Chaldean Syrian Church
Encyclopedia
The Chaldean Syrian Church is an India
n Christian
church that is currently an archbishopric
of the Assyrian Church of the East
. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle
in the 1st century. They are almost exclusively based in the state of Kerala
, with the church's cathedral located in Thrissur
. Despite carrying the "Chaldean" title in its name, the church is distinct from the Chaldean Catholic Church
of the Middle East, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Pope
.
Historically, the St. Thomas Christians were united in liturgy and hierarchy, and were part of the Church of the East
, centred in Persia. However, the actions of the Portuguese
padroado
in India led to a series of splits and schisms from 1653. That year the community was permanently split into a Malankara faction
, which eventually aligned with the Syriac Orthodox Church
of Antioch
, and a Catholic faction, later known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
. The modern Chaldean Syrian Church emerged from a subsequent split in the Syro-Malabar hierarchy, and later aligned with the Assyrian Church of the East.
Today, the Chaldean Syrian Church is one of four archbishoprics
in the Assyrian Church of the East, and has about 15,000 members in and around Thrissur. Its cathedral
is the Mart Mariam Cathedral, Thrissur's first Christian church.
, who is said to have evangelized in India
in the 1st century. By the 3rd century India's Christian community was part of the Church of the East
, led by the Patriarch of the East in Seleucia-Ctesiphon, Persia. In the 7th century India
was designated its own ecclesiastical province
. In 1499 the Portuguese
arrived in India, and forcefully attempted to bring the St. Thomas Christian community fully into the Latin Church
of the Catholic Church. The actions of the Portuguese padroado
ultimately caused part of the community to follow the archdeacon
Thomas
in swearing the Coonan Cross Oath
in 1653. The faction that followed Thomas were known as the Malankara Church
, and eventually entered into communion with the Syriac Orthodox Church
. The Catholic faction eventually became known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
.
The Chaldean Syrian Church's current Metropolitan, Mar Aprem Mooken
, has argued that the church represents a direct continuation of the ancient Church of the East hierarchy in India. This is rejected by scholar Mathias Mundadan, who argues that it instead emerged from the 19th century autonomy movement within the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. For over two hundred years the Syro-Malabar Catholics were under the authority of the Latin Archbishop of Goa. This arrangement led to resentment from some members, who wanted more autonomy for their local church, resulting in a formidable and sustaining autonomy movement. In the 19th century this movement's leaders made repeated pleas to both the Pope
and the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
(an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Pope) for their own bishop and liturgy.
sent a request to Pope Pius IX
for the Syro-Malabar Catholics to be placed under his authority. Without waiting for a reply, he dispatched Elias Mellus
, Bishop of Aqrah
, to India in 1874. Mellus had substantial success convincing Syro-Malabar Catholics in Thrissur
to recognize him as their bishop. By 1877 24,000 followers had joined his group, based in Our Lady of Dolours Church (now Mart Mariam Cathedral) in the parish of Thrissur. In response the Pope dispatched Latin Catholic leaders to reign in Mellus, who was sent back to Mesopotamia in 1882. By then, however, he had established the infrastructure for an independent church.
Many of Mellus' followers returned to the Syro-Malabar Church. About 8,000, however, maintained their demand for autonomy, and took their requests for an independent bishop to non-Catholic churches. In 1904 they made one such request to the Archbishop of Canterbury
, but were declined. They subsequently made an equivalent request to Shimun XXI Benyamin, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
in Qochanis
. Simon consented, and dispatched Abimelek to serve as their metropolitan bishop
. Abimelek introduced Nestorian
dogma and East Syrian liturgy
to the Thrissur church. These reforms caused more followers to break away and rejoin the Syro-Malabar Church, but the Thrissur church survived.
In 1964, during the reign of Mar Shimun XXIII Eshai, a dispute over hereditary succession and church calendars caused the metropolitan of the Church of the East in India
to break away. However, in 1995 Eshai's successor, Mar Dinkha IV was able to heal the rift, and the Chaldean Syrian Church returned to his jurisdiction. It now constitutes one of the four Archbishoprics of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its followers number around 15,000. The present Metropolitan
, Mar Aprem Mooken
(ordained in 1968), is headquartered in Thrissur
and is a noted author. His seat is the Marth Mariyam Cathedral 10°31′6"N 76°13′2"E.
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 Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
church that is currently an archbishopric
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
in the 1st century. They are almost exclusively based in the state 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....
, with the church's cathedral located in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
. Despite carrying the "Chaldean" title in its name, the church is distinct from the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
of the Middle East, an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
.
Historically, the St. Thomas Christians were united in liturgy and hierarchy, and were part of the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, centred in Persia. However, the actions of the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
padroado
Padroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
in India led to a series of splits and schisms from 1653. That year the community was permanently split into a Malankara faction
Malankara 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...
, which eventually aligned with the Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
of Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
, and a Catholic faction, later known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
. The modern Chaldean Syrian Church emerged from a subsequent split in the Syro-Malabar hierarchy, and later aligned with the Assyrian Church of the East.
Today, the Chaldean Syrian Church is one of four archbishoprics
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
in the Assyrian Church of the East, and has about 15,000 members in and around Thrissur. Its cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
is the Mart Mariam Cathedral, Thrissur's first Christian church.
Early history
The St. Thomas Christians trace their origin to Thomas the ApostleThomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
, who is said to have evangelized in 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...
in the 1st century. By the 3rd century India's Christian community was part of the Church of the East
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, led by the Patriarch of the East in Seleucia-Ctesiphon, Persia. In the 7th century India
India (East Syrian Ecclesiastical Province)
India was an ecclesiastical province of the Church of the East, at least nominally, from the seventh to the sixteenth century. The Malabar Coast of India had long been home to a thriving East Syrian Christian community, known as the St. Thomas Christians...
was designated its own ecclesiastical province
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
. In 1499 the Portuguese
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
arrived in India, and forcefully attempted to bring the St. Thomas Christian community fully into the Latin Church
Latin Church
The Latin Church is the largest particular church within the Catholic Church. It is a particular church not on the level of the local particular churches known as dioceses or eparchies, but on the level of autonomous ritual churches, of which there are 23, the remaining 22 of which are Eastern...
of the Catholic Church. The actions of the Portuguese padroado
Padroado
The Padroado , was an arrangement between the Holy See and the kingdom of Portugal, affirmed by a series of treaties, by which the Vatican delegated to the kings of Spain and Portugal the administration of the local Churches...
ultimately caused part of the community to follow the archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
Thomas
Mar Thoma I
-See also:*Indian Orthodox Church*Jacobite Syrian Church*Mar Thoma Church*Malankara Church*Dutch East India Company*Syrian Malabar Nasrani-Further reading:...
in swearing the Coonan Cross Oath
Coonan Cross Oath
The Coonan Cross Oath , taken on January 3, 1653, was a public avowal by members of the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India that they would not submit to Portuguese dominance in ecclesiastical and secular life...
in 1653. The faction that followed Thomas were known as the Malankara Church
Malankara 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...
, and eventually entered into communion with the Syriac Orthodox Church
Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church; is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean, with members spread throughout the world. The Syriac Orthodox Church claims to derive its origin from one of the first Christian communities, established in Antioch by the Apostle St....
. The Catholic faction eventually became known as the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in India is an East Syrian Rite, Major Archiepiscopal Church in full communion with the Catholic Church. It is one of the 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in the Catholic Church. It is the largest of the Saint Thomas Christian denominations with more than 3.6...
.
The Chaldean Syrian Church's current Metropolitan, Mar Aprem Mooken
Mar Aprem Mooken
Mar Aprem Mooken is the Assyrian Church of the East Metropolitan of India. Mar Aprem was born in Thrissur, Kerala, India, on 13 June 1940. Educated in India, England and America, he specialised in Church History...
, has argued that the church represents a direct continuation of the ancient Church of the East hierarchy in India. This is rejected by scholar Mathias Mundadan, who argues that it instead emerged from the 19th century autonomy movement within the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. For over two hundred years the Syro-Malabar Catholics were under the authority of the Latin Archbishop of Goa. This arrangement led to resentment from some members, who wanted more autonomy for their local church, resulting in a formidable and sustaining autonomy movement. In the 19th century this movement's leaders made repeated pleas to both the Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
and the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
(an Eastern Catholic church in communion with the Pope) for their own bishop and liturgy.
Autonomy
In response these pleas, the Chaldean Patriarch Joseph AudoJoseph Audo
Mar Joseph VI Audo † was the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church from 1847 to 1878.Joseph VI Audo was born in 1790 in Alqosh and in 1814 he became a monk of the monastery of Rabban Hormizd. He was ordained priest in 1818 and consecrated bishop of Mosul on the March 25, 1825 by the...
sent a request to Pope Pius IX
Pope Pius IX
Blessed Pope Pius IX , born Giovanni Maria Mastai-Ferretti, was the longest-reigning elected Pope in the history of the Catholic Church, serving from 16 June 1846 until his death, a period of nearly 32 years. During his pontificate, he convened the First Vatican Council in 1869, which decreed papal...
for the Syro-Malabar Catholics to be placed under his authority. Without waiting for a reply, he dispatched Elias Mellus
Elias Mellus
Mar Yohannan Elias Mellus was a Bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church.Elias Mellus was born on September 19, 1831 in Mardin. He entered in the monastery of Rabban Hormizd in Alqosh...
, Bishop of Aqrah
Aqrah
Aqrah is a city and district in Iraq which is located in the Ninawa Governorate. The total area of the district is km2...
, to India in 1874. Mellus had substantial success convincing Syro-Malabar Catholics in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
to recognize him as their bishop. By 1877 24,000 followers had joined his group, based in Our Lady of Dolours Church (now Mart Mariam Cathedral) in the parish of Thrissur. In response the Pope dispatched Latin Catholic leaders to reign in Mellus, who was sent back to Mesopotamia in 1882. By then, however, he had established the infrastructure for an independent church.
Many of Mellus' followers returned to the Syro-Malabar Church. About 8,000, however, maintained their demand for autonomy, and took their requests for an independent bishop to non-Catholic churches. In 1904 they made one such request to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
, but were declined. They subsequently made an equivalent request to Shimun XXI Benyamin, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
in Qochanis
Qochanis
Qodchanis was the capital of Hakkari and the seat of the Assyrian bishops before 1915.Its ruins are currently north of Hakkâri Province, near the borders of Iran and Iraq, and about 20 km north-east of the provincial capital Hakkâri, in the southeastern of modern Turkey.The town was inhabited by...
. Simon consented, and dispatched Abimelek to serve as their metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
. Abimelek introduced Nestorian
Nestorianism
Nestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius's studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus...
dogma and East Syrian liturgy
East Syrian Rite
The East Syrian Rite is a Christian liturgy, also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian or Chaldean Rite, and the Persian Rite although it originated in Edessa, Mesopotamia...
to the Thrissur church. These reforms caused more followers to break away and rejoin the Syro-Malabar Church, but the Thrissur church survived.
In 1964, during the reign of Mar Shimun XXIII Eshai, a dispute over hereditary succession and church calendars caused the metropolitan of the Church of the East in 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...
to break away. However, in 1995 Eshai's successor, Mar Dinkha IV was able to heal the rift, and the Chaldean Syrian Church returned to his jurisdiction. It now constitutes one of the four Archbishoprics of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its followers number around 15,000. The present Metropolitan
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
, Mar Aprem Mooken
Mar Aprem Mooken
Mar Aprem Mooken is the Assyrian Church of the East Metropolitan of India. Mar Aprem was born in Thrissur, Kerala, India, on 13 June 1940. Educated in India, England and America, he specialised in Church History...
(ordained in 1968), is headquartered in Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
and is a noted author. His seat is the Marth Mariyam Cathedral 10°31′6"N 76°13′2"E.