Saint Thomas: The Apostle Beyond the West and the Rise of India’s Ancient Church

Saint Thomas by Caravaggio. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

India has a thriving assemblage of Eastern Orthodox Christians. The Eastern Orthodox faith stems from the Apostolic Church, brought by Saint Thomas the Apostle to India. Orthodox Christians person confronted definite challenges from the Latin West.

As per the publication Acts of Thomas, written successful Edessa sometime successful the 2nd to 4th centuries AD, connected his archetypal mission, St. Thomas the Apostle reached the superior of the Indo-Parthian king, Gondophares. Gondophares ruled Afghanistan and Punjab—with Taxila arsenic the capital—along with the trader Abbanes. On his 2nd mission, helium traveled to a kingdom successful confederate India ruled by a first-century dynasty.

According to tradition, St. Thomas evangelized this country and past crossed implicit to the Coromandel Coast of southeastern India. He was martyred portion carrying retired his ngo astatine Mylapore adjacent Madras. Mylapore is present a vicinity successful the cardinal portion of the metropolis of Chennai, India. There, the Gothic-style Santhome Cathedral has been built implicit the resting spot of Saint Thomas.

Saint Thomas’ existent assemblage was aboriginal moved to Edessa successful the 4th century. From there, successful 1141, the relics were transferred to Chios, a Greek island. In 1257, they yet ended up successful Ortona, Italy. The bony of the close manus of St. Thomas was brought to India with support from the Vatican.

It is present being conserved astatine the Marthoma Pontifical Shrine—also known arsenic St. Thomas Church—in Azhikode successful Kodungallur. Nowadays, the religion is simply a large pilgrimage center. It is believed that St. Thomas archetypal landed successful Kodungallur connected a vessel successful the twelvemonth 52 AD. According to Christian tradition, which is followed by the Syrian Christians of Kerala successful India, these areas represent the way of St. Thomas.

The Doubting Thomas 

Saint Thomas the Apostle of India by Peter Paul Rubens. Image Credits: Peter Paul Rubens via Wikimedia Commons.

The statement of Doubting Thomas is recovered successful the Holy Bible successful John 20:24-29 and reads arsenic follows:

Now Thomas, 1 of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them erstwhile Jesus came. So the different disciples told him, “We person seen the Lord.” But helium said to them, “Unless I spot successful his hands the people of the nails, and spot my digit into the people of the nails, and spot my manus into his side, I volition ne'er believe.” Eight days later, his disciples were wrong again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace beryllium with you.” Then helium said to Thomas, “Put your digit here, and spot my hands; and enactment retired your hand, and spot it successful my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed due to the fact that you person seen me? Blessed are those who person not seen and yet person believed.”

Apostle of Indians

Saint Thomas Christian Cross. Image Credits: Jogytmathew via Wikimedia Commons.

The apostles came unneurotic successful Jerusalem and divided the areas of the known satellite among themselves. Each apostle would question to the onshore wherever the Lord had requested helium go. Thus it was that Saint Thomas was assigned to India. However, helium was initially unwilling to spell to India.

“How tin I, who americium a Hebrew, question determination and, preach the Gospel to the Indians?” helium wondered.

While helium was considering this, the Savior appeared to him successful the nighttime and said to him: “Fear not, Thomas, spell to India, and preach the Word there, for my Spirit is with you.”

To this, helium responded, “Send maine determination else, wherever thou wilt, for I volition not spell to India.”

Then, successful his dream, Abbanes (also referred to arsenic Habban), a merchant, arrived. He had received instructions from King Gondophares (also called Gundafor) to bargain a carpenter and bring him to India. Jesus saw him astir noon successful the marketplace and asked, “Dost thou privation to bargain a carpenter? I person a enslaved who is simply a carpenter, and I privation to merchantability him.”

He pointed to Thomas successful the distance, and Abbanes agreed to acquisition him for 3 pounds of silver. Thus, the Savior wrote a measure of sale, which work arsenic follows: “I, Jesus, lad of Joseph the carpenter, corroborate that I person sold my slave, named Judas, to you, Habban, merchant of Gundafor, king of the Indians.”

When the measure of merchantability was ready, the Savior took Judas (also referred to arsenic Thomas) and led him to Abbanes. When the merchant saw him, helium inquired of Thomas, “Is this antheral your Master?”

The apostle answered that this was so the case, and Abbanes informed him that helium had conscionable bought him. So ended the dream. The pursuing morning, during his prayers, Thomas decided that helium would spell to India arsenic had been requested of him, arsenic helium understood it was Jesus’ program for him.

Saint Thomas successful Kerala

Mar Thoma Church successful Kodungallur, India. Image Credits: Sujithvv via Wikimedia Commons.

Saint Thomas began his ngo successful the westbound of the Malabar Coast of India, where, arsenic fable has it, helium stepped ashore for the archetypal clip successful confederate India. It was the twelvemonth 52 AD successful Maliankara of Kodungallur astatine what is present Fort Cranganore—built by the Portuguese successful 1523—when Thomas archetypal arrived.

The time of his landing was celebrated for centuries afterwards with a procession of boats and singing of songs. Ezhara Pallikal, meaning 7 royal churches, were founded by St. Thomas the Apostle successful the archetypal century. They were the 7 large churches oregon Christian communities of Saint Thomas Christians.

The churches were built astatine Maliankara successful Kodungallur, Kollam, Niranam, Nilackal, Kokkamangalam, Kottakavu, Palayoor, and Thiruvithamkode. These are successful contiguous time Kanyakumari. The Marthoma Pontifical Shrine successful Kodungallur is considered to beryllium the archetypal 1 to beryllium established by St. Thomas upon his accomplishment successful the country successful 52 AD. 

Martyrdom of Saint Thomas

Saint Thomas’s Tomb successful India. Image Credits: Mathen Paytappilly Palakkapilly via Wikimedia Commons.

Saint Thomas became a martyr successful 72 AD. There are antithetic theories regarding his death. One of these holds that a king ordered a Hindu precocious clergyman to stab him for converting multitudes of radical to the Christian faith. The traditions of Malabar, Coromandel, and the Persian Church held that Thomas the Apostle died adjacent the past municipality of Mylapore.

After helium was martyred astatine Little Mount (Chinnamala), St. Thomas was buried successful Mylapore, wherever his assemblage was brought and buried wrong the religion helium had built. A cookware with ungraded and the lance with which helium was killed were besides some buried successful his tomb. In the shrine is besides a tiny bony fragment of Saint Thomas.

The archetypal clip the tomb was ever opened was by Raja Mahadevan, the king of Mylapore, sometime earlier the twelvemonth 200 A.D. He opened the tomb to get the cookware of ungraded buried with the disciple successful bid to cure his ailing son. The merchant Khabin opened the tomb for a 2nd clip astir 232 A.D. to transportation the Apostle’s relics to Edessa of Syria.

The Portuguese likewise entered the tomb for a 3rd clip to renovate the religion astir the twelvemonth 1523. This was said to beryllium aft witnesses reported seeing airy coming retired of the tomb. In 2004, an underground chapel was constructed beneath the tomb.

Catholic Orthodox hostility successful India

Of the thirty-seven antithetic existing Apostolic denominations, 9 are strictly Western successful nature, if we see Greece and Cyprus to beryllium a portion of the West, and  twenty-eight are Asian oregon African. The Orthodox Church claims to beryllium the existent successor of each these Apostolic Churches, including the Italian Churches, which relied connected Greek arsenic their connection of worship during the epoch successful question here.

The Orthodox Church is neither Roman Catholic nor Protestant but regards itself arsenic the existent and faithful successor of the past Apostolic Church, portion the Roman Catholic Church is regarded arsenic a denomination that broke disconnected and went astray from the existent contented of the Christian Church.

Orthodox Christianity has implicit a 100 cardinal followers successful Greece, Russia, Romania, Bulgaria, countries of the erstwhile Yugoslavia, Western Europe, the United States, and Australia, among different places. The Indian Orthodox Church is an Asian-African Apostolic Church.

This Church was established successful India successful the precise archetypal period by St. Thomas, 1 of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. It is 1 of the forty oregon truthful past Apostolic Churches of the world.

In the 16th century, it came successful interaction with the Roman Catholic Church done Portuguese colonialism. Following a period of interaction and interactions, the Roman Catholic Church took power of the St. Thomas Christian Church. The Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod), held astatine Udayemperoor—otherwise known arsenic Diamper—in 1599, played the decisive relation successful this regard.

The Synod was a diocesan assembly that determined the rules and regulations for the past Saint Thomas Christians. Thus, the synod laid a steadfast instauration for each the issues which arose aboriginal connected successful this church. For astir fifty-four years thereafter, the St. Thomas Christians remained nether Rome’s occupation.

In 1653, done an oath, the St. Thomas Christians’ Church arsenic a full overthrew their enforced subjugation to Roman Catholicism and resolved to reconstruct their state arsenic a Church of India. They hoped to revive their Oriental Church practice and indigenous characteristics.