This new faction came into existence among the St. Thomas Christians after the famous "Koonan Cross" revolt of the Syro-Malabar Christians against the impositions of the Portuguese Padroado on 3rd Jan 1653. The rebellion took place when the Portuguese tried to seize a Syrian Orthodox Prelate (Aithalla Theodore) who had arrived in Mylapore in 1652. The rebel *Kathanars* (as deacons of St. Thomas Christian Church were called) declared their Archdeacon as Mar Thoma I with episcopal powers claiming to have received a letter of investiture from Aithalla. The Dutch take over of Malabar favoured the rebels by expelling the Portuguese authorities. The arrival of Mar Gregorios, metropolitan of Jerusalem in 1655 provided an opportunity for the rebel group to ratify the consecration of Mar Thoma I. It was in this way that the West Syrian (Orthodox) Church of St. Thomas Christians (also known as Jacobites) came into existence as distinct from the traditional East Syrian church of St. Thomas Christians. It is interesting to note that all the nine Mar Thoma prelates till 1817 came from the Palomattam family. At this date began the interference of the British government to end inner factions among the Syrian Orthodox Christians, who since 1772 had another lineage of bishops at Anjur / Thozhiyur in the then British Malabar territory. It came to be known as Independent Syrian Church of Malabar. In 1817, through intervention of the British its Bishop Rmaban of Kunnankulam replaced Mar Thoma IX. After that we have a dynasty of five bishops with the title of Dionysius. Around 1855 a group of the Syrian Orthodox led by Abraham Malpan of Maramon, came under the spell of the Evangelical Anglicanism Malpans nephew came to be consecrated as Mar Mathew Athanasios, who became a leader of the Reform Movement. He came to power on the strength of the Travancore royal proclamation of 1852. The majority resisted and had their own man consecrated by the Antiochian Patriarch as Mar Dionysius V. The rivalry continued, both groups suing each other in Travancore judiciary. The reformed group decided in 1911 to officially call itself "Mar Thoma Syrian Church".
In 1912 begins a new phase in the history of this Church. The Turkish Governmet had deposed the Patriarch Abdul Massih II. He was invited to India by Mar Dionysius. He invested Mar Paulos Invanios as *Catholicos of India and the East*. There followed Catholicos Basilius Givargeese. But a dissident group under Mar Ivanios entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1930 and forms now the so-called Syro-Malankar rite of the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala with its well known Bethany ashrams. There is a Goa link of this Syrian Orthodox Antiochian Church (also known as Malankara tradition as opposed to Syro-Malabar tradition). The Independent Catholic Church of Ceylon and Goa was created in 1888, under a Western Rite Metopolitan, Mar Julius I. This was a Goan priest Francisco Xavier Alvares (from Verna) , who was consecrated in 1889 by Mar Gregorius of Parimula, Metropolitan Athanasius Paulose of Aluva, and Malankara Metropolitan Dionysius II. It was allowed by the Antochian Patriarch Mar Ignatius Peter III to retain its Latin or Western rite liturgical practices. Mar Julius I edited various newspapers in Goa. Most known is his *Brado Indiano* (The Indian Cry) in which he systematically exposed the abuses of the Portuguese administration and Padroado Church as a political weapon. He was arrested for this by the then Police Chief of Panjim (died as General and Marshal in Portugal in 1929), Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa, and paraded on streets on charges of following an anti-Padroado Church . But a right-minded Portuguese judge released him soon after as not guilty. Mar Julius I (Father Alvares) crossed 80 when he died as a poor man, collecting alms and begging from door to door with a trembling hand to support himself and other poor and sick he had taken under his care. The holiness of the man was revealed by an incident when an enraged shop-keeper instead of dropping a coin in his bowl, spat in it. Without showing annoyance the priest is said to have replied gently: *That is for me. Now give somthing for my poor*. The shop-keeper could not but apologize and contributed generously. From: "Jorge/Livia de Abreu Noronha" Subject: Re: [Goanet]RE: Malabar Christians Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 18:37:23 +0200 For all I know, Gilbert, "Mar Toma" is how St. Thomas the Apostle was called by the locals. So, "Mar Toma Christians" and "Christians of St. Thomas" are two slightly different appelations of the same reality. Those Christians are also called "Martomites". Maybe someone on this list will be able to clarify this better. ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################