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The Beginnings of Christianity in Merv

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The Beginnings of Christianity in Merv Iranica Antiqua, vol. XXX, 1995 THE BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY IN MERV BY G. KOSHELENKO, A. BADER, V. GAIBOV (Moscow Institute of Archaeology) The history of Christianity in Merv is well-known enough beginning with the Sassanian era, thanks to the famous Chronicle of Seert and al- Biruni’s descriptions1. Other sources are unfortunately very often neglected, so one could have the impression that the earliest penetration of Christianity into Merv is only from the IVth century A.D. However, some materials show clearly that a certain presence of Christian religion can be traced in the town of Merv as well as in the area of the Merv oasis (Margiana) already in the Parthian epoch. While describing the famous scene of assignment of peoples and coun- tries for missionary activity among the apostles (by throwing lots), Pseudo-Hyppolytus mentions Parthians, Medians, Persians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians and Margians as the peoples which the apostle Thomas had to baptize. From the same text we learn that (according to Pseudo- Hyppolytus) St Thomas preached in an Indian town Kalamene also, and that he was buried there2. A confirmation of the Pseudo-Hyppolytus’ information seems to be preserved in the Armenian Christian tradition. In an Armenian synaxare under the 12th day of navasardom month (i.e. August, 22) St Thomas is mentioned as the prophet who contributed much to the christianization of India. Unfortunately, other details are lacking of this part of the Armenian 1 E. SACHAU, Die Christianisierung-Legende von Merv, Festschrift für Wolf Wilhelm Grafen von Baudissin, Giessen 1918; G. MESSINA, Al-Biruni sugli inizi del Cristianismo a Merv, Al-Biruni Commemoration Volume, A.H. 362 — A.H. 1362, Calcutta 1943, p. 221-131; J.M. FIEY, Chrétientés syriaques du Horasan et du Sagestan, Le Muséon, LXXXVI, Louvain 1973, p. 75-104 (the same article is republished in the volume: J.M. FIEY, Communautés syriaques en Iran et Iraq des origines à 1552, London 1979). 2 Q¬mav dé Párqoiv, Mßdoiv, Pérsaiv, ¨Urkano⁄v, Baktrio⁄v, Márgio⁄v kjrúzav êlakidásqj to⁄v tétrasi méresin aûtoÕ. ˆEp pólei Kalamßnj t±v ˆIndik±v kaí taptétai êke⁄ (Hippolyt. De duodec. apostolis). 56 G. KOSHELENKO text. On the contrary, St Thomas’ activity in another region is described much better: “L’apôtre du Christ Thomas, surnommé le Jumeau, était l’un des douze élus. Lorsque les apôtres se partagèrent au sort la terre, Thomas fut désigné pour aller aux Indes. Au cours de son voyage, il traversa la Mésopotamie, des Arméniens et des Syriens. Il envoya son frère Thaddée à Edesse au roi d’Arménie, Abgar, pour accomplir la promesse que lui avait faite le Saveur et là il illumina beaucoup de gens adonnés à idolâtrie, par le baptême des saints fonts. Quand à lui, le bienheureux Thomas, il prêcha aux Parthes et aux Mèdes, aux Perses et aux Kirmans, aux Bactriens et aux Mages et jusqu’en Chine, opérant partout des miracles et des prodiges au nom du Christ, convertissant beaucoup de gens à la vraie foi, établissant des églises en plusieurs pays et des ministres pour le culte”3. Comparing Pseudo-Hyppolytus’ list of peoples which St Thomas began to convert into Christianity to the list in above-mentioned Armenian source, we discover a striking correspondence. In both texts Parthians, Medians, Persians and Bactrians are present. The difference between the two sources consists only in two words: on the place of Hyrcanians of Pseudo-Hyppolytus’ text we find Kermanians in the Ter-Israel’s writing, and instead of Margians Magians (Mágoi) in the second one. The first set of words can be easily explained as simple mistake in the man- uscript, probably provoked by the phonetical similarity of two words. Anyway, the change of one term with the other does not seriously change the logic of the narration. On the contrary, the presence of term Magians in the Ter-Israel's writing does not correspond to the general logic of text and seems to be completely out of place. The use of a technical term designating an estate (clergy) among the names of peoples seems to be very strange and probably signifies a mistake. The explanation for it could be the following: the term Margiánoi (or Márgoi) “Margians” in the Greek original of the source used by the Armenian author for his writing could be unknown for him, so he possibly changed it with a better known word Mágoi “Magians”. 3 Le Synaxaire Arménien de Ter-Israel publié et traduit par le dr. G. Bayan, Patrologia Orientalis, tome V, Paris 1910, p. 420-421. CHRISTIAN PENETRATION INTO MERV 57 If so, Pseudo-Hyppolytus, information about the apostolic mission of St. Thomas in the lands of Parthians, Medians, Persians, Hyrcanians (Kermanians), Bactrians and Margians is confirmed in another and more or less independent source. If it is not isolated but represents a certain tra- dition attested in some sources, the problem of the authenticity of this tra- dition arises. In fact, the history of the apostolic activity of St Thomas has been unclear untill now. It is well-known that in the Syrian Christian Church existing now in some parts of India (in particular, on the Malabar shore) the apostle Thomas is considered as the founder, and St Thomas’ name became a part of the official appellation of this Church. According to the Indian Christian tradition, the apostle Thomas came to India around 50 A.D. and converted many local habitants into Christianity. He is also supposed to be the founder of 7 churches on the Malabar seaboard. Later St Thomas is said to move to the Koromandel shore and continue his propagation there. According to the legend, his popularity arrouse dissatisfaction and later the anger of the local brahmans he who finally managed to kill St Thomas after he refused to worship the goddess Kali4. This tradition is widely spread (not only among the Christians of the Indian Church of St Thomas5), but a few modern scholars have certain doubts about it. Such being the case the most natural way of studying the problem should be an attempt to re-examine the main historical source of St Thomas' activity, i.e. “Acts of Thomas”. This source is not included into the main Christian Canon and is pre- served among the apocryphal writings6. Very probably, the Acts in their actual form are a literary fiction which includes certain real historical 4 C.P. MATHEW, M.M. THOMAS, The Indian Church of St Thomas, Delhi 1967; L.W. BROWN, The Indian Christian of St Thomas. An account of ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge 1981; S.G. POTHAN, The Syrian Christian of Kerala, New York 1963; F.F. KEAY, A history of the Syrian Church in India, Madras 1951; J.W. SEDLAR, India and the Greek World. A study in the transmission of culture, Totowa (New Jersey) 1980. 5 R.P. PLACID, Histoire de l’Eglise Syro-Malabare, l’Orient syrien, I, No 4, 1956, p; 375-380. 6 The Acts of Thomas, The apocryphal New Testament being the apocryphal Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Apocalypses with other narratives and fragments newly translated by M.R. James, Oxford 1924, p. 364-438; A.F.J. KLIJN, The Acts of Thomas. Introduction, text, commentary, Leiden 1962; H.J.W. DRIJVERS, Thomasakten, Neutestamentliche Apokryphen in deutscher Übersetung, hrsg. v. Schneemlecher, II. Band, Apostlisches Apokalypsen und Verwandtes, Tübingen 1989, p. 289-367. 7 See A.F.J. KLIJN, The Acts... p. 27; J.W. SEDLAR, India... p. 178. 58 G. KOSHELENKO information7. Almost all of researchers who have studied this problem in recent time are of this opinion, so we will not repeat all their arguments. According to the Acts, the activity of St Thomas took place on the ter- ritories of two important states, one of them under the rule of Gondophar and the other under the rule of Mazdai. Almost all the facts more or less corresponding to the historical reality are connected to the first state, i.e. Gondophar’s kingdom. The use of the real names of the king Gondophar and his brother Gades in this part of the Acts is very important8. The main events of Gondophar’s rule are reconstructed well-enough on the base of numismatic materials9. Probably he founded the Indo-Parthian kingdom about 20 A.D. During the rule of Gondophar his kingdom included the ter- ritories of Sistan, Arachosia, Gandhara and Djammu; the date of his death remains unknown, but probably it happened about A.D. 5010. In such a case the dates of life of king Gondophar correspond to the time of St Thomas’ activity, if to follow its traditional chronology and to consider apostle Thomas a real person. The main purpose of the Acts was to tell the story of victorious chris- tianization of India by St Thomas, but the parts the most realistic and exact from historical point of view are connected to the Parthian world. This fact drew already the attention of a certain number of researchers since long ago11. If to analise the tradition about St Thomas activity as a whole, one can distinguish three main parts in it. According to the first, apostle Thomas’ lot was to go to Parthia, after the second one, he had to go to India, the third one is a contamination of the first two ver- sions of tradition. 8 J.W. VAN LOHUIZEN — DE LEEUW, The “Scythian” period: an approach to the history, art, epigraphy and palaeography of North India from 1st century B.C. to the 3rd century A.D. Leiden 1949, p. 351, 354-358; B.N. PURI, India under the Kushans, Bombay 1965, p.
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