Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church
The Indian Orthodox Church (also known as Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Orthodox Syrian Church of the East), is a prominent member of the Oriental Orthodox Church family. The Church traces its origins to St. Thomas the Apostle, who came to India in AD 52.
The head of the Indian Orthodox church is the Catholicos of the East H.H. Mar Baselius Mar Thoma Mathews II whose seat is at Kottayam, Kerala, India. The Church has dioceses and churches in most parts of India as well as in the US, Canada, UK, Western Europe, Persian Gulf nations, Australia and New Zealand. The full title of the head of the Church is "the Catholicos of the East and the Malankara Metropolitan". Another section of the Church (Syrian Orthodox Church) functions under the spiritual leadership of H.H. Patriarch Mor Ignatios Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch of Antioch and All the East.
The Church, though modern in its vision and outlook, keeps the traditional Orthodox faith and liturgy. It accepts the first three Ecumenical Synods. The liturgy now in use is the translation of the Syrian liturgy adopted from the Antiochian Church in the 17th century. Today the Church uses liturgy in Malayalam, Hindi and English.
The Indian Orthodox community inherited many aspects of Indian civilization and they are as any other member of any other community in India, in their customs, manners and life style.
The Church has a Theological Seminary at Kottayam, Kerala, which was established in 1815. Another seminary is situated in Nagpur, Maharashtra. The later was established fairly recently in the later part of the 20th century.
The Church takes an active role in various ecumenical activities at national and international levels. It is a member of the World Council of Churches. Famous theologians such as Mar Paulose Gregorious, Mar Geevarghese Osthathios, and Rev. Fr.V.C. Samuel, who contributed a lot to the negotiations between the Oriental and Byzantine churches, belong to this church. The Indian Orthodox Church also participated in the Ecumenical council of Oriental Orthodox Churches held in Addis Ababa, in 1965.
History
During the later Old Testament times the Malabarian coast had trade relations with West Asia. These trade routes later enabled Christianity to reach Kerala, a state on the south western coast of India. Tradition states that the Apostle Thomas preached the Gospel to the locals (largely Jewish settlers in kerala during ancient times), baptised many, ordained some as bishops and founded seven churches. These churches remain the major Christian centres in Kerala. The christians of this ancient tradition were and are known as either Nasranis or Syrian Christians.
The Indian Church was related to the Church of the East in the early centuries, and this church sent "East Syrian" bishops to India. The head of the Eastern church was the "Catholicos of the East" in the lineage of Apostle Thomas. In 431 AD, the Council of Ephesus condemned the teachings of Nestor, who was the Patriarch of Constantinople. A section of the Church of the East rejected the decisions of the Council fo Ephesus and accepted the Nestorian teaching. In 544 AD, Mar Theodosius, the Patriarch of Alexandria ordained Mar Jacob Baradaeus as a general bishop. In 559 AD, Mar Jacob Baradaeus visited the east and consecrated a Catholicos for the non-Chalcedonians who accepted the Council of Ephesus and rejected the Council of Chalcedon.
The Portuguese who colonized India in 1498 tried to convert the St. Thomas Christians to Roman Catholicism. By 1599 they succeeded in forcibly converting some to the Roman Catholic Church. But in 1653, a section of St. Thomas Christians revolted and resolved against accepting foreign authority. The party that sought to preserve the Church's freedom appealed to several Eastern Christian Centres for help in restoring its episcopal succession. The Antiochene Church responded and sent to India a Bishop, Metropolitan Mar Gregorios of Jerusalem who came to India in 1665. The Archdeacon who had been declared in the meantime to be Metropolitan Mar Thoma by the laying on of hands by twelve Presbyters was now confirmed by him in his episcopal rank, and both of them worked together to organise the church on firm footing. Mar Thoma I was followed in succession by a series of Prelates with the same name till 1816 when the last of them namely Mar Thoma IX came to the scene, but was soon replaced by Mar Dionysius II.
Later in the 19th century, the Anglican Church also tried to convert the whole church into a reformed one known as the Mar Thoma Church, largely in vain.
In 1912, the Catholicate of the East was revived in India with the co-operation of
Mar Abded Messih, the Senior Patriarch of Antioch, Mar Dionysius VI, the Metropolitan of the Indian Church and the Bishops of the Church. The ceremony was held at St. Mary's Church, Niranam on 15 September 1912;
