PAKALOMATTOM AYROOKUZHIYIL

FAMILY 

The Story of Christianity in India

History and tradition together provide much materials to believe in the St. Thomas tradition of founding the Indian Church in A.D. 52. In course of time the infant Church that took roots in the Kerala soil had registered tremendous growth in the various parts of the Southern State of India. But following the martyrdom of its Apostle St. Thomas the growth, development and mission of this Church got shrouded in mystery. This state of affairs unfortunately continued when a missionary from Alexandria, Pantaneus by name, visited Kerala in 189 A.D.

Early Relationships

Within the period of fifteen centuries the Syrian church entered into cordial relationships with the Alexandrian church and the Persian Churches. As mentioned above, the Alexandrian connection was marked by the arrival of Pantaneus. But we have no clear picture as to the impact of this connection of the Syrian Church. The Persian connection was quite alive until the end of the 15th century. The two immigrations from Persia under Thomas of Cana(345 A.D.) and Marwan Sabriso(825 A.D.), the visit of Cosmas Indicopleutus (522 A.D.), the existence of Copper Plates, etc. prove the truth of the connection of the Syrian Church with the Persian Church.

The Syrian Church and the European Christianity

During the middle ages, the Church got connected with the European Christianity. Many missionaries such as John of Monte Corvino, Marcopolo, Jordanus, Oderic, and others visited Kerala. From their travel accounts we learn more about the Church of this period. But we get a detailed history of the Church only with the coming of the Portuguese toward the last decade of the 15th century.

Gleanings from the Roman Catholic Church Connection

A new age dawned in the history of the Syrian church with the arrival of Vasco de Gamma in 1498. His arrival initiated a flow of Portuguese people into the nation for trade and commerce. Slowly they began to field economies and political power in the country. As the Portuguese community grew in number they had also become progenitors of Roman Catholicism. Their sole idea was to bring the Syrian church under the roman ecclesiastical supremacy. In order to achieve this aim Alexis de Menezes, the then Archbishop of Goa, convened a synod at Diamper in 1599 and coerced the Syrian Church to accept the Roman doctrines and practices. The church had to continue in the newly introduced Roman faith for over five decades. In 1653 the Church shook off the shackles of ecclesiastical slavery and ascertained its freedom and autonomous nature by taking an oath called 'Crooked Cross oath'. Until this historical incident the ancient Syrian Church remained essentially one. Having affirmed its independent ecclesiastical identity the leaders and the people of the Church wanted to be conscientious believers of the simple Gospel preached by St. Thomas and carriers of the age old practices of the Syrian Church. However, the Oath also points to a tragic split in the Church forming two groups. viz., the Syrian Church and the Roman Church.

Beginning of Native Episcopacy

The resultant division in the Syrian church was in the strict sense a blessing to the Church. The Antioch eve Church on request helped the Church to have a duly consecrated native bishop of its own. Mar Thoma I, was thus consecrated to shoulder the responsibilities of the Church. His consecration by Antiochave Prelate inaugurated the connection of the Syrian Church with the Jacobite Church of Antioch. During the period from 1665 to 1877 the Church was led one after another by thirteen bishops. Among them the first nine bishops hailed from the Pakalomattom family, a family from which St. Thomas was believed to have ordained priests. Mar Thoma VI, was an able leader and an administrator. It was during his period many significant things happened in the life of both the nation and the Church. Tipu Sultan's invasion on Travancore' the pact between the British and Travancore-Cochin States, formation of the Independent See of Thozhiyoor, arrival of British residents to Kerala, creation of a trust fund called 'Vattipanam' and visits of early C. M. S. missionaries like Dr. Kerr and Dr. Claudius Buchanan were some of such events of this time. All these directly or indirectly aided to the zigzag history of the Syrian Church of the later period.

The Decaying Church - An Agean Stable

At the beginning of the 19th century the Syrian Church life was in a state of decline. Life within the State and the Church was grievously disturbed by varying factors such as political, social and theological issues. Lack of leadership qualities, absence of theological insights, poor knowledge of the Bible, loose moral life, enforced celibacy of the priests, unscriptural doctrines, etc., weakened the church day by day. Besides, all sorts of superstitious beliefs that were rampant among the people caused a fatal break in their spiritual life. Consequence of all these was that the place and value of faith was taken over by unscrupulous observances of rituals and such other practices. The Church which ought to be the household of faith thus became an agean stable with problems of ignorance, immorality and false beliefs.

Harbingers of Reformation

'The Mission of Help' from the Anglican Church of England came to Travancore in 1816-1817. The first batch of the missionaries of the Mission known as the 'Kottayam Trio' (Joseph Fenn, Benjamin Baily and Henry Baker) made invaluable contributions to the Church and the society through their active involvement in the different fields of evangelism, theology, education, Bible translation and printing. During this period Palakunnathu Abraham Malp an and Kaithayil Geevarghese Malpan, the two professors of the Syrian Seminary at Kottayam, dedicated themselves to the cause of a reform in the Syrian Church. Their teaching and preaching helped to trigger the spirit of reformation in the minds of many. Their subsequent work including the revision of the St. James liturgy translation of the same into the vernacular, submission of the 'trumpet call' of protest against the false doctrines and practices of the Church invigorated the reform movement in its efforts to cleanse the Church from all the spiritual, moral and social abuses.

The Resurgent Church

The reformation brought out powerful currents of change in the Church. Slowly and steadily the Church disavowed the evils and thus it broke off the fetters of spiritual and moral bankruptcy. The Church got resuscitated once again and it was led to honor and adopt the place of Bible in its life, the purity and simplicity of Apostolic faith, the right of self-government (autonomy) and the uncontaminated life and work of the St. Thomas Christians of the early period. This enabled men and women free to think, act and live in and outside the Church. This period also witnessed two able leaders, viz., Mathews Mar Athanasius (MII th Mar Thoma) and Thomas Mar Athanasius (XlVth Mar Thoma), in leading the Church on the path of reform. As a result there was a quantum leap forward in all walks of church life. The Church began to experience the joy of right form of worship, and intelligent understanding of the Bible, responsible freedom and activity. However, the Church was not without problems. The Church plunged into a litigation known as the 'Seminary Case'. Finally, in 1889, the church was marred by yet another division. This was a turning point in the life and mission of that section which cringed to the 'alone formulas' of the reform movement such as Grace alone, Christ alone, Bible alone and Faith alone. This reform section which formed part of the ancient Syrian Church is now known as the Mar Thoma Church.

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