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International Seminar on St Thomas Christians Through the Ages: a Historiographical Approach 30, 31 January, 1 February 2018

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International Seminar on St Thomas Christians Through the Ages: a Historiographical Approach 30, 31 January, 1 February 2018 International Seminar on St Thomas Christians through the Ages: A Historiographical Approach 30, 31 January, 1 February 2018 The origin, development and the vicissitudes of the St Thomas Christians in India under native and European powers who established their sway over the subcontinent of India for a couple of centuries have been attracting the attention of scholars from far and wide. Both the Indian and European scholars tried to delve deeper into the origin of Christianity in India and a number of them proved the apostolic origin though, of course, there are a few “doubting –Thomases” among them. The current generation and their progeny will assuredly benefit a lot if the works on the various aspects of the St Thomas Christians are critically assessed and brought to their notice before they disappear from print media. It is commonplace understanding that history is re-constructed with the aid of different sources like archaeological, numismatic, and epigraphic evidences, near contemporary literary works, ballads or ancient popular songs, patristic testimonies and living tradition. Basic Christian communities in various parts of the coastal Malabar since the first Century A.D speak for the evangelization of the Apostle at the beginning of the Christian era. The knowledge about the existence of Christian settlements in Kerala dating their origin back to St Thomas, the Apostle prompted St Thomas Christians living in the Persian Empire, following Eastern liturgical and theological practices, to come and strengthen their fellow-Christians in India in the fourth and the ninth centuries. The copper plates granted to the leaders of the migrating groups stand strong testimony to the nature of these groups. The availability of spices and the desire to establish a direct sea route from the Atlantic regions to the Malabar coast circumventing the monopolist hold of the merchants of West Asia, motivated the Portuguese, embedded in Western tradition of the Church, to land at Calicut at the close of the fifteenth century. They had already some vague ideas about the Christians living on the Malabar coast which were slowly confirmed or corrected through their interactions with them. The information about the existence of the tomb of St Thomas in Mylapore reached the Portuguese who conducted excavations there and on getting themselves convinced of the apostolate of St Thomas in India, they issued gold coin with the appellation of Santhomé and went so far as to christen one of their ships after the venerable name of St Thomas. The Portuguese king sought the help of the bishop of the St Thomas Christians in maximizing the purchase of spices by contacting his subjects. St. Francis Xavier testified clearly the strong catholic faith and morals of their bishop who lived for a long time with the Franciscan Missionaries in Cochin. Though there were institutions for priestly formation under the title Malapanates, the Portuguese established seminary, as innovative step for the formation of clergy even before the Ecumenical Council of Trent legislated on the subject in 1563. Subsequently, with the support of the Archbishop of the St Thomas Christians and that of the Portuguese king, the Jesuits too founded a seminary for clerical formation of the St Thomas Christians. St Thomas Christians living among Jews, Hindus and people of other religions developed their own style of life based on long cherished customs and manners. Even the architectural styles of their dwellings, churches and other institutions had a marked difference from those of others. Confrontations between the St Thomas Christians and the Portuguese religious authorities, in view of the long cherished religious and administrative practices in vogue in Malabar, were not absent. The Portuguese religious authorities in India exerted great influence to bring the St Thomas Christians under the Portuguese Padroado. Archbishop Dom Alexis de Menesses visited many of the Christian communities in Malabar with a view to knowing their background and exercising his pastoral authority over them. The report about his visit prepared by Antonio Gouvea contains a lot of information about Christianity in Malabar. The Synod of Diamper convened by the Archbishop issued legislations for the St Thomas Christians regarding their religious and social practices. The tension mounting out of the foreign domination ignited the local Christians which culminated in the event of 1653. Yet, there are a lot of vestiges of the Portuguese among the St Thomas Christians especially in the ecclesiastical set up, like the confrarias (Darsanam) being in vogue among the St Thomas Christians even in the twenty first Century. With the establishment of mastery of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), consisting mainly of Calvinists, over the Portuguese possessions in India in the second half of the seventeenth century, the St Thomas Christians were faced with a very sad plight. The officials of VOC had sent their reports related to the St Thomas Christians in Malabar which contain interesting information about the interaction between them. The English East Company comprising officials chiefly believing in Anglicanism took over the Dutch settlements in India especially in Kerala which brought them into contact with the St Thomas Christians of Malabar by 1795. The English factory records and other correspondences throw light on the relation between the Company and the Christians of Malabar. The British authorities occupying Malabar regions permitted the St Thomas Christians to set up their religious and educational institutions there. The agrarian migration thus began to strike roots under the British. 2 St Thomas Christians under the able guidance of some charismatic persons developed monastic life for consecrated men and women which gave a new orientation to them. In view of the above, a few themes are suggested for the preparation of research papers to be presented at, and discussed in, the proposed international seminar scheduled to start on 30 January 2018 for three days under the auspices of St Kuriakose Elias Archives and Research centre, Mannanam. His Beatitude Mar George Cardinal Alencherry, the Major Archbishop has graciously agreed to inaugurate the seminar. Very Rev. Bernard Ardura O’Prem, the President of the Pontifical Council for Historical Sciences, Rome will address the gathering. Eminent scholars from various educational institutions in India and abroad are invited to participate in it. The papers presented at the seminar and revised in view of the feedback from the discussions will be edited and published by the organizers for the dissemination of the information among scholars. St Kuriakose Elias Chavara Archives and Research Centre St Joseph’s Monastery, Mannanam, Kottayam District, Kerala – 686561, India Mobile: +918289998237, +918138028084, Email: [email protected], [email protected] Website: http://www.kearchives.in/ 3 .
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