The Orthodox Syrian Church of Malabar

THE ORTHODOX SYRIAN CHURCH OF MALABAR

The Orthodox Syrian Church of Malabar is almost as old as Christianity, being founded by the Apostle Thomas. After he had preached the Gospel for seventeen years in the regions to the east of Antioch and reached Edessa, the capital of Eastern Syria, he returned to Jerusalem to attend the Apostolic Council. There the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him and sent him to India in 52 A.D. He preached Jesus Christ first in Indo-Parthia of King Gondophorus, and then in the Malabar Coast and converted many heathens, among whom were several high caste Hindus, especially from the families of Sankarapuri and Pakalomattam• He established churches at Maliankara-Cranganore, Palur, Parur, Gokka-mangalam, Chayal, Niranam and Quilon, and a cross at-Thiruvithamcode where he spent a fairly long time in fasting and meditation. Having ordained bishops for the Church from the Sankarapuri and Pakalomattam families, he passed on to the east coast and met a martyr's death in 72 A. D. at Mylapore. He is said to be the first Bishop of the East, which bishopric later centralised at Selucia and grew to the Catholicate of. the East. Though his relics were removed to Edessa in 165 A. D•, histori-ans say tnat from the earliest days of Christianity the shrine of St. Thomas was as much venerated at Mylapore as that of St. Peter at Rome, so much so that King Alfred sent alms to the former through Bishop Sighelm in 883. The Nicene Synod of 325 was attended by Bishop John too of Persia and India. There he must have met the Catholicos of the East and the Bishop of Edessa. Later in 345, Mar Joseph, Bishop of Edessa, had a dream in which he saw the Church of India as sheep without shepherd. He intimated the matter to the Catholicos, who asked Knai Thoma, a merchant of Cana-near Bagdad, to enquire about the same during his next voyage. Having learned about its truth, he sent the Bishop to Malabar with the merchant and a colony of about four hundred Syrians, most of whom were suffering persecution under King Sapor II of Persia. They landed at Cranganore. The majority of them settled down on the northern side of Mahodevarpattanam and the rest on the southern side. The latter came to to known as Southists and the former as Northists. The Northists and the local Christians welcomed each other into intermarriages. The Southists dared not and still keep aloof. These Christian communities came to be known as Syrian Christians.

With the advent of the Syrian colony the Church rose in status, as it received several privileges from the reigning Peru mal. During the same century Papa, the Catholicos, is said to have sent Bishop David of Basra to India and that he evangelised many people. A second colony arrived in the latter part of the eighth century, and Veera Raghava Chakravarthy granted certain privile-ges to Iravikarthan as representing the Christian com-munity. A third colnony is said to have arrived in 822 under the lead, rship of Mar Saper and Mar Peroz to whom also a charter of privileges was granted. Subsequently when the rule of the Perumals came to an end about the tenth century and the county became split up into a number of petty kingdoms, the rulers of these principa-lities too continued to them their cld privileges. These privileges resulted as a curse in disguise, for thereby they kept aloof from the low castes and evangelisation. That the ancient rulers of Kerala allowed the Christians with other religionists freedom to worship God as they liked and not only extended to them sympathy and protection, but also conferred upon them privileges, they remembered with gratitude and remained exempla rily loyal. "Your community is the embodiment of antiquity and historic association and the very model of: contentment, peacefulness and loyalty. Were Parsurama himself to 'revisit this ancient land, he cannot find a more loyal and well behaving people than the Syrians," said Maha Rajah Visakam Thirunal in reply to an address presented to him by Mar Joseph Dionysius at Kottayam in 1860. Thrcughout the time of the Crusades there was much had blood between the Mohammedans and the Christians all over the world, and consequently when Mohammedan inflow ce increased in Malabar as a result of the Arab trade. the Christians in the dominion of the Zamorin retired from there and established themselves among their brethren in Cochin. Their strength was so great that they chose one among themselves to be a ruler over them. This king was called Villiarvattam• He 'fended his subjects from the Mohammedans and the h ather, a-d ruled over them. After a period, this S: Han Christian royal dynasty became extinct. ' During the course of its long history the Church has suffered considerably, owing to secessions from it into other churches. That some of the foreign bishops .vho came to Malabar were Nestorians accounts for the 0,istence of the Chaldean Church at Trichur with a population of about 10,000. Their present Bishop is Mar Thoma who was recently consecrated by their Patriarch in America. whither the Patriarchate was shifted after world war I.

In the sixteenth century came the Portuguese to the Malabar coast and were surprised to find here over a hundred churches. "These churches belong to the Pope," said the Portuguese. "Who is the Pope? We never heard of him," answered the Syrians. But they began to cherish the idea of bringing the Syrian Christians to the obedience of Rome. They build a college first at Cranganore in 1545 and another at Vaippikotta in 1 087 to educate the clergy. These proved futile as the people were resolute in defending their ancient faith. It was the period of the Portuguese domination in India and Archbishop Menezes, the Roman Primate of the East, came down from Goa.What education and eloquence-failed to do, violence and intimidation began to carry out. He seized their bishop Mar Joseph of Sankarapuri and sent him as a prisoner to Lisbon. Then he held a synod at Diamper in 15:19 A. D. It was attenced by 15:1 clergy and 660 lay representatives. The Archbishop had already prepared the decrees to be passed in the synod, establishing the Roman doctrine and the supre-macy of the Pope. None had the courage to oppose for fear of the engines of the inquisition at Goa. Most of their ecclesiastical Locks were hurned. Their monastery of fourteen monks was profaned and aboli-shed• Alas ! the whole Church was brought under Rome.

Feeling of resentment and desire to reassert ind,- - pencience began to grow among the Syrians. This reache0 its zenith in 1650 A. D•, when the Prelate Aesalla who came to their rescue was done away with by tie Portugese. They assembled in thousanos at the Leaning Cross in Mattanchery on the 16th of January the same year and took an oath that they would have nothing to do with Rome. Of the population numbering about 20u,oh0 only 4110 kept back. How great was their vitality to withstand foreign ecclesiastic aggressions! Those who thus turned back to their ancient faith from fifty years of Roman yoke had no bishop. So t hey socn assembled at Alangad and elected one Fr. Thoma-Parampil of the Pakalomattam family to be their prelate. Twelve priests raised him to the leadership of the Malabar Church and he is known as Mar Thoma I. On hearing this the Pope attempted through delegates to reconcile him to the Archbishop of Goa, but failed. But making much of the aforesaid "consecration", he succeeded in taking back 82 churches and only 32 remained loyal to the oath and the faith of their fathers. It is curious to note that the former styled themselves; the Pazhayakoors and called the latter the Puthenkoors, whereas the reverse is the truth. With this split the 5 Syrian Christians fell from their status and began to deteriorate.

Mar Thoma I was conscious that he had no Apostolic succession and so he wrote to the Patriarchs of the East to get it regularised. Mar Gregorios arrived in 1655 A. D., and consecrated Mar Thoma I as Bishop. Nine bishops by the title Mar Thama—all members of the Pakalomattam family—have arisen in the Syrian Church one after another, till 1817 A, D. (During their period two Catholici, both by name Mar Baselios, visited and died in Malabar, one at Kothamangalam and the other at Kandanad). The greatest of these metropolitans was Mar Thoma VI, also known as Mar Dionysius the Great. He held office for 47 years, from 1761 to 1808. It was during his episcopate that the Rev. Claudius Buchanan in 1806 visited the Syrian Church in the course of his Chris-tian researches in Asia, whereby he came to the decided opinion that there is as good authority to believe that Apostle Thomas died in India as that Apostle Peter died at Rome. The Metropolitan presented him a manuscript copy of the Syriac Bible• From it he supplied printed copies to the Church and placed the original in the Uni-versity Library at Cambridge. The Metropolitan also translated the four Gospels into Malayalam and Dr. Buchanan got them printed in Bombay.

While Mar Thoma VI was in office, a resident fo-reign bishop by name Mar Gregorios consecrated a Ram-ban of the Kattumangattu family at Niulanthurthy and set him up as a rival bishop• This gave rise to a dispute which ended in favour of Mar Dionysius the Great and Mar Koorilos, the new bishop, went away to Thozhiur where he established an independent See which continues to this day preserving the ancient faith. The present Mar Philoxenos IV is the tenth metropolitan of that See. To the fourth of these, MarPhilaxenos II, the Syrian Church is indeb-ted for the consecration of three metropolitans, Mar Dionysius II—Pulikkottil, Mar Dionysius lil_Punnathara and Mar Dionysius IV—Cheppt, and to the latter the Thozhiur Church is indebteda in tion of his successor Mar Koorilos Ill. Now the Ma turn for the consecrar communion, Thoma Church and the Thozhiur Church are in inter-While Mar Dionysian the Great was the Metropolitan of Malabar, Colonel Macaulay was the British Resident and Vela Thampi was the Travancore Dewan. The latter had great apprehension of the extension of the Christian faith and determined to root it out from Travancore, if possible. Unlike the dewans before or after, he conducted a dreadful massacre. "Nine priests and upwards of 3000 souls—men women and children—were maimed, tortured and butchered and thrown into the backwaters. So also the Travancore ally, the Cochin Dewan Paliath Atchen, wreaked his full vengearce on the poor Christians of Cochin. He tied their hands and feet together and man-gled them and threw threw them into the sea. The Bri-tish Residency was burnt down and pillaged by the Tra-vancore forces aided by the Cochin Dewan. Col. Macaulay, however, escaped to the sea."

"The troops revolted against the Rajah too and he -called in the Christian fishermen from the coast to de-fend him. They assembled at Trivandrum in immense num-bers each man armed with a short bludgeon. The bow-men from the hills appeared at the some time in the Rajah's behal f,and the Mayors laid down their arms and fled. The battalions were disbanded and the Rajah accepted a subsidiary force from the English." x The resident in his urgency received from the Metropolitan a sum of 3000 star pagodas (Rs• 10500)- After the revolt was over, he offered back the money, but the Metropolitan did not accept it. So he invested it with the East lndia Company x Church History of Travancore by C. M. Agur. Manager, Resident's office, Trivandrum—I903. Pages 58, 84. for the benefit of the Syrians at eight per cent interest. This amount is known as the Trust Fund. x Mar Thoma VIII had no consecration except that he got his predecessor almost at the point of his death place his hand on him So there was a party opposed to him, It was headed by Ramban Fr. Ittoop of Pulikottil. He claimed from Colonel Munro, who was the Resident trom 1810 to 1819, the accumulated interest of the Trust Fund to es—tablish a seminary at Kottayam for the education of the. Syrians, especially of candidates for priesthood. The Resident, who was a well-wisher of the Syrians, gave him the interest and also persuaded Rani Lakshmi Bhai to give him the land required for its site, and provide an en-dowment, The benevolent Rani gave him both and he built the Syrian Seminary in 1813. Later, her regent successor Rani Parvathi Bhai gave the Munro island for the benefit of the Syrian Christians. The Madras Govern-• meet questioned the Resident why the interest was given. to a Ramban. So the latter, to justify his claim, got him-self consecrated by Ma- Philoxenos II of Thozhiur junder. the title Mar Dionysian II. Mar Thom ma VIII opposed him. But the Resident decided in favour of Mar Dionysius and induced the Travancore Durbar to issue a proclamation accepting his accession and directing all Syrians to obey him.

To staff the seminary with learned men Mar Diony • sius sought the help of Col, Munro. England had not yet begun to turn back from her protestant coarse and x I, Col. Macaulay, the Resident in Travancore, do hereby certify to have this day received from Mar Thorna, Metropolitan of the Syrian Church in Malabar, the amount of 3000 star pagodas in the Honourable Company's Loan in perpetuity, and agree to pay in Travancore as long as the Ancient Church lasts, to the Metropolitan, Metran or any other duly constituted Prelate, annually the interest of the above amount at 8 percent by obtaing receipt for the name. Trivandrum I 12-1808.

I so tine men he got down were of the Low Cuh School of af tthought r ht e coorutl thehardly, ,e n appreciate thhe rc orthodox were missionaries of the type t Soy fr nh the Churchm e member, r If theys Oxford or Conwley Missio of the or of Miss Hol me and mriss,,%-roof Likishen Pakenham Walsh, Brookes—Smith, ',es—Smith, they would really have formed a mission of help. Three m'ssioaa-ries by name Balser, Fenn and Bally came one after the other. Following the arrival of Fenn Mar Dionysius II passed away aged more than seveni yd succeeded by Mar Dionysius III—Punnathara. i'lr was was v to the missionaries who had come with instreuritiocnosrndeiii tiler to pull down the ancient church and build another, nor to interfere with the Syrians and their church ex: cept in perfect understanding with their bishop. Being men of tact and devotion they managed to get on in com-plete 'sat many with the Metropolitan. But he passed away in 1825 at the age of 4.0. During the episcopate of these two metropolitans the community enjoyed a peace and prosperity unknown till then or afterwards—being unmolested by foreign prelates. Mar Dionysius III was succeeded by Mar Dionysius IV Cheppat, and the work of the mission went on smoothly for a few years more. By the year 1833 all the first missionaries had left Kottayam and two young missionaries, Peet and Woodcock, arrived. They were violently opposed to the Oxford Movement just then started in England by Keble, Pusey and Newman. Besides, they had neither the patience nor the precaution of the early trio. They, who were sent to protect and uplift the ancient church, began to teach in class and churches doctrines contrary to those of the ancient church and that made the the Metropoli—tan uneasy. Certain Anglican chaplains who visited the church at times said th-t the old doctrines and prac-tices of the church were quite right and needed not to be given up. But the new missionaries paid no heed to that advice and went on teaching their protestant doc-trines, ever widening the gulf between themselves and the Metropolitan. At this time Bishop Wilson, the fifth Anglican Metropolitan of India, visited the Syrian Church and presented to Mar Dionysius a scheme for the re-form of the church in matters of government. The Metropolitan, who had begun to get estranged from the missionaries replied that he would consider the scheme in synod. Accordingly he convened a synod of priests and lay representatives of all the churches under his juris-diction on the 16th of January 1836 at Mavelikara. Mar Koorilos III of Thozhiur too was present. The scheme was taken for consideration. But the representatives saw behind it an intention similar to that of the Portu-gese to slowly bring the church under the Bishop's rule. So they rejected the scheme altogether. Besides, they resolved neither to accept any faith or teaching other than the Orthodox Faith nor to have any inter_ course with the Protestant missionaries. Soon on Palm Sunday the same year, when the Metropolitan and dea-cons had gone for service to the neighbouring church, as the seminary had no chapel at that time, Peet broke open an upper room of the seminary and removed to his bungalow all books and documents including the copper plates Thereupon the partnership came to a complete end. But it was not with empty hands that the missio-naries parted. They got divided for them a major part of the properties given for the benefit of the Syrtans and continued to keep the books carried away from their valuable library by Peet. The copper plates of charters were returned to the Metropolitan by the arbitrators at Quilon.

In spite of all these, it has to be gratefully remem-bered that both the Roman and the English missionaries have done a lot for the country in the advancement of culture civilization and education. The genius of Christi-anity is also to civilize. Though the missionaries parted, they had left a deep impression of their protestant faith in the minds of a large number of people. Some followed the missionaries and formed the C, M. S. Church in Travancore and Cochin, which is now a part of the Church of South India. The other; remained in the Church for a time. The fore-%most of them was Malpan Fr. Abraham of Maramon. Born in 1796, he became an orphan in his third year and a priest at the hands of "Mar Thoma VIII" in his eighteenth year. During the regime of Mar Dionysius ii and iii all the priests of the Syrian Church were celebates, a re-sult of the fifty years Romish domination. Colonel Munro offered Rs. 400 to the priest who would marry first. x Accepting the offer, the Syriac professor under the missionaries married and began to subscribe to their doctrinal dictates too. Following their foot-steps he revolted against prayers for the de—parted, intercession to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints and celebration of festivals. He reduced the number of the sacraments by four or five and the mystical significance of the other three or two. Maintaining the externals,he made alterations in the ancient liturgy of St. James to blot off the sacrificial aspect of the Holy Sacrament. As the canon sanctions for convenience,the •church used to administer the Holy Sacrament mixing the wine with broken pieces of the bread;he began to give them 'separately. On the whole he began to make the teachings of the Church approach the doctrines of Luther and the •evangelical churches of the West. So his followers, who say that he purified the church, now speak of him as the Luther or Wycliffe of Malabar. If it was a `Wycliffe or a Luther that rose in the Church with protestantising reforms, can it not he hoped thatitha .Keble or a Pusey will ri se among the reformers W .an Oxford Movement? May he rise ere long. Malpan Abraham celebrated the Eucharist using Ills liturgy and thus opened the E "reforms' iry 'his own parish. Thereupon Mar Dionysian IV ithouextcom— the Inunicated him and the whole parish. W support of a Bishop, he could not spread his reforms wide. So he sent his nephew Deacon Mathews to the Patriach of Antioch, who consecrated him Metropolitan with the title Mar Athanasius. Till then the prelates of Malabar used to be consecrated by the Catholicos or by hjs Metropolitans. He was the first prelate to be consecrated by the Patriarch- of Antioch. By the time that he returned to Malabar in 1843, the malpan had be-come an invalid. At first, Bishop Mathews Mar Athanasius did not follow the footsteps of the reformer. He opposed the "reforms" and went to law against the ruling metropolitan to oust him. This grieved the sick malpan so much, that he refused to receive communion from the bishop. He died in 1845 at the age of 49. Mathews Mar Athanasius, whom even the C. M. S. missionaries call an ungodly bishop, x. persevered in the litigation. Hearing this the Patriach sent one Mar Koorilos to Malabar. He declared himself Metropolitan of Malabar to which Mar' Dionysian concurred. The latter died in 1855. The suit continued and Mar Athanasius won in 1857. He was intellectually very great and did much to uplift his community from several social disa-bilities. Having come to power, he began to work out the "reforms" of his uncle Malpan Abraham. Those who were for the ancient faith of the Church sent Fr. Joseph of Pulikottil to the Patriach. He consecrated him IMetropolitan of Malabar with the title Mar Dionysius V and sent him back in 18116. But he was not able to assume office at onc.,. Mathews Mar Athanasius, who had till then claimed that he had right to the office by virtue of his consecration by the Partriarch, began no repudiate his authority and to strengthen his position consecrated his nephew Thomas, son of Malpan Abraham, as his suffragon. Upon this, Patriarch Peter Ill came over to Malabar in 187.51._ He got the royal proclamation - x The Indian Christians of St. Thomas by the Rev. W. J. Richards, C. M, S. Missionary in Travancore for 3.5 years from 1871 to 19116. withdrawn, excommunicated Mathews Mar Athanasius and consecrated six more Metropolitans.Hszamceonvenread at Mulanthuruthy on the 15th of June the synod which drew up a constitution establishing Aynetloch and Malabar on equal status. Then he returned having directed Mar Dionysius to oust Mathews Mar Athanasius with the help of civil courts. But the 'latter continued office .till he died in 1877, and his suffragon succeeded him. To oust him Mar Dionysian V filed a suit in 1879. The reformed party and their Metropolitan did not abandon the church properties as they now preach, bat fought him to the very last. In the end, after ten years. Mar Dionysius won. During that time Thomas Mar Athanasius died in 1889 and was succeeded by his brother Titus Mar Thorns. Titus II Mar Thorns was his successor. During his time, assisted by his suffragan and successor Abraham Mar Thoma, with great zeal, the Reformed Syrians as they called themselve first or Marthomites as they began to call themselves later, made great progress in church government and now they number about 175,000. In tellowship with the Church of South India they are gOing forward with the protestant movement and have not yet turned back to see what precious y things. they chwheir will happened to cast off. Their turning point heartily welcome to the Orthodox S an present Metropolitan is Juhanon MarTihoma,the successor of Abraham Mar Thorns. x x It is very curious to observe that the Metropoli-tan Juhanon Mar Thoma, in his "Christianity in India and The Mar Thoma Church", undoubtedly affirms "that the (ancient) Malankara Church knew nothing of masses and prayers for the dead, knew nothing of intercession of saints, did not use holy oil in baptism, looked with horror on auricular confession, did not practise celebacy of the clergy, recognised only two orders—the priest-hood and the diaconate, had communion in both kinds, accepted only three sacraments—Baptism, E doctrine accepted the authority of the sacred Scriptures as de_ la Mar Dionysius V—Pulikottif had a prosperous reign, for the rest of his life. The secession of some Roman Christians at Brahmavar into the Syrian Church was an important event of the period. Fr. Alwares, the leader of that community, was consecrated bishop at Kottayam in 1888 by the Metropolitan. The Brahmavar church is thriving and similar conversions have recently,. taken place at Trichinopoly and Kumbhakonam, During this period lived the prelate Mar Grego rios Chathurithy-whom the Church consi-ders as the greatest saint that has risen in Malabar. He was one of the Metro. pol itans consecratid by Patriarch Peter. He began his episcopate at the age of 29 and was Metropo-litan of Nlranam for 25 years. A real Father-in-God, he exerted great Christian influence with-in and without the church by the holiness of his life. He was interested in evan. gelisation and began mis-sionary work among the cisive•' Now there are two parties in the Mar TI:173ma Church—a Semi-High Church party led by the Metropo-litan and an ultra-protestant party led by Mr. K. N. Daniel. The latter, having no episcopal support, is likely to be come extinct. The leader of the former- says in his aforesaid book that "the Mar Thcma Church may be willing to end its independent existence, if there deve-. lops a Church of Christ in India which will be autono-mous, accepting historic episcopacy, eastern in rituals and practices, evangelistic in outlook and Biblical in doc-trines. May this hopeful idea lead to the anion of his church and the Orthodox Syrian Church-depressed classes of his diocese. He passed away in 1 at age of 54 and was buried at Parumala. His shrine has been a place of pilgrimage for the Syrian Christians and he was cononised a saint in 19•18• It v,as during this period that the Church began to make efforts to restore in India the Catholicate of theEast. Patriarch Peter Ili gave his blessings for the effort. He passed away in 1895 and was succeeded by Abdul Messiah. But during his time Abdulla got the former's Turkish firman or royal proclamation with-drawn to himself and assumed Patriarchate in 19uG. Both of them passed away in 1915, When Mar Dionysus V began to feel the weakness of advancing years, he sent Malankara Malpan Ramban Geevarughese and Ramban Poulose to Patriarch Abdulla who consecrated them as Metropolitans under the titles Mar Dionysian VI and Mar Koorilos. Mar Dionysius died in 1909 aged 74 and was succeeded by Mar Gee-varughese Dionysius VI. In 1910 Patriarch Abdulla visited Ivialabar and destroyed the peace of the Church. He demanded power over the temporalities of the Church which Mar Dionysius refused, Thereupon the Patriarch excommunicated him, set up Mar Koorilos as Metropolitan of Malabar and consecrated Mar Poulose Athanasius as his assistant. He also created a new diocese for the Southists (Knanites) and consecrated for them a Metro-politan in the person of Mar Severios. Mar Dioscoros was his successor and Mar Cleernese is their present Metropolitan. VVhen the news of the excommunication reached the canonical Patriarch Abdul Messiah, he proclaimed it to be invalid. Besides, he came over to Malabar, conse-crated three Bishops and in synod installed Mar 1.anios Poulose of Kolancherry the only survivor of the Metropolitans consecrated by Patriarch Peter-as the Catholicos of the East with the title Moran Mar Baselios, Mar Kocrilos did rot sit quiet, He claimed that he was the rightful Metropolitan and claimant to the interest of the Trust Fund. Mar Dionysius opposed. The liti-gation went on for about 12 years and it the end Mar Dionysius won. By that time Mar K oorilos had passed away and \lar Athanasius had succeeded him. Before the final decision, liar Dionysius went over to Mardin to see Patriarch Moran liar Ignatius Elias to effect a reconciliation, but failed in the end as 'Mar Julies who was sent with the bull of peace withheld it. Mean-while the first Catholicos had passed away and also his successor 'Moran Mar Baselios Geevarughese of Vaka-thanam. The present Catholicos Moran Mar Baselios Ceevarughese II was therefore installed in 1929. Lord Irwin was the Viceroy of India at that rime. Being an Anglo-Catholic, he was interested in the Syrian Church and got dowr Patriarch Elias and Bishop Gore no Malabar for peace negotiations. But the Patriarch, after his arrival. resented to the intervention of others in his church affairs and died soon afterwards. Mar Dionysius immediately informed the Metropolitan-in. charge that the next Patriarchal election would not be accepted by the Malabar Church without the participation of the Catholicos. But that was not heeded to and Mar Ephraim was raised to the Patriarchate. Mar Dionysian died in February 1931, aged 76 years, and the Catholicos went over to Horns in June the same year to see the Patriarch to try for a reconcilation. That mssion too failed, The car on of the Church grants the Patriarch of Antic ch, the successor of St. Peter, precedence over the Catholicos of the East- the succe-ssor of St. Thomas-in ceremonial matters, but stipulates that in matters of jurisdiction they have equal status. This the Patriarch is unwilling to abide by and there is a party to support him_ Hence the split continues. After the death of Mar Dionysian, the party of the Catholicos entrusted himself with the office of the Metropolitan of Malabar too in December 1934• After four years, Mar Athanasiusagain filed a suit to establish that he is the lawful Metropolitan.

While it was pending, a round table conference of the prelates on both sides—the Catholicos Mar Gregorios, Mar Philoxenos, Mar Theodosius and Mar Thoma Dionysius on one side, and Mar Athanasius, Mar Michael Dionysius, Mar Timotheos and Mar Julios on the other side—met in the Alwaye Union Coilege on the 21h f March, 1941. The conference continued for two Week's and its progress was hopeful. The foreign bishop Mar Jul ios was not cordial in his attitude and left the con-ference in its early stage. In spite of that the peace negotiations went on. For the sake of peace the Catho. licos agreed to give over his office as the Metropolitan of Malabar and the church properties in his possession to Mar Athanasius and even condescended for an acceptance service at his hands. Accordingly, on the 4th of April, the Catholicos went over from the college to the residence of the Metropolitan close by. But the previous night he was turned back by certain inveterates on the Patriarch's party, who had gone from Kottayam instigated by Mar Julios on his way back. Though the confererce failed in its first attempt, it con. tinued for five days more and again reached a hopeful climax.. But then came like lightning a telegram from Patriarch Moran liar Ephraim to Mar Athanasius—"Urgency dangerous•.•••...Declare conditions. Question im. portant. Unjustifiable hurry, Repentants must submit." The conference could not be completed and it dispersed on the 9th of April. This grieved Mar Timotheos so much that he, who had from the beginning firm con-viction of the full validity of the Catholicate and had taken a leading part in the conference, made his sub-mission to fhe Catholicos about a year later. Meanwhile the litigation was going on, The Lower Court rejected the petition on the 18th of January 1943, finding after five years of investigation that His Holi-ness Nloran Mar Baselios Geevarughese II is the lawful Metropolitan of Malabar and Catholicos of the East. The plaintiff appealed to the High Court of Travancore, which allowed it on 20th June 1946, Now the case stands filed in the Supreme Court at New Delhi, Though the church stands divided, it is hoped that sooner or later a reconciliation is possible as both parties continue to hold, as from the beginning, the same Ayostolic faith and practices. The strenbth of the Orthodox Church is abLut350 000 Besides the Catholicos, it has four Metropolitans, eight Rambans, a theological seminary, about 303 priests and 350 churches, 21 high schools, 30 middle schools, nearly. 100 primary schools and a University College. The Sunday School Samajam, the Bethany Ashram, the Servants of the Cross, the Marth Mariam Manniram, the Mount Tabor Ashram ar.d Convent, the Coimba'.ore Christa Sishya Ashram, the Foreign Mission and the Eraviperoor St. Thomas Hospital are their important missionary acti-. vities. Besides, the Patriarch's party is half as strong as the party of the Catholicos. The Orthodox Syrian Church of Malabar is one of the oldest churches in Christendom and the most ancient church in India She holds the Apostolic Faith of the Undivided Church. She maintains the Nicene Creed as first accepted and has not introduced into it the later addition of the Filioque clause. She condemns the Mono. physitism of Eutychus and rejects the Diphysitism of Leo in its technical form and wording. She views the Church as a divinely established body-- membership within which is necessary for salvation and the s.ixtynine canonical books of the Holy Scripture as the inspired word of GOd, besides accepting the kocriphal Books and Holy Traditions. In common with all ancient churches she keeps seven sacraments, prayer for the departed and Invocation of saints.. Holy Qurbana is her central act of worship, of which she believes that it is not only a sacra-ment, but also a sacrifice. Besides Wednesdays and Fridays, she observes five seasons of fast She holds the canon compiled by the great Syriac scholar Maphriah Gregorios Ba!, Hebraus, "the light of the East and West" Syria. To the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apos-tolic Church in her undividual state, she has not added anything like the Roman Catholics, nor has she taken away anything from it like the Protestants. Thus' she has preserved pure to the present the ancient faith of Chris-tendom, a matter to be indeed very proud of.

This Church is certainly God's greatest gift to India. Let all those who love her and long to see her prosper pray for her--O God, do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: Build Thou the walls of Jerusalem, Grant us to see it in prosperity and Israel in peace, And the youths of the Church, do listen to the voice of the Lord saying unto Isiah, Whom shall I send and who will go for us, and to his reply, Here I am; send me. Also do hearken to the lamentation of Jeremiah, How is the gold become dim! How is the most fine gold changed! is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Give ears to the appeal too of Nehemiah to the Jews of the exile See the distress vie are in, how Jerusalem lies waste and the gates thereof are burned with fire: come, let us build the walls of Jerusalem that we be no more a reproach. The God of heaven, He will prosper us.