The Mar Thoma Church Christians

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Part 8

History of Marthoma Church & Apostolic Succession

6th Mar Thoma (1765 to 1808) He was rconsecrated by 5th Marthoma. Later he had agreed to receive reanointment from the foreign bishops and taking on the name Dionysius in order to avoid a rift among the St. Thomas Christians by the influence of Antiocans. During his time the Church headquarters was moved from Angamaly to Kottayam, owing to the invasion of Tippu Sultan. Mar Dionysius maintained close contact with the Anglican Chaplain, and was able to get the four gospels translated from Syriac to Malayalam. Towards the end of his life, an amount of Rs. 15000/- was deposited as a fixed deposit with the British Govt., the interest to be used for the Syrian Church. This deposit later became known as Vattipanam. The Thozhiyoor Church came into existence during his time. He died in 1808, at the age of 85, and was laid to rest at Puthencavu.

7th Mar Thoma (1808 to 1809) He was mild, deeply religious person. His period was very short, as he passed away in 1809.

8th Mar Thoma (1809-1816) An element of vagueness surround his consecration. It was he who set in order the liturgy, administration and theological education of the Malankara Church. Construction of the Kottayam Seminary was started in 1813, and it was commissioned in 1815. He died in 1816.

9th Mar Thoma (1816-1817) - He was consecrated by the 8th Mar Thoma. But subsequently, as desired by Col. Monroe the British resident, he was consecrated as Pulikot Mar Dionysius II by Anjoor Mar Philixenos. Due to his influence in the Government, he was declared as the Metropolitan.

10th Mar Thoma (1817-1818) - Pulikot Mar Dionysius was the first Metropolitan from outside Pakalomattom family. He stressed the importance of theological education and developed the Seminary in Kottayam. It was he who decreed that the assets of the Metropolitan would be assets of the Church. Following his sudden death, Anjoor Mar Piloxenos took over as Malankara Metropolitan. Later Mar Philoxenos consecrated his Vicar General Punnathra Kurian Kathanar as Bishop, and returned to Thozhiyoor Church.

 

[EagleWatch]

Part 9

History of Marthoma Church & Apostolic Succession

11th Mar Thoma (1818-1825) - Punnathara Mar Dionysious III - He encouraged Anglican Missionary Benjamin Bailey to translate the Bible and helped Norton to spread the Word. He appointed Konat Varghese Malpan and Palakunnathu Abraham Malpan as teachers in the Seminary. Renewal of the Church was his aim. A meeting was held in Mavelikara to study how to cleanse the Church and a six member committee was set up for the same. He died in 1825 and was buried in Kottayam Cheriyapally.

12th Mar Thoma (1827-1852) – Chepat Mar Dionysisus. A meeting of representatives was held in Pallikkara Church to select the 12th Mar Thoma and four names were short listed – Mamalasseril Konat Abraham Malpan, Chepat Anjilimoottil Philipose Kaseesa(Syrian equivalent of Presbyter), Kalloopara Adangapurath Yoseph Kaseesa, Kottayam Eruthickal Markose Kaseesa. The lot fell for Chepat Anjilimoottil Philipose Kaseesa and he was consecrated as Dionysisus IV by Mar Philoxenes of Thozhiyoor. (He refused to receive the laying of hand “Kaiveppu” of Abdum Sheeh from Antioch). It was during his time that Abraham Malpan celebrated the holy communion in Malayalam at Maramon using the revised Thaksa.

Due to the misunderstanding with Anglicans (instigated by the pro Antiocan elements), he became suspicious of the reformation process initiated by his predecessors. He feared that the Anglicans are going to take over the Malnkara Church. Hence Chepat Mar Dionysius convened a meeting at Mavelikkara and subjugated the Malankara Church to the Antiocan Patriarch without the unanimous consent of all St. Thomas Christians and against the centuries old tradition of independence. This deed is known as “Mavelikkara Padiyola”. This was the irony - He refused the laying hands of Antiocans in the beginning and later giving up his church and everything to them. He gave up his seat for a foreign Antican Bishop Euyakim Mar Koorilose without ordaining a successor for him from natives, for after Mavelikkara Padiyola he himself lost the right to ordain his successor.

But at this time with the royal proclamation a native Malankara Bishop Palakunnath Mathews Mar Athanasius became the next Metropolitan as 13th Mar Thoma who had been ordination from Antioch.

This was indeed in line with the age old tradition of St. Thomas Christians that the administrative power of the native church was never given to foreign Bishops except it was high jacked by Portuguese for about 54 years by force and cruelty.

 

[EagleWatch]

Part 10

History of Marthoma Church & Apostolic Succession

13th Mar Thoma - Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan - It took some time before Mar Athanasius could establish himself as the Metropolitan of the church. One of the factors which helped him to attain this position was an order from the government of Travancore (1852) giving him recognition as the Metropolitan. As head of the church he worked hard for the education of the clergy and for raising the moral standards of the people. He was also able to remove various social disabilities of the people. For understandable reasons in the early years of his episcopate he did not identify himself too closely with the movement for reform. But having established his position, there was no doubt as to where his sympathies lay.

From the beginning there was opposition against him from those who feared that he would be in favour of the reform programme (Pro Antiocans). The opposition became gradually strong and succeeded in enlisting the support of the Patriarch on its side. The opponents of Mathews Mar Athanasius had sent complaints about him to the Patriarch, who without a judicial enquiry appointed Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius to supercede Mathews Mar Athanasius as Metropolitan. As a result of this struggle for power the church tended to be divided into two sections, one favoring reform (Methran Kakshi) and the other opposed to it (Bava Kakshi).

Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius couldn’t succeed in dethroning Mathews Mar Athenasius from being legitimate head of Malankara Church. But he continued pro Antiocan stance within the Church. He invited Patriarch of Antioch, Moran Mar Pathros In 1876 there was held a synod at Mulamthuruthi presided over by the Patriarch. This helped to tighten his hold over the Syrian Church in temporal as well as in spiritual affairs.

Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan and his followers inspired by the reformation were of course opposed to this policy.

Thomas Mar Athanasius, son of Abraham Malpan was consecrated by Mathews Mar Athanasius as his successor in 1869. Mathews Mar Athanasius is generally considered one of the a best Metropolitans of the Syrian Church. He was one of the most highly educated person in India at that time with exemplary character of piousness, courage, zeal, tolerance.

At this difficult time the support of leaders from the clergy and the laity who had been inspired by the spirit of the reform movement was a source of great strength to the position taken up by their bishops.

 

[EagleWatch]

Part 11

History of Marthoma Church & Apostolic Succession

14th Mar Thoma - Thomas Mar Athanasius Metropolitan – was consecrated by the then reigning Malankara Metropolitan Mathews Mar Athanasius who was for the reformation of the Church which was started by his predecessors.
Thomas Mar Athanasius Metropolitan as the leader of the reformed section of the Church followed in the footsteps of his predecessor and eventually he was involved in a litigation, lasting for over 10 years regarding his title to the possession of the ‘Syrian Seminary’ and allied properties of the Church. In the court of final appeal two Hindu judges decided in favour of Joseph Mar Dionyasius as representing the Patriarch, but the English judge, Mr Justice Ormsby dissented from their findings. (The advantage of Pro Anticans in the litgation was the unfortunate ‘Mavelikkara Padiola’ deed created by Chepat Mar Dionysius).
The contention of Mar Dionysius who represented the unreformed Jacobite Church was that the consecration of Thomas Mar Athanasius was invalid as it had been done without the permission of the Jacobite patriarch, held to be the supreme head of the Syrian Church in Malabar.
The plea of Thomas Mar Athanasius was that the Syrian Church in Malabar was an independent church though having friendly relation with the Jacobite Patriarch and that therefore, there was nothing wrong in his having been consecrated by his predecessor without any reference to the Patriarch. The majority judgement held that the Syrian Church in Malabar was under the jurisdiction of the Jacobite Patriarch. Thus the cause of the independence of the Syrian Church sustained a blow for the moment.
This was a temporary setback as later history showed, for the independence of the Syrian Church has now come to be accepted as a valid principle by the Orthodox Church (The earlier unreformed later took up the name Orthodox) as well.
The result of the judgement in the ‘Seminary Suit’, as it is sometimes known, was that the Church was divided into two sections one, calling the Jacobite Church and the other the Mar Thoma Church. Even though the Marthomites had lost the litigation, it established the fact that it is the true independent church of St. Thomas Christians in India.

 

[EagleWatch]

Part12

History of Marthoma Church & Apostolic Succession

(I am obiged to put these following as part of the above article because I have quoted from their texts)

It will be worth mentioning here that there were a community who did not accept the Antiocan Jacobite relation from the Coonan cross oath.
The Syrian Christians around Angamalee who did not accept Mar Gregorius of Jerusalem and waited for East Syrian bishops as before. Mar Gabriel came in 1701. He died in Kerala in 1731 and was buried in Cheriapally in Kottayam., which is under the control of the Indian Orthodox Syrian Church.
They are the current Chaldean Syrian Church of Trichur (Nestorian) or known as Assyrian Church of the East in India
This Church is under the Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. The present Catholicos Patriarch H.H. Mar Dinkha IV is residing in Chicago, U.S.A. His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV was born in Northern Iraq on 15 September 1935. He became bishop in Teheran, Iran on 11 February 1962. He was consecrated Catholicos Patriarch on 17 October 1976.
They in communion with Catholic Church recently.

Wow that was tedious for me. Hope you will find them informative

God Bless

 

[EagleWatch]

The Mar Thoma Church considers itself as one carrying on the original traditions of the Malabar Church, reformed in accordance with the teaching of the New Testament. The lineage of Mar Thoma Bishops continues with the current reigning 21st Mar Thoma – Rev. Dr Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan

Following are the reformation carried out by Marthoma Church
1.Gave first preference to the Open Bible.

2.Worship services including Holy Communion were conducted in the mother tongue,Malayalam.

3.Holy communion was not celebrated when there were none to receive.

4.Mandated that both elements should be distributed separately, during Holy Communion. (pre Diamper synod tradition)

5.Prayers to the saints and prayers for the dead were discarded. (pre Diamper synod tradition)

6.Auricular confession was discontinued. (pre Diamper synod tradition)

7.Icons, pictures, statues, and drawings of saints were removed from homes, churches, and places of worship. (pre Diamper synod tradition)

8.Changes were made in the liturgical books accordingly

(Note that all of the Malankara Metropolitans maintained the position of the Malankara church as an independant church of St. thomas.12th Marthoma was also of the same conviction until he surrundered the church to Antiocans fearing Anglicans.

Tthe beginning of reformation process was started at the time of 6th Mar Thoma with the translation of Gospels to Malayalam Language and continued process and intention with the successive Metropolitans in various stages – they had the conviction of their earlier tradition and need of reformation – It was not the decision of Abraham Malpan or the Ghevarghese Malpan to start the reformation but they were called into it by 11th Mar Thoma to study and advise the Metoplitan on the subject. 12th Mar Thoma was willing for reformation until he was manipulated by Pro Antiocans.

It was natural course of action with strong conviction, and zeal that Abraham Malpan initiated the trumpet call of reformation and asked his nephew to travel to the Patriarch of Antioch at Mardine to be ordained as Malankara Bishop despite the backing of 12th Marthoma from reformation of the church.)