The Forgotten Bishops: The Malabar Independent Syrian Church and its Place in the Story of the St Thomas Christians of South India

652 Pages·2009·18.016 MB·English

by  John Fenwick

The Forgotten Bishops
Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies
20
Gorgias Eastern Christian Studies brings to the scholarly world the
underrepresentedfieldofChristianityasitdevelopedintheEastern
hemisphere. This series consists of monographs, collections of
essays, texts and translations of the documents of Eastern
Christianity, and studies of topics relevant to the unique world of
historic Orthodoxy and early Christianity.
The Forgotten Bishops
The Malabar Independent Syrian Church and its
Place in the Story of the St Thomas Christians of
South India
John Fenwick
9
34
2009
Gorgias Press LLC, 180 Centennial Ave., Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
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Copyright © 2 0 0 9 by Gorgias Press LLC
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright
Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC.
2009 ܛ 9
ISBN 978-1-60724-619-0 ISSN 1539-1507
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Fenwick, John R. K.., 1951-
The forgotten bishops : the Malabar Independent
Syrian Church and its place in the story of the
St. Thomas Christians of South India / By John
Fenwick.
p. cm. -- (Gorgias eastern Christian studies ;
20)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
1. Malabar Independent Syrian Church--History.
2. India--Church history. 3. Saint Thomas
Christians--History. I. Title.
BX163.3.F46 2009
281'.5--dc22
2009038631
Printed in the United States of America
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ܪܐܒ(cid:224)(cid:226)ܕ ܐܬܪܐ(cid:207) ܐ(cid:255)(cid:217)(cid:216)ܪ(cid:205)(cid:232)
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ܐ(cid:208)(cid:217)(cid:253)(cid:226) ܥ(cid:205)(cid:253)(cid:216) ܢ(cid:251)(cid:227)ܒ

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents...................................................................................vii
List of Illustrations................................................................................xiii
Illustrations.............................................................................................xxi
Sources....................................................................................................xxi
Abbreviations...................................................................................xxxvii
Note on Terminology, Episcopal Nomenclature, Spelling and
dates............................................................................................xxxix
Ecclesiastical..............................................................................xxxix
Indian Usage....................................................................................xl
Personal Names.............................................................................xli
Spelling and transliteration..........................................................xlii
Dates..............................................................................................xliii
Acknowledgements...............................................................................xlv
Map of Travancore, Cochin and British Malabar circa 1800........xlix
Introduction..............................................................................................1
Chapter 1: The Indian Context............................................................11
The Geographical Context...........................................................12
Ethnography...................................................................................14
Political Organisation....................................................................17
Chapter 2: Syrian Christianity...............................................................23
Syriac................................................................................................24
The Common Heritage.................................................................25
The East Syrian community – the Church of the East...........28
The West Syrian Community – the Syrian Orthodox
Church....................................................................................40
Through Indian eyes?....................................................................53
Chapter 3: ‘Syrian’ Christianity in India to 1498................................59
The St Thomas Tradition.............................................................62
Later Developments......................................................................66
vii
viii THE FORGOTTEN BISHOPS
The Stone Crosses.........................................................................69
Other Factors.................................................................................70
The Archdeacon............................................................................72
The Lower Clergy..........................................................................75
The Status of the Community.....................................................77
Chapter 4: The Consequences of European Contact – An
Overview.........................................................................................83
The Portuguese and The Synod of Udyamperoor/Diamper.83
The Dutch....................................................................................103
The British and Tippu Sultan....................................................108
Chapter 5: The Struggle For Independence and Identity 1653-
1751...............................................................................................119
Francis Garcia, Archbishop of Cranganore, 1641-1659........120
Coonen Cross and the establishment of contact with the
West Syrian tradition..........................................................121
Efforts to Restore Union with Rome.......................................127
Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel.......................................................133
The Kattumangattu Brothers.....................................................143
Maphrian Mar Basilios Yaldo and Mar Ivanios
Hidayathulla.........................................................................145
The transformation of the Archidiaconate..............................147
Mar Thoma IV ca 1688-1728....................................................149
The Struggle for Control of the Syrians: Mar Thoma IV,
Mar Gabriel, Padroado and Propaganda........................153
Mar Thoma V 1728-1765...........................................................157
Mar Ivanios Yuhanon Ibn al Arqugianyi of Amid.................160
Chapter 6: The Consequences of the Maphrian’s Delegation of
1751: I - The Quarrel With Mar Thoma V..............................169
Mar Basilios Shukr Allah Qasagbi, Maphrian of the East.....169
Mar Gregorios Yuhanna, Metropolitan of Jerusalem............171
The arrival of the delegation......................................................172
First contact with the Kattumangattu brothers?....................177
The absence of the Vicar Apostolic.........................................179
The concordat with Mar Thoma V..........................................180
Anquetil du Perron’s Meeting with Maphrian Mar Basilios,
January 1758........................................................................181
The Maphrian’s legacy –community and liturgy.....................184
The breakdown of the concordat with Mar Thoma V..........188
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix
Chapter 7: The Consequences of the Maphrian’s Delegation of
1751: II - The Consecration of Two Bishops.........................193
The Consecration of Mar Thoma VI as Dionysios I.............194
The Date of the Consecration of Mar Koorilose I................200
Why was another Indian consecrated?.....................................221
What happened in 1772?............................................................224
Summary.......................................................................................241
The end of the Maphrian’s delegation.....................................245
Postscript: Why ‘Koorilose’?.....................................................246
Chapter 8: Mar Koorilose I And Mar Dionysios I: Further
Themes..........................................................................................247
Mar Dionysios I’s attempts to unite with Rome....................247
The Mission of Joseph Kariattil................................................250
Opposition to Mar Dionysios’ reception.................................252
Mar Abraham Pandari and the reception of Mar Dionysios
I.............................................................................................256
Additional Topics........................................................................264
Chapter 9: The Early 19th Century – Two Lines of Succession....285
A Brief Review of Sources.........................................................285
The Kattumangattu Succession – Geeverghese Mar
Koorilose II and Mar Ivanios...........................................288
The Pakalomattom Succession – Mar Dionysios I and
Contact With British Churchmen....................................295
Mar Thoma VII 1808-1809........................................................310
Mar Thoma VIII 1809-1816......................................................313
John Munro, British Resident, 1810-1819...............................315
Mar Thoma IX 1816...................................................................323
The Thozhiyur Succession.........................................................324
Plans for Renewal – and Reunion?...........................................327
The Founding of the Seminary and the Consecration of
Mar Dionysios II................................................................331
North-South tensions.................................................................335
The Mission of Help...................................................................338
Indigenous Evangelism..............................................................343
Chapter 10: The Golden Age: Geeverghese Mar Philoxenos II,
Malankara Metropolitan.............................................................347
Consecration and Ministry.........................................................347
Mar Athanasios Abdul Messih..................................................361
The Liturgical Shift......................................................................370
x THE FORGOTTEN BISHOPS
Mar Philoxenos II – death and tributes...................................373
Chapter 11: Mar Koorilose III and the Termination of the
Mission of Help...........................................................................377
The consecration of Mar Koorilose III...................................377
Bishop Wilson’s Visits................................................................382
Fading Hopes for Reform..........................................................386
Attitudes to Roman Catholicism...............................................389
The Mavelikara Synod, 1836......................................................397
Palakunnathu Abraham Malpan................................................402
The Petition to the British Resident, 1836..............................406
Chapter 12: Mathews Mar Athanasios..............................................413
Early Life and troubles with the CMS Missionaries..............414
The Journey to the Patriarch.....................................................419
Encounter with Patriarch Elias II.............................................424
The return to India......................................................................436
Mar Athanasios and Mar Dionysios IV – early contacts.......439
The Kandanat Assembly of 30th August 1843........................442
The Callumcatta Assembly of 3rd September 1843................444
The Attitude of the Missionaries..............................................445
The Response from the Patriarchate........................................446
A West Syrian agenda?................................................................453
Malankara Metropolitan.............................................................459
Chapter 13: Independence Secured...................................................461
The Consecration of Mar Koorilose IV..................................463
The Thozhiyur community acquires new Churches..............471
The Later Career of Yoakim Mar Koorilose...........................473
The Death of Mar Dionysios IV...............................................476
A wider perspective – the Pazhayakuttukar............................477
Internal life...................................................................................486
Chapter 14: The End of the Old Order and the Consecration of
Titus I Mar Thoma......................................................................527
Joseph Mar Dionysios V............................................................527
The Consecration of Thomas Mar Athanasios.......................529
The Visit of Patriarch Peter III.................................................530
The Abandoning of Mathews Mar Athanasios.......................533
The Mulanthuruthy Synod 1876...............................................535
The Death of Metropolitan Mathews Mar Athanasios.........538
Thomas Mar Athanasios, Malankara Metropolitan................541