Who were the earliest Christians of the Indian subcontinent?
While it may come off as a surprise to most, the history of Christianity in the Indian subcontinent is much older than the subcontinent’s contact with the Portuguese and British merchants & missionaries. A 🧵 [1/n]
While it may come off as a surprise to most, the history of Christianity in the Indian subcontinent is much older than the subcontinent’s contact with the Portuguese and British merchants & missionaries. A 🧵 [1/n]
In fact, Christianity in India, according to Leonardo Fernando & G. Gispert-Sauch is “likely to have been established much before it was established in many European countries.” The faith reached the subcontinent not long after Jesus of Nazareth's death. [2/n]
And while it is not known who exactly were the first Indian Christians, there is little doubt that the Thomas Christians or the Syrian Christians of Kerala are the successors of some of the earliest Christians in the country, deriving their name from Thomas, the Apostle. [3/n] 
It is believed that Thomas, who was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, landed in Kodungaloor near Kochi in 52 CE and died in 72 CE at Mylapore, in present-day Tamil Nadu. St. Thomas Mount (in picture) is believed to be the place where he was supposedly martyred. [4/n]
Fernando and Gispert-Sauch write, “Thomas would have first preached to the Jews settled in Kerala and then to the indigenous population. The tradition affirms that he started Christian communities in 7 places.”
Read: amzn.to/3GeRpF5 [5/n]
Read: amzn.to/3GeRpF5 [5/n]
After this initial contact of Christianity with the subcontinent, its spread was sporadic, first helped by the merchants & priests who mostly came from West Asia and then from the 15th century onwards by European merchants & missionaries. [6/n]
However, the faith remained strongly influenced by local religious traditions and culture.
As Sebastian Velassery writes, “The different factions of St. Thomas Christians carved out a way of life within the cultural space of the Hindu community in which they were located.” [7/n]
As Sebastian Velassery writes, “The different factions of St. Thomas Christians carved out a way of life within the cultural space of the Hindu community in which they were located.” [7/n]
Thus, the Christians in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Goa are almost as different from each other as they are from their Hindu and Muslim counterparts, the tribal Christians of central and north-eastern India, and Dalit Christians all over the country. [n/n]
#Christmas #IndianChristmas
#Christmas #IndianChristmas
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