Pre-Islamic Christianity in the Arabian Peninsula

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Much of the world knows Petra, the ancient ruin in modern-day Jordan that is celebrated in poetry as the rose-red city, ‘half as old as time,’ which provided the climactic backdrop for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.But far fewer know Madain Saleh, a similarly spectacular treasure built by the same civilization, the Nabateans.That’s because it’s in Saudi Arabia, where conservatives are deeply hostile to pagan, Jewish and Christian sites that predate the founding of Islam in the 7th century.But now, in a quiet but notable change of course, the kingdom has opened up an archaeology boom by allowing Saudi and foreign archaeologists to explore cities and trade routes long lost in the desert. The sensitivities run deep.

Oldest church in Arabian Island called Ka’aba-e-Najran by Arab World, Haj had been performed around it for 40 years in the “”“era of ignorance”"", is being unearthed as heritage. Now, the Saudi government has also allowed tourists there, from all over the world.

 

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In 1507, a fleet commanded by Tristão da Cunha with Afonso de Albuquerque landed an occupying force at the then capital of Suq. Their objective was a Portuguese base to stop Arab commerce from the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, and to liberate the presumed friendly Christians from Islamic rule. Here they started to build a fortress. However, they were not welcomed as enthusiastically as they had expected and abandoned the island four years later. The island was also come across by Somali sailors. Saint Thomas is held by tradition to be the founder of the churches in Assyria, Chaldea , Babylonia, India and Socotra.

On his way to India Thomas was ship wrecked on the isle of Socotra and he used the wreckage of the ship to build a church.The Socotran Christians were called Thomas Christians and belonged to the East syrian “Nestorian” Church of the East. (The Syriac Christians of India also call themselves Thomas Christians.) St. Francis Xavier notes that the people of Socotra, with whom he visited during a sojourn on their island, “… are devotees of the Apostle St. Thomas and claim to be descendants of the Christians he converted in that part of the world.” Several archeologists, anthropologists and historians working on the Island of Socotra have noted the ministry of St. Thomas among the Socotrans.

 

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chroniclesofmalabar.blogspot.in/2012/02/pre-islamic-christianity-in-arabian.html

 

[iohanne]

Absolutely fascinating - thanks for the posts and the website link! I read it all! However, everytime I hear tell of another “branch” or “outpost” of Assyrian Christianity, I’m always a little sad to see distortions. The people of Socotra seem to have had this syncretistic form of Christianity (sacrificing to the moon? spreading butter on the altar?). Even when I researched as much as I could about the Assyrian Church in China, there were lots of orthodox materials but a lot of it was heavily influenced with questionable Daoist and Confucian philosophies. There was an occasional line in the Jesus Sutra’s that popped out as Arian and even some Manichaean influence.

How “orthodox” was Assyrian Christianity? I know the modern Assyrian Church is more “orthodox” and not at all “Nestorian” in the sense that we normally think. They have sacraments. Though they are not very iconic like all branches of Syrian Christianity, they faithful privately reverence icons and crosses and such. But what of the orthodoxy of all the outposts of the Assyrian Church among the Mongol and Turkic tribes? Among the Chinese? What about the St. Thomas Christians before they joined Oriental Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism? Were they orthodox? Were they sacramental? Were they liturgical? Was their piety “mysteriological” so to speak?

Learning about the Assyrian Church sometimes makes me question the history of early Christianity and the entire Tradition and Apostolic Succession. If it were true, you’d think Apostolic Christianity would be similar everywhere? Instead, forms of Christianity untouched by the imperial state religion of the Roman Empire and its hellenisms, seem to vary so widely and in almost shockingly heretical ways. Only the Armenian Church and the Ethiopian Church give me some hope - but even these were strongly influenced by Greco-Roman imperial forms of Christianity.

Anyway, thanks for the read.

 

[BVT]

This is an interesting passage from the book “East of the Euphrates: Early Christianity in Asia”

For a long time several historians considered the Acts of Judas Thomas as of no historical value. They pointed out that the teaching of the Acts was unorthodox and the stories told were fantastic. The aim of the author was to establish the doctrine that marriage is sinful and Christians ought to abstain from it, and therefore the book was of Gnostic origin. Today historians are inclined to take more seriously the historical value of the Acts of Thomas and its theological orthodoxy. F.C. Burkitt, Arthur Voobus and several other historians have shown that the emphasis on celibacy and abstinence from marriage belonged to an authentic tradition of the Syrian church till the fourth century. L.W. Brown observes, “The great stress on celibacy as a way of salvation, and the emphasis on the miraculous are not in themselves proof of a non-Catholic origin for the Acts, as even in the time of Aphrates only the unmarried could be baptized in Edessa.” (LW. Brown, op.cit, p.43.).R. Murray points out how at several points the Acts of Thomas reflect the theology of the Early East Syrian church. Reflecting the asceticism of the East Syrian church, the Acts tells how Thomas refused to receive silver and gold from people. In Acts six of the book, Thomas thanks God that he has become an ascetic and a pauper and wanderer for God. The East Syrian writers when they speak of incarnation, speak of Christ putting on the body as a garment. Murray writes," ‘Christ put on the body’. This simple image of clothing is the Syriac fathers’ favourite way of describing the Incarnation. It occurs consistently in the Acts of Judas Thomas, while inDidascalia it comes as a heading… (R. Murray, op cit., p.69.) Again Murray says, “The invocations to the Mother-spirit to descend on the candidate for baptism in the Acts of Judas Thomas are typical of early Syriac literature.” (Ibid., p. 80.) Drivers also points out that the literary heritage of the early Syriac-speaking church is reflected in the Acts of Thomas, Odes of Solomon and in Tatian’s Diatessiron.

PS: Roman Catholic Church confirmed the Acts as heretical at the Council of Trent.

 

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What about the St. Thomas Christians before they joined Oriental Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism? Were they orthodox? Were they sacramental? Were they liturgical? Was their piety “mysteriological” so to speak?

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Honestly no idea but at least from 9th century i believe there was a continuous relationship with the church of the east(Means with some evidence) …

but there are some interesting stories

1)-Alfred the Great king of Wesex sent alms to the tomb of St Thomas in India(AD805).

A translation of the passage in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for DCCCLXXXIII (DCCCLXXXIV) [883 / 884 A. D.] referring to the gifts sent by King Alfred to “Thomas in India”.
(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
**“And Alfred sends his alms to Rome, and also to Saint Thomas in India, according to a vow which he had made, when the hostile army wintered at London.And that same year Sighelm and Ethelstan carried to Rome the alms which the king had vowed to send thither and also to India, to St Thomas and to St Bartholomew, when they sat down against the army at London and there, thanks be to God, they largely obtained the object of their prayer after the vow. Asser bishop of Sherborne died and succeeded by Suithelm, who carried the alms of kin Alfred to St Thomas in India, and successfully came back from thence”.
**

Source :The whole works of King Alfred the Great: with preliminary essays illustrative of the history, arts, and manners, of the ninth century, Volume 1 ,Alfred (King of England)Printed and published for the Alfred Committee by J.F. Smith, 1852 Page 78,79,311.

 

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The legends of Prester John (also Presbyter Johannes) were popular in Europe from the 12th through the 17th centuries, and told of a Christian patriarch and king said to rule over a Christian nation lost amidst the Muslims and pagans in the Orient.The legend began in earnest in the early 12th century with two reports of visits of an archbishop of India to Constantinople and of a Patriarch of India to Rome at the time of Pope Calixtus II ( 1119 - 1124 ). In 1177, Pope Alexander III sent his friend Master Philip to find Prester John; he never did.

 

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**In a detailed study on the subject, Prester John:: Fiction and History, Meir Bar-Ilan(Senior Lecturer,Talmud Department and Jewish History Department,Bar-Ilan University, ISRAEL) comes to the conclusion that :
**

“Evidence emerging clearly from the text will immediately show that Prester John lived in India, or to be more precise, in Malabar (southern India)”.:thumbsup:

Mar John(1122 AD) and the legend of Prester John

Or refer the original source.

Prester John:: Fiction and History, Meir Bar-Ilan(Senior Lecturer,Talmud and Jewish History Department,Bar-Ilan University, ISRAEL)

 

[anodos]

I love Prester John, ever since reading “War in Heaven” by Charles Williams. Thanks for the picture and links.

 

[Vouthon]

This is an interesting passage from the book “East of the Euphrates: Early Christianity in Asia”

For a long time several historians considered the Acts of Judas Thomas as of no historical value. They pointed out that the teaching of the Acts was unorthodox and the stories told were fantastic. The aim of the author was to establish the doctrine that marriage is sinful and Christians ought to abstain from it, and therefore the book was of Gnostic origin. Today historians are inclined to take more seriously the historical value of the Acts of Thomas and its theological orthodoxy. F.C. Burkitt, Arthur Voobus and several other historians have shown that the emphasis on celibacy and abstinence from marriage belonged to an authentic tradition of the Syrian church till the fourth century. L.W. Brown observes, “The great stress on celibacy as a way of salvation, and the emphasis on the miraculous are not in themselves proof of a non-Catholic origin for the Acts, as even in the time of Aphrates only the unmarried could be baptized in Edessa.” (LW. Brown, op.cit, p.43.).R. Murray points out how at several points the Acts of Thomas reflect the theology of the Early East Syrian church. Reflecting the asceticism of the East Syrian church, the Acts tells how Thomas refused to receive silver and gold from people. In Acts six of the book, Thomas thanks God that he has become an ascetic and a pauper and wanderer for God. The East Syrian writers when they speak of incarnation, speak of Christ putting on the body as a garment. Murray writes," ‘Christ put on the body’. This simple image of clothing is the Syriac fathers’ favourite way of describing the Incarnation. It occurs consistently in the Acts of Judas Thomas, while inDidascalia it comes as a heading… (R. Murray, op cit., p.69.) Again Murray says, “The invocations to the Mother-spirit to descend on the candidate for baptism in the Acts of Judas Thomas are typical of early Syriac literature.” (Ibid., p. 80.) Drivers also points out that the literary heritage of the early Syriac-speaking church is reflected in the Acts of Thomas, Odes of Solomon and in Tatian’s Diatessiron.

Pope Benedict XVI considers the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Thomas as occupying a unique place of importance among the apochrypha in terms of Christian origins:

“…Indeed, the Acts and the Gospel of Thomas, both apocryphal works but in any case important for the study of Christian origins, were written in his name…”

- Pope Benedict XVI, General Address, 2006

In his book “Jesus of Nazareth” (Volume I, 2008) Benedict quotes approvingly from the Gospel of Thomas:

“…The application of this passage primarily to Christ—as we saw earlier—does not have to exclude a secondary interpretation referring to the believer. A saying from the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas (108) points in a direction compatible with John’s Gospel: “Whoever drinks from my mouth shall become as I am” (Barrett, Gospel, p. 328). The believer becomes one with Christ and participates in his fruitfulness. The man who believes and loves with Christ becomes a well that gives life. That, too, is something that is wonderfully illustrated in history: The saints are oases around which life sprouts up and something of the lost paradise returns. And ultimately, Christ himself is always the well-spring who pours himself forth in such abundance…”

- Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth (Volume I), 2008

Michael Peppard on the “National Catholic Reporter” comments:

“…New Testament scholars might also be surprised to discover non-canonical Christian texts quoted favorably by the Pope. For example, when interpreting the metaphorical imagery of the Gospel of John, Pope Benedict uses both the Gospel of Thomas and the Didache to illuminate aspects of John’s message. Despite the Pope’s championing of “canonical exegesis” (“reading the individual texts of the Bible in the context of the whole”), he does not in practice treat the canonical boundary as an impermeable wall. It is a barrier, to be sure, but more like a fence, through whose gaps the Spirit can still blow insightful seeds from beyond—whether…”