The Life
of Tomas Christians till the
End of the Sixteenth Century
St. Thomas Christians had
great love for East Syriac
language and they accepted the
East Syrian Liturgy with joy.
But it is unfortunate that we
have no knowledge about how
the sacred functions were
observed in the early
centuries before the arrival
of East Syrian missionaries.
The East Syrian prelates
presided over the Church of
St. Thomas Christians. However
they allowed us to retain our
identity to a certain extant.
The Indian Church never became
a filial Church of the
Seleusia. In the political,
socio-cultural field they kept
their identity. The Persian
prelates did not interfere in
the administration of the
Church. They did not know the
local language and the customs
of the country. They therefore
exercised their authority
mainly in liturgical matters
and in general vigilance. The
effective administration of
the Church was in the hands of
the Archdeacon who himself was
an indigenous priest. He was
the leader of the community.
The St. Thomas Christians
developed an individuality of
their own. The Liturgy and
other religious functions were
integrated into the socio-
cultural milieu of Kerala,
though much remained to be
desired. The inculturation
remained peripheral. It did
not enter into the core of the
Liturgy which came to us in a
fixed form, rather than taking
a slow process of development
in the local cultural
background. The main
characteristic of this period
is that this community enjoyed
internal peace during the
centuries that they were ruled
by East Syrian prelates. The
East Syrian prelates however
were not interested in
bringing up the indigenous
priests to become prelates
over their own people. This
prevented the natural growth
of this Church. |
