio in
1838. The first local people to became Christian seen to have been two Khasis (U
Duwan and u Ana) and an Assamese baptized by Krishan Paul, the first Serampore
convert, at Sylhet in 1813.
Substantial mission work leading to the establishment of permanent Christian

communities began when at the invitation of the British commissioner, American
Baptists from Burma (Myanmar)opened a station at Sadiya in upper Assam in
1836. The original objective of this mission was to find ways of reaching the Shan
territories of northern Burma and the interior of China. It was not until 1841 that it
turned its full attention to the inhabitants of the Brahmaputra valley. For Next
twenty years its work was centered around the three Churches organized in 1845 at
Gauhati.
Nowgong and Sibsagar in lower, Central and Upper Assam respectively. During
this period it worked almost exclusively among the assumes and church
membership remained small.
The Welsh, Calvinistic Methodists (later renamed the Welsh presbyterians) took
over the British Baptist station at Cherrapunji in 1841. There they established the
Nongsawlia church in 1846 or 1847 the first church to be organized in the hills.
Tthough a serampore missionary and the American Baptists worked in Cherrapunji
and in a Naga hill village during 1830 so gave it up for health and policy reasons
before any of the prople had become Christians. In 1870 substantial numbers of
Khasis begin turning to Christianity.
During the 1960s the American Baptist began work among the Garos, the second
major tribe of the present Meghalaya. The Christian movement among this people,
initiated and largely spread by numbers of the tribe, grew rapidly in association
with the Garo Baptist churches. At the turn of the century the largest concentration
of Christians. In North East India was in Meghalaya. During the 1870 and 1880
the Baptists had also begun work in Nagaland but growth there was much slower.
Except for members of the Ao tribe, large numbers of Nagas did not begin to
become Christian until the third and fourth decades of the present century. In 1862
the Anglican society for the propagation of the gospel took over.
A small mission that had been started Nar Tezpur on the bank of the Brahmaputra
thirteen years earlier by two members of the Basal Mission. This work was mainly
among Cacheris.
In the 1890’s the Catholic work in the plains was revived, mainly among the tea
garden laborers from Catholic contacts in their homeland. Catholics, Baptists,
Anglicans and Lutherans all found the tea garden laborers the most fruitful field of
work on the plains and organized than into churches. During the last decade of the
19th century new work was begun in Manipur by the American Baptists and in
Mizoram by the Welsh Presbyterians and the British Baptists.
The period between 1900 and the first World War brought the first of a series of
revivals that came to play an important part in the development of Christianity,
especially in the Welsh Presbyterian fields in the Khasi and Mizo Hills and the
Baptist areas of Mizoram and Manipur. The first of these was inspired by Welsh

Presbyterian missionaries who had returned to the Khasi Hills fresh from
experiencing the Welsh revival of 1904. Beginning in the Khasi Hills in 1905,
where 5,000 were converted within a year as a result, the revival spread to
Mizoram the following year. Some six years later there was a revival among the
Aos in the Naga Hills, but this was of a different type. It represented a response to
persecution and did not emphasize the ecstatic phenomena Characteristic of the
Khasi/Mizo revival. Between the years 1908 and 1915 the Ago church doubled to
size. During 1913 there was an even greater revival movement among the Mizos.
As in the case of some of the later revivals in that area and Manipur, it followed
bamboo, which takes place every twenty five years or so, leads to an extra ordinary
increase in the rat population. The rats destroy standing crops and invade
granaries, leaving the human inhabitants destitute. This became a cause for the
people to turn to God, for many of the tribal’s of the North East India are much
more touched by the word of God when they are facing something of a great
disaster like famine, earthquake, epidemics, etc.
The First World War brought Roman Catholic Missions to a steno still and
disrupted the work of others. One important effect of the war was the experience
of the larger world that it brought to a number of tribal’s who served with Labor
corps in France. Following the war, the missionary force was enlarged and another
wave of revivals led to rapid growth of the Christian community in Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland. This rapid growth cannot be attributed to any
single cause in Manipur the failure of the Kuki Rebellion, a last -ditch stand
against the forces of change, led to a large number embracing Christianity.
Undoubtedly the increasing influence of the British administration, the educational
work of the missions, and more frequent contacts with the outside world during
and following the war all contributed to an erosion of the traditional tribal
institutions. The tribe found in Christianity a means of preserving their identity in
the midst of change. The rapid growth of Christianity was related to needs felt by
the people themselves is seen in the fact that the movement was church and village
centered rather than mission or missionary centered. The missionary force in the
areas of rapid expansion was always small. The Government permitted no more

than two missionary families in the whole of Manipur and there were seldom more
than a dozen in either Mizoram or Nagaland. Mission compound communities did
exist, but they were made up of mission employees and constituted a very small
percentage of the Christian population. Most of the evangelistic work was done
either by persons appointed by the local congregations or by lay volunteers. They
would travel from village to village Singing and preaching. Individuals engaged in
business or government matters that took them beyond their own villages would do
evangelistic work.
From late 19th century onwards in-digneous church structures began to be

formed among the protestant groups. Churches related to the American Baptist
Mission took much longer to develop meaning full centralized structures. Among
most of the hill churches of whatever denominational tradition, autonomy at the
local level developed at an early time. By the Second World War the great majority
of local congregations were self -supporting. Traditionally the village had been the
basic political unit and the Christians drawn from these villages had long been
accustomed to managing their own affairs. The Roman Catholics were not heavily
dependent upon local leadership as the Protestants were for they could drawn upon
a large missionary force and well qualified priests or their order from South India.
The emerging of new patterns of Christian development, the arrival of a number of
new missions and sectarian groups and the rapid expansion of the Roman Catholic
church and through their educational policies were some of the main features of the
period after the Second World war.
CHRISTIAN IMPACT ON SOCIETY; -
The growth of the Christian community and the development of its institutions and
ecclesiastical structures were remarkable in North East India. The number of
missionaries and the amount of money expended has never been exceptionally
large nor have there been any particularly unique experiments in missionary
methodology. The explanation is more probable to be found in the coincidence of
the coming of the Gospel with the emergence among, the hillsment of new social,

psychological and religious needs. Without this sense of need, and the conviction
that Christianity fills it, the Christian movement could not have taken place on the
Scale it did.
For the tribal people Christianity came, as a liberator from spiritual and social
demons. The function of the rites and taboo observance of the old Animistic
religion was at least to temporarily liberate people from the harmful activities of
malevolent spirits. At least initially many became Christians because they were
convinced that the new religion was more effective than the old in securing this
objective. Christianity liberated the prople from a world view in which. They were
socially and physiologically enslaved by fear of spirits. Another way of saying this
is that theology replaced animism, Christianity also liberated the people from the
analogy of incessant warfare among the villages, or at least provided the ideology
supporting the suppression of those bestialities by the British administration.
Christianity provided an ideology that helped the tribal people maintain their
identity in the face of the serious erosion of their traditional social and political
institutions. In a tribal society a distinction cannot be mode between religious
social and political elements. Is one is affected all are affected. Prohibition of head
hunting by government, for instance, struck at the very heart of the culture of many
tribes. It was not simply a matter of taking trophies in war; but but it was essential
to the image of manhood and it was a necessary part of certain ceremonies that
ensured the welfare of a family or village has profoundly changed the mode of life
of all tribes in the administered area of the Naga Hills. The introduction of an alien
political structure as well as modern communication, medicine and education made
change inevitable. Two world wars and politicization of the people since in
dependence have almost finished the process. Christianity has become the part and
parcel of this development attributing for greater influence in the primary agents of
change, through saving the process from becoming one of detribalization (under-
stood as losing a sense of tribal identity) Christianity did not spoil losing the tribal
self-hood, as is sometimes alleged. Christ did not take away anything of value from
tribal life, but it enriched it in many ways.

The principal means by which the missions and churches influenced society can
be categorized as (1) the Gospel and a new life style, (2) humanitarian service, (3)
Literature, and (4) Education. Christianity has played a particularly important role
in providing a basis for the new relationships among villages and tribes, Different
tribes who had been traditionally enemies were brought together in conventions
and Assemblies. Christianity altered the life style of the people in regard to the use
of the opium and other intoxicants, stress upon personal cleanliness and hyginic
living conditions advocacy of a more prominent and dignified role for woman.
The humanitarian service, the second agency of Christian influence, has been
mainly in the areas of medicine, orphanages and relief work. The impact of
medical missions, particularly in the hills areas, was always more than the positive
influence of compassionate service, for in the tribal world view, religion and
illness were inseparable, illness was due to the displeasure of the spirits. Curing
illness as a religious function. The third agency of Christian influence, literature
(and the closely related field of education), was undoubtedly the most important
mission is created with having played an important role in the preservation and
renaissance of the assumes language, and literature (and the closely related field of
education), was undoubtedly the most important. Evan among the Hindus of
Assam plains the American Baptist mission is created with having played an
important role in the preservation and renaissance of the Assamese language, and
literature. In fact, the American Baptist Mission is the torch bearer in the new
literary epoch of tribal language the missions gave the various, tribes their first
literature. Since Christianity without the Bible was unthinkable to the protestant
missionaries, the first thing they did when entering a new field was to reduce the
language to writing. No hill tribes at that time had a written language. The first
books were usually primers and grammars for use in the Schools, soon followed by
gospel portions, then the New Testament and finally the whole Bible (many tribes
still do not have the whole bible in their languages). The motive of these attempts
was evangelistic; but the actual impact upon tribal society was much broader. It
provided a linguistic unity that the tribes with their many dialects had not
previously had and contributed to the developing sense of tribal identity.

Obviously a written language is of little use if people cannot read. A Bible that
cannot be read is useless; tracts distributed among illiterate people are seed fallen
on barren land. This concern led all the missions to begin schools almost as soon
as they opened by the Serampore Mission at Gauhati in 1829. Within a short time
great progresses were achieved and education and Christianity came to be closely
identified. The schools were not only the primary agents of Evangelism but also of
the new order. Christian schools played an important role in developing the
present generation of political and professional leadership throughout North East
India.
ECUMENICAL DEVELOPMENTS:-
The denominational pattern of missionary work in North East India led to

the establishment of a Christian community divided into several different church
bodies. Indigenous factors such as language, tribe and cultural differences have
placed severe strains upon the internal unity of these denominations complicated
the efforts to develop more ecumenical patterns of church life on the regional level.
A majority among the denominations and thrives favored co-operation and

conciliarism but not church union. In some cases a particular tribe did not welcome
the church unity fearing that it will affect their tribal identity. In 1964, the North
East India church Council (NEICC) started church union discussions and after four
meetings, representatives of the Protestant churches published a “plan of Church
Union and Draft Constitution of the Church of North East India”. Which protected
the identity of the Individual group or tribe in which they are knit together as one
family and yet provided church unity. It also safe guarded a tribe from the interest
of another tribe.
The first ecumenical agencies were the indigenous ecclesiastical

structures established by the missions at a very early stage in the development of
the churches. These Associations presbyteries or Synods were for the most part
linguistic, i.e. they included all those who belonged to the same language speaking
group. They became important agents of tribal self-consciousness, transcending the
divisions that had previously existed between villages, clans, ranges, and the like.
The second agent in the ecumenical development was the higher lever
ecclesiastical units that included several tribes and groups which had a common
body of faith. For example, the council of Baptist churches in North East India
brings together some thirty-five different language groups. Council of Naga Baptist
Churches (CNBC), North East India Baptist Fellowship (NEIBF) and NEICC
come under this category.
The third agency of ecumenical I development was various All India

ecumenical Organizations, including the National Christian Council of India.
Christianity came to North East India as a dynamic force in the midst

of static societies. Christianity’s major contribution has been the service it rendered
an unsophisticated, primitive people confronted with radical social change. New
political and economic systems, modern communication and education; and an end
to the hills men’s isolation denied the old style of life. Christianity contributed to
this process, but it would have happened any an ideology and the tools (literature,
educations) to make the changes without losing their sense of identity. It also
ensured that they would retain control of their own institutions. The result has been
Christianity with greater influence upon social and political institutions than has
been the case in most other parts of India. It is Christianity still divided and insular
in outlook; Christianity in danger of being corrupted by the very power that it
exercises; and yet it also a potential source of leadership for the church in India.
XIV. THE EMEGING INDIAN CHURCH
The most prominent feature of Indian history in the first of half of the twentieth
century was the nationalist movement .This had already begun in the late years of
the previous century, when the spread of English education and we ate in
civilization which had prairies a potent influence right down to our own day .also
provoked a section and defense of Hinduism in modified versions, such as those of
the Arya samaj and the Ramakrishna mission. On the political side

It appeared as an impatience of British rule and an aspiration towards “swaraj”,
which in the twentieth century assumed revolutionary proportions. From the
foundation of Indian national congress in 1885. it became a national movement
and found its leader in mahatma Gandhi thus the British government had to
recognize the claims of nationalism and 1947 after the end of second war the goal
independence was reached, and Indianans Pakistan began their separate existence
as sovereign states.
Not many Christians took a direct and active part in the political struggle, because
too far the majority of the community was conceded the rising national self –
consciousness was rather slow to affect them /they were content to live under the
settled order of the British raj and the patemal rule of missionary’s .But in the later
stages of the struggle for independence outlook and enable them to demand
equality of status with Europeans. During this period a taw writers have emerged
from Indian soli, contributing great works on music and devotion besides this,
completing the process some outstanding Indian mission navies too appeared, such
as sadhu sundering. Their frequent visit to America, Australia and to the other
continents of Europe made a great impressions and publicity for the Indian church.
This awareness in the first decade of the twentieth century let to the formation of
several Indian missionary societies and auxiliaries. Most of them were inter-
denominational supported by Indian money maimed by Indians and committed as
far as to follow indigenous methods. Church buildings were constructed in Indian
styles of architecture- The church music also had adopted a style more akin to
Indian feeling though not yet completely replaced western hymns. The
indigenization of worship, however, will only come about of its own accord and
unnoticed over the years as people instinctively do things in the way which is most
natural to them.
Another aspect of the history of Indian Christianity in the twentieth century

which came into great prominence especially after 1919 was that shift of emphasis
from “mission to ‘church’. The nineteenth century had been an age of foreign
missions and in practice dominated the scene with an almost patriarchal authority.
There was little consciousness of an Indian church as such. The process of
Indigenization, the rate at which it was done might sometimes dissatisfaction over
the rate of progress. However, this has been defined in a well known phrase, “a self
–supporting, self-governing, self-propagating church. “Which was first coined
more than a hundred years ago by Rufus Anderson, a secretary of the American
Board who visited India in 1854-55. The ideal defined so long ago has still not
been reached fully; but the twentieth century has seen considerer able progress
towards it, and if we think in particularly of the periods since the first world war,
the Indian church is obviously much nearer to being ‘Self supporting, self –
governing and self-propagating ‘now than it was at the beginning of the period
.The foreign Mission, though present, has receded into the back ground of the
picture; the foreground is occupied by the Indian church. Among the ordinary
members of the church there is a self consciousness and vigor and a readiness for
self-expression that were much less in evidence forty years ago. It must be
confessed that self-expression has taken undesirable as well as admirable forms.
Opportunities for self-government have all too often administrative bodies used to
gain self importance or party ends are few among many such practices. It also be
confessed that in the matter of self support there is still a long way to go in spite of
much progress made .The Indian church is still greatly dependent on financial help
from we stem countries.
In the process of making the work church-cantered instead of mission cantred,

whose history we have been trashing, a good deal of attention had to be given to
constitutional and administrative matters. And the process hold not stops at
councils and committees. What ultimately matters is that the church should be
communities. What ultimately matters is that the church should be communities of
faithful men and women living by the word and teachings of Christ. Centralized
systems of administration have their advantages, but they are not an end in
themselves; the end is the building up of the people of God in every local church.
What patter of church life the Indian church will eventually evolve for itself, and
whether it will evolve it freely by its own choice or be forced to it by extreme
events, are questions for the future. But let there be no doubt about the aim. The
aim now and always is let the Church be the Church.

XV. Growth of the Christian Church
A Global statistics for all major world religions
1. Information for the year 1985 obtained from The World Christian
Encyclopedia, edited by David Barrett. Information for the year 2005 taken
from International Bulletin of Missionary Resource, edited by David B.
Barrett & Todd M. Johnson (chart included on pages 24 and 25).
2. Based on world population of about 5 billion people in 1985 and

6.4 billion in 2005, a growth of about 28%
World Religions 1985 2005 % of World Population Growth
Christians 1,548 million 2.136 billion 33% about 38%
Muslims 817 million 1.314 billion 21% about 61%
Hindus 647 million 870 million 14% about 34%
Buddhists 295 million 379 million 6% about 28%
Jewish 18 million 15 million 2% minus 16%
Christians 1985 2005 Growth
Roman Catholics 884 million 1.119 billion about 27%
Protestant 360 million 376 million about 4%
Eastern Orthodox 170 million 219 million about 29%
Marginal Christians 16 million 34 million about 112%

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Life Christian University

WORLD CHURCH HISTORY AND INDIAN CHURCH

The Story of the Christian Church Jesse Lyman Hurlbut

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: All Students

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Level 5 and 6 Students

1. Read Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians by James Lawson 1.

1. I have read all of the required reading.

2. I have attended all classes or listened to recordings of any missed lectures.

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SECTION 1: WORLD CHURCH HISTORY – PART A.

I. A History of the Early Church

1. Israel as a kingdom was established under David.

2. Kingdom was divided after Solomon.

1) Persia conquered Babylon in 539 B.C.

2) Persian King Cyrus allowed Jews to return and rebuild.

a. Alexander died in 323 B.C. - Kingdom divided among four generals

b. Ptolemy ruled over Palestine - benevolent to Jews

c. Seleucid King, Antiochus the Fourth (Epiphanes), began controlling

d. Jews revolt - Maccabees prevail - Judaism preserved

4. Jews make concessions with Romans.

b. Herod the Great (37 B.C. - 4 B.C.) – Mt. 2:1

c. Herod Antipas (4 B.C. - A.D. 39) – Mk. 6:14-29; Lk. 23:7

d. King Herod Agrippa (A.D. 37- 44) – Acts 12:1-10

© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 1

a. Synagogue - became center of Judaism during the exile in Babylon.

1) Formal services every Sabbath morning and feast days

d) Discourse by one chosen by synagogue ruler – Acts 13:15

3) Synagogue rulers exercised civil and religious authority

1) Herod's Temple - the royal porch served for religious instruction

2) Court of the Gentiles

3) Court of the women

5) Court of Priest - contained altar and laver

8) Worshipped conducted by priests offering morning and evening sacrifices

© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 2

1. Roman peace, roads, culture

2. Greek language and philosophy

3. Jewish synagogue system

C. Birth of the Church

1. Day of Pentecost - coming of the Holy Spirit

D. Expansion of the Church to 68 A.D.

© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 3

5. In 84 A.D., Jewish leaders sent word to all synagogues to exclude all

6. The Church soon became a Gentile Church.

F. The Church from 68 A.D. to 120 A.D.

1. Little is known after the death of Paul

3. Second imperial persecution under Domitian in 90 A.D.

4. Death of the apostle John about 100 A.D.

7. Baptism - the rite of initiation into the Church

II. The Medieval Church

A. The Holy Roman Empire (10th -19th Century)

© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 4

D. Reform within the Church

1. Cluniac order (910 A.D.) - exempt from local control

© 2010 Life Christian University Church History Page 5

1. With papal reform came emphasis on education.

1. Scholasticism brought diverse movements which were in conflict with

World & Indian Church History (Eng)

World & Indian Church History (Eng)

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