Catholicos Baselios Augen I
Encyclopedia
Catholicos Baselios Augen I (26 June 1884 - 8 December 1975) is the fourth Catholicose of the East of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
, Vengola, Ernakulam district
of the India
n state
of Kerala
.to Father Abraham Malpan of Chettakulathukara family. He was ordained as deacon by Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
. In 1908 he was elevated to the monastic order of Ramban at the St. Mark's Syrian Orthodox Monastery in Jerusalem. He was consecrated as Metropolitan by name Mor Thimotheos on 15 May 1927 at Jerusalem by the then Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Ignatius Elias III
. Patriarch appointed him as the fourth Metropolitan of Kandanad of the "bava" faction in the malankara church.
In late 1930s he left the bava faction and joined the "metran" faction. He later became the principal of the Theological Seminary of Malankara Orthodox Church and also held charges of the Kandanad and Thumpamon dioceses.
, viz; metran and bava re-united.
When the re-unified Malankara Association met at Niranam on 17 May 1962, Augen Mor Thimotheos was chosen as the Catholicos of the East
. On 22 May 1964 he was installed formally as Catholicos Baselios Augen I by the visiting Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, H.H. Patriarch Ignatius Yakub II. The grand ceremony was held at M.D. Seminary Chapel, Kottayam.
His reign in the united Malankara Church lasted until 1975 when there was a second rift and the old two factions re-emerged, which are now known as Jacobite Syrian Christian Church and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
and Malankara Metropolitan, even though the earlier Unified Malankara Church (prior to the split) had already selected in 1970 Mor Mathews Athanasius (Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I) as the Catholicos designate.
After just a few months on 24 September 1975, Mar Baselios Augen I relinquished his position as Catholicos of Malankara Orthodox Church and a new head Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I was installed for the Church.
Barely 2 months later on 8 December 1975, Mar Baselios Augen I died and was laid to rest at Devalokam Aramana Chapel.
HH Augen was the greatest Syriac scholar of the world in his lifetime.
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Early days
Catholicos Baselios Augen I was born on 26 June 1884 at PerumbavoorPerumbavoor
Perumbavoor is a suburban region of Kochi city and a municipality in Ernakulam District in the Indian state of Kerala. It lies in the North Eastern tip of the Greater Cochin area and is also the headquarters of Kunnathunad Taluk. It is a Main Satellite Centres of Kochi City. Perumbavoor is famed...
, Vengola, Ernakulam district
Ernakulam district
-Economy:Agriculture constitutes the most important segment of the district’s economy and it is the biggest source of employment. Of the geographical 235319 hectares, crops are grown in 0 hectares. Coconut is the principal crop followed by rubber, paddy, and tapioca...
of the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
.to Father Abraham Malpan of Chettakulathukara family. He was ordained as deacon by Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
Kadavil Paulose Mar Athanasius
First Metropolitan of Ankamali diocese ordained for the diocese of Kottayam after its formation in 1876 as per the decision of the historic Mulanthuruthy Synod. From 1891 onwards he assumed the additional responsibility of Ankamali, the largest diocese in the Malankara church. It was during the...
. In 1908 he was elevated to the monastic order of Ramban at the St. Mark's Syrian Orthodox Monastery in Jerusalem. He was consecrated as Metropolitan by name Mor Thimotheos on 15 May 1927 at Jerusalem by the then Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, Ignatius Elias III
Ignatius Elias III
Mor Ignatius Elias III was the 119th Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch from 1917 to 1932. He died and is buried at the monastery of Manjanikkara Dayara in Kerala, India, where there is a considerable number of Syriac Orthodox Christians...
. Patriarch appointed him as the fourth Metropolitan of Kandanad of the "bava" faction in the malankara church.
In late 1930s he left the bava faction and joined the "metran" faction. He later became the principal of the Theological Seminary of Malankara Orthodox Church and also held charges of the Kandanad and Thumpamon dioceses.
Catholicos of the East and Malankara Metropolitan(1964-1975)
After the Supreme court order in 1958, the two factions of Malankara ChurchMalankara Church
The Malankara Church is the church of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, with particular emphasis on the part of the community that joined Archdeacon Mar Thoma in swearing to resist the authority of the Portuguese Padroado in 1653...
, viz; metran and bava re-united.
When the re-unified Malankara Association met at Niranam on 17 May 1962, Augen Mor Thimotheos was chosen as the Catholicos of the East
Catholicos of the East
Catholicos of the East is an ecclesiastical title used historically by the Church of the East and the Syriac Orthodox Church, and now used in successor churches. The title Catholicos, or "universal leader", is used in several Eastern Christian churches and implies a degree of sovereignty and...
. On 22 May 1964 he was installed formally as Catholicos Baselios Augen I by the visiting Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, H.H. Patriarch Ignatius Yakub II. The grand ceremony was held at M.D. Seminary Chapel, Kottayam.
His reign in the united Malankara Church lasted until 1975 when there was a second rift and the old two factions re-emerged, which are now known as Jacobite Syrian Christian Church and Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.
Catholicos of all of the East (1964)
Towards the end of his tenure, schism again started in the Malankara Church and resulted in a vertical split after which Mor Baselios Augen I continued as the Catholicos of one section of the church only, namely Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, whereas the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church elected Mor Philoxenos of Kandanad as Baselios Paulose II and installed him as the Catholicos of the EastCatholicos of the East
Catholicos of the East is an ecclesiastical title used historically by the Church of the East and the Syriac Orthodox Church, and now used in successor churches. The title Catholicos, or "universal leader", is used in several Eastern Christian churches and implies a degree of sovereignty and...
and Malankara Metropolitan, even though the earlier Unified Malankara Church (prior to the split) had already selected in 1970 Mor Mathews Athanasius (Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I) as the Catholicos designate.
After just a few months on 24 September 1975, Mar Baselios Augen I relinquished his position as Catholicos of Malankara Orthodox Church and a new head Catholicos Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I was installed for the Church.
Barely 2 months later on 8 December 1975, Mar Baselios Augen I died and was laid to rest at Devalokam Aramana Chapel.
Syriac scholarship
Having stayed at the various Syrian Orthodox monasteries in Turkey and Syria, he came in contact with various Syriac scholars which helped him greatly to master the Syriac Church language and its rich traditions. With his expectional scholarship in Malayalam, Sankskrit and Syriac languages, he composed the 'Pemkisa(Fenqitho)Namaskaram' in Syriac for the feasts of St.Mary and St.Gregorios of Parumala and translated them into Malayalam. His major translations from Syriac are 'Prumiyonukal', ' Valiya Nombilae Namaskaram', 'Pattamkoda Shushrusha Kramangal' and 'Pallikoodasha Kramangal'. He also composed the 'Hoothomo' for 'Holy Synods' and the 'State after death'.HH Augen was the greatest Syriac scholar of the world in his lifetime.
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