Synod of Diamper - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Synod of Diamper, held at Udayamperoor

Udayamperoor

Udayamperoor is a small town situated in Ernakulam district, Kerala, in India. It is 18 km from Ernakulam, on the Ernakulam - Vaikom road. This place, steeped in history, is a major tourist destination in the district.s.n.d.p.h.s.s is one of the leading educational institution in Udayamperoor....

/Diamper, (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....

, 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...

) is a diocesan synod by which Latin usages were formally adopted by the Christians of Saint Thomas. It was convened on June 20, 1599, under the leadership of Aleixo de Menezes

Aleixo de Menezes

Aleixo de Menezes was Archbishop of Goa, Archbishop of Braga, Portugal, and Viceroy of Portugal during the Iberian Union.-Biographical sketch:Aleixo was born in 1559. It is known that he joined the Augustinians...

, Archbishop of Goa

Goa

Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...

. Archdeacon George (of the Cross) was forced to comply with the wishes of Archbishop of Goa

Goa

. This separated the Thomas Christians from the Chaldean Patriarch and subjected them directly to the Latin Archbishopric of Goa. The Archbishopric of Angamale was downgraded to a Bishopric under Goa

Goa

in 1600 AD. Portuguese Padroado rule was thus imposed and the Bishops for Saint Thomas Christians were appointed by Portuguese Padroado.

Background

In 1597, Mar Abraham, the last metropolitan archbishop appointed by the Chaldean Patriarch, died. His Archdeacon, George (of the Cross) according to the custom and by virtue of appointment of Mar Abraham, took up the administration of the Archdiocese of Angamale. Menezes hastened to Nominate Fr. Francis Ros SJ as Administrator. In the end since the Archdeacon George (of the Cross) was well accepted by the people, Menezes had unwillingly reversed his decision and confirmed the Archdeacon as Administrator. Archdeacon called together an assembly of the Saint Thomas Christians at Angamali, in which a solemn oath was taken that they would act only according to the wishes of Archdeacon, and that if the Pope sent them as their Bishop, not their Archdeacon, but a Latin, that they would plead their case with Rome.

Menezes undertook a visit to all the Churches of Saint Thomas Christians in February 1599, which lasted for few months and slowly earned the good will of people. After having won over a considerable number of people and priests, Menezes threatened to depose Archdeacon, George (of the Cross) and appoint in his place Thomas Kurian, another nephew of former Archdeacon whose claims had been ignored in 1593. In order to prevent a division, Archdeacon, George (of the Cross) yielded to the demands of Menezes.

This void in leadership in India cleared the way for the Portuguese to impose their own customs, hierarchy, law, liturgy and rites among the Saint Thomas Christians. Many of the local customs were officially anathematised as heretical and their manuscripts were condemned to be either corrected or burnt.

Dom Alexis Menezes, Archbishop of Goa,was leading this schism summoning all the priests, other clerics and four lay men elected from each church, even from the churches he had not visited under the pain of excommunication. About 130 ecclesiastics and 660 laymen ( elected and specially invited) met at Diamper in the territory of Kingdom of Cochin.

The Syond solemnly began on the third Sunday after Pentecost, 20 June, 1599. It was held in the church of Diamper ( Udayamperoor) from June 20 to 26, 1599. Archbishop Menezes presided the Syond. The Chaldean Patriarch was condemned as a heretic and schismatic, and they were made to swear that they would not accept any bishop except the one immediately nominated by Rome. The controversial Syond of Diamper canonized Romanization of the Church of Saint Thomas Christians. Aleixo de Menezes, laboring under the shadow of the Protestant Reformation

Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...

and the Council of Trent

Council of Trent

The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...

, was unwilling to give an inch to the customs of the Saint Thomas Christians.

Decrees of the Synod

The Synod issued 200 decrees distributed in nine actions (sessions). There are some differences exist among the decrees of the Synod which are available today. It has been suggested that these degrees were first formulated in Portuguese language by Dom Menezes and then translated to Malayalam. It has been suggested that the participants were made to sign the Malayalam document which lack 35 Cannons given in the Portuguese text.

Prohibited books

The Synod prohibited the use of many heretic books. These book are lsted below..

The Infancy of our Savior (The History of our Lady)

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

the annunciation of the angel was made in the Temple of Jerusalem which contradicts the Gospel of St. Luke, which says, it was made in Nazareth.
Joseph had another wife and children when he was betrothed to Mary.
Child Jesus was reproved for his naughty tricks.
Child Jesus went to school and learned from them.
St. Joseph, suspecting Mary of adultery took her to priests, who gave her the water of jealousy to drink; that Mary brought forth with pain, and parting from her company, not being able to go farther, she retired to a stable at Bethlehem.
None of the saints is in heaven, but are all in a terrestrial paradise, where they should remain till the Day of Judgment.

Book of John Barialdan

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

In Christ, there were two persons: a divine and human.
The names Christ and Emanuel are that of only human person, so the name Jesus should not be adored.
The union of incarnation is common to all the three divine persons, who were all incarnated.
The union of the incarnation is only an accidental union of love.

The Procession of the Holy Spirit

This book contained the following concept which is against Catholic creed:

Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father, and not from the Son..

Margarita Fidei (The Jewel)

Written by Abed Isho, a Nestorian prelate. This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

Mary is not ought to be called the mother of God, but only the mother of Christ.
In Christ there are two persons, the one of the Word, and the other of Jesus.
The union of the incarnation is only an accidental union of love and power, and not a substantial union.
Out of three distinct faiths Nestorian, Jacobite, and Roman, only the Nestorian faith is the true one taught by the Apostle, and the Roman faith is false and heretical.
Matrimony is not a sacrament.
The fire of hell is metaphorical, not real.
Roman Church is fallen from the faith as they do not celebrate in leavened bread.

Fathers

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

Mary is not ought to be called the mother of God.
The Patriarch of Nestorians is the universal head of the Church immediately under Christ.
The fire of hell is not real, but spiritual.
It is heresy to say God was born, or died.
There are two persons in Christ.

Life of Abed Isho

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

The whole trinity was incarnated.
St. Cyril of Alexandria, who condemned Nestorius, was a heretic and is now in hell, for having taught, that there is only one person in Christ.
Nestorius, Theodoras and Diodorus are saints, and are blessed.
None of the saints is in heaven, but are all in a terrestrial paradise, where they should remain till the Day of Judgment.
God dwelt in Christ as in a rational temple, giving him power to do all the good things he did.
The souls of the just will be in a terrestrial paradise till the Day of Judgment.

Book of Synods

It has a forged letter of Pope Caius, with false subscriptions of many other Western Bishops, directed to Nestorian Bishops, wherein it is acknowledged, that the Church of Rome ought to be subject to Nestorian church..

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:

The Roman Church is fallen from the faith, having perverted the canons of the Apostles, by the force of heretical emperors' arms.
The Romans are heretics, for not celebrating in leavened bread.
All Bishops who followed Nestorius, ought to be much esteemed and styled saints and their relics must be reverenced.
Matrimony is not a sacrament. It may be dissolved for the bad conditions of the parties.
Usury is lawful, and there is no sin in it.

Book of 'Timothy the Patriarch'

This book contained the following concept which is against Catholic creed:

That the true body of our Lord Christ is not there in the sacrament of altar, but only its figure..

Domingo or Letter of the Lord's-day

A letter believed to have come from heaven, in which the Roman Church is accused of having fallen from the faith..

Maclamatas

It claims the distinction of two persons in Christ, and the accidental union of the incarnation are proved..

Uguarda or Rose

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

There are two persons in Christ.
The union of the incarnation was accidental.
When Mary brought forth with pain, the sons of Joseph, which he had by his other wife, went for a midwife to her.

Camiz

This book contained the following concept which is against Catholic creed:

The Divine Word and the Son of Virgin Mary are not the same..

Menra

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

Christ is only the image of the Word.
The substance of God dwelt in Christ as in a temple.
Christ is next to the divinity and was made the companion of God.

Book of Orders

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

The form, and not the matter, is necessary to orders.
There are only two orders, Diaconate and priesthood.
Altars of wood, and not of stone, are to be consecrated.

It also contains prayers for those converted to Nestorianism from any other sect.

Book of Homilies

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

The Eucharist is only the image of Christ, and is distinguished from him, as an image is from a true man.
The body of Jesus Christ is not there in Eucharist, nor any where else but in heaven.
The whole Trinity was incarnate.
Christ is only the temple of the Divinity, and God only by representation.
The soul of Christ descended not into hell, but was carried to the paradise of Eden.

It also contains:

Letters from some Nestorian synods, in which it is said, that the Nestorian Patriarch is not subject to the Roman Bishop.
An oath to be taken to Nestorian Patriarch, as the head of the church, wherein people swear to obey him, and him only, and not the Bishop of Rome.

An Exposition of the Gospels

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

There are two persons in Christ.
Christ is a pure creature.
He was obliged to adore God, and stood in need of prayer.
He was the temple of the most holy Trinity.
Christ's soul when he died, descended not into hell, but was carried to the paradise of Eden.
Mary deserved to be reproved as well as the rest of the Jews for having vainly imagined that she was mother to one that was to be a great King; looking upon Christ as no other than a pure man and presuming that he was to have a temporal empire.
Evangelists did not record all Christ's actions in truth as they were not present at many of them.
The wise men that came from the East, received no favor from God, for their journey neither did they believe in Christ.
Christ was the adopted Son of God, and not God's natural Son.
Christ received new grace in baptism, which he had not before.
Christ is only the image of the Word, and the pure temple of the Holy Spirit.
Eucharist is only the image of the body of Christ, which is only in heaven at the right hand of the Father, and not here on earth.
Christ, as pure man, did not know when the Day of Judgment was to be.
When St. Thomas put his hand into Christ's side, and said, " My Lord and my God! " he was not speaking to Christ as God, but it was only an exclamation made to God on such a miracle.
The authority that Christ gave to St. Peter over the church, was the same that he gave to other priests, so his successors have no more power or jurisdiction than other bishops.
Mary is not the mother of God.
First Epistle of St. John, and that of St. James, are not the writings of those Apostles, but of some other persons of the same name, and therefore are not canonical.

Book of Hormisda Raban

This book contained the following concepts which are against Catholic creed:.

Nestorius was a saint, and martyr, and suffered for the truth.
St. Cyril, who persecuted him, was the priest and minister of the devil, and is now in hell.
Images are filthy and abominable idols, and ought not to be adored.
St. Cyril, as a heretic invented and introduced them.

Book of Lots

It contains many non-Christian rituals and practices such as:.

Ring of Solomon
Choice of good days to marry upon, and for several other uses.

A book of unknown title which is a Nestorian version of Flos Sanctorum

Describes the lives of many Nestorian saints..

Parisman or Persian Medicine

It contains:

Many sorceries.
Certain methods whereby one may do mischief to their enemies, and may gain women.
The strange names of devils, that whosoever shall carry the names of seven of them about him writ in a paper, shall be in no danger of any evil.
Many exorcisms for the casting out of devils, mixing some Christian words with others that are not intelligible.
The invocation of the most Holy Trinity, oftentimes desiring the doing of lewd things, and enormous sins, joining the merits of Nestorius and his followers, many times, in the same prayer with those of the blessed Virgin, and those of their devils, with those of the holy angels..

Changes in Liturgy

The text on which the Synod worked was a composite East Syriac text of Anaphora of Addai and Mari. The Synod declared certain passages of the Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari

Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari

The Holy Qurbana of Addai and Mari belongs to the East Syrian liturgical family and is in regular use in the Assyrian Church of the East, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church. Saint Addai and Saint Mari are credited with having written it...

as impious, sacrilegious and outcome of Nestorian heresy. The changes made by the Synod are six in litanies, seven in hymns or anthems, four in formulae pertaining to the deacon, one in response of the people, one in the text of the gospel lesson, one in affecting the whole creed. In the paryer of the priest there are five changes in pre- anaforaml part of the Qurbana of Addai and Mari. There are four changes with in the anaphora and eleven in the four variables hutame (Sealing prayers).

Changes in Administration

Under Portuguese Padroado, Latin Bishops were appointed to govern the Saint Thomas Christians. Fr. Franics Roz SJ was nominated as successor to Mar Abraham on November 5, 1599. Bishop Roz SJ, centralized in himself all the authority reducing almost to nothing the powers of Archdeacon. Bishop Franics Roz SJ died on February 16, 1624 and was succeeded by Bishop Britto Stephen SJ. Archdeacon George (of the Cross) died c 1634 and was succeeded by Archdeacon Thomas. Bishop Britto SJ died in 1641 and Bishop Garcia Franics SJ succeeded him. A regular fight ensued between the new Archbishop Garcia Franics SJ and the new Archdeacon Thomas.

Destruction of Syriac Books

The decree XVI ordered that all the Syriac MSS should be handed over to the Archbishop or his deputy on visit to the Churches. Due to the lack of printed books, the Qurbana MSS were excluded from this.

Some of the other books which are said to be burnt at the synod of Diamper are, 1.The book of the infancy of the savior (history of our Lord) 2. Book of John Braldon 3. The Pearl of Faith 4. The Book of the Fathers 5. The Life of the Abbot Isaias 6. The Book of Sunday 7. Maclamatas 8. Uguarda or the Rose 9. Comiz 10. The Epistle of Mernaceal 11. Menra 12. Of orders 13. Homilies (in which the Eucharist is said to be the image of Christ) 14. Exposition of Gospels. 15. The Book of Rubban Hormisda 16. The Flowers of the Saints 17. The Book of Lots 18. The Parsimon or Persian Medicines .

There are only very few Syriac MSS which withstood the destruction.

Aftermath

The Synod of Diamper was a turning point in the history of Church of Malabar. It gave a definite form and set up to the tendency of Latinization that slowly prevailed in the Church since the arrival of Portuguese missionaries. It removed some of the abuses arising out of the ignorance of the people but at the same time severed the age long relation this Church had with that of Babylon.

The result of the synod, however, was unfortunate. As the Catholic Encyclopedia

Catholic Encyclopedia

The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...

(1913) says:

The only case in which an ancient Eastern rite has been wilfully romanized is that of the Uniat Malabar Christians, where it was not Roman authority but the misguided zeal of Alexius de Menezes, Archbishop of Goa, and his Portuguese advisers at the Synod of Diamper (1599) which spoiled the old Malabar Rite.

Some time after the Synod of Diamper, on 25 November 1599, a letter was send to Pope by Archdeacon, giving information about the Synod and its work. The letter praises the work of Menezes and request the appointment of Menezes or Fr. Francis Roz as their Bishop . The letter hardly represent the genuie sentiments of Archdeacon as by that time he was completely at the mercy of the will of Portuguese and the only thing left for him was to follow their directives.

In this way the Synod of Dimaper achieved one of the aims of the Portuguese policy in Kerala, to separate the Syrian Christians of Malabar from the Chaldean Patriarch and to extend the influence of Portuguese Padroado in India. As a result, the King of Portugal, got the right of nomination to the ancient See of Saint Thomas in Malabar. The Archbishopirc of Angamale was degraded to a Portuguese Padroado diocese under Goa

Goa

in August,4th 1600 AD.

The oppressive rule of the Portuguese padroado provoked a violent reaction on the part of the St. Thomas Christian community. The first solemn protest took place in 1653. Under the leadership of Malankara Mooppen Thomas, Nazranis around Cochin gathered at Mattancherry

Mattancherry

Mattancherry is the western part of city of Kochi, India. It is said that the name Mattancherry is drawn from "Ancherry Mattam", a Namboodiri illam which then the foreign traders pronounced it as Matt-Ancherry, gradually became Mattancherry. It is about 9 km from Ernakulam town. There are...

church on Friday, January 24, 1653 (M.E. 828 Makaram 3) and made an oath that is known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross. The following oath was read aloud and the people touching a stone-cross repeated it loudly.

By the Father, Son and Holy Ghost that henceforth we would not adhere to the Franks, nor accept the faith of the Pope of Rome.

(The Missionary Register for 1822 seems to be the earliest reliable document available). Those who were not able to touch the cross tied ropes on the cross, held the rope in their hands and made the oath. Because of the weight it is said that the cross bent a little and so it is known as ‘’Oath of the bent cross (Koonen Kurisu Sathyam)’’

Four months after this event according to their ancient tradition 12 elders of the church laid their hands on Malankara Mooppen Thomas and ordained him as [Mar Thoma I]].

After 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...

, between 1661 and 1662, out of the 116 churches, the Catholics claimed eighty-four churches, leaving Archdeacon Mar Thoma I only thirty-two churches. The eighty-four churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syro Malabar Catholic Church have descended. The other thirty-two churches and their congregations were the body from which the Syriac Orthodox (Jacobites & Orthodox), Thozhiyur (1772), Mar Thoma (Reformed Syrians) (1874), Syro Malankra Catholic Church have originated. In 1665, Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel

Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel

Mor Gregorios Abdul Jaleel Bawa was an ethnic Assyrian Syriac Orthodox Bishop of Jerusalem from 1664 until his death. He is chiefly remembered for his 1665 mission to India, in which he established ties between the newly-independent Malankara Church and the Syriac Orthodox church. He is venerated...

, a Bishop send by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch arrived in India and the native Christians under the leadership of the Archdeacon welcomed him. This visit resulted in the Mar Thoma taking spiritual authority of the St. Thomas Christians.

The arrival of Mar Gregorios in 1665 marked the beginning of the associations of St.Thomas Christians with the Church of West Syria. Those who accepted the West Syrian theological and liturgical tradition of Mar Gregorios became known as Jacobites. Those who continued with East Syrian theological and liturgical tradition and stayed faithful to the Synod of Diamper are 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...

in communion with the Catholic Church. They got their own Syro-Malabar Hierarchy on 21 December 1923 with the Metropolitan Mar Augustine Kandathil as the Head of their Church.

St. Thomas Christians by this process got divided in to East Syrians and West Syrians.

Books (Studies on Synod of Diamper)

Paul Pallath, "The Synod of Diamper : valid or invalid?"
George Nedungatt
George Nedungatt
George Nedungatt , is an Indian Jesuit priest of Oriental rite, and expert in Oriental Canon Law.- Jesuit formation :Nedungatt joined the Society of Jesus in 1950...

S.J.,"The Synod of Diamper Revisited", Pontifico Instituto Orientale, Rome, 2001.
Joseph Kuzhinjalil, "The disciplinary Legislation of Synod of Diamper" (1975)
Jonas Thaliath, " The Synod of Diamper" (1958)
Connolly, " The Work of Meneses"
Codrington, " The Chaldean Liturgy"
Codrington," The Malabar Liturgy and Synod of Diamper"

External links

Udayamperoor Synod Church
Pontifical Council For Promoting Christian Unity
History of Udayamperoor Synodal Church in Malayalam
History of the Syro-Malabar Church
Catholic Encyclopedia: St. Thomas Christians (Archbishop Menezes and the Synod of Diamper)
Catholic Encyclopedia: Rites
http://thomaschristians.blogspot.com/2011/06/synod-of-diamper.html

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

Background

Decrees of the Synod

Prohibited books

The Infancy of our Savior (The History of our Lady)

Book of John Barialdan

The Procession of the Holy Spirit

Margarita Fidei (The Jewel)

Fathers

Life of Abed Isho

Book of Synods

Book of 'Timothy the Patriarch'

Domingo or Letter of the Lord's-day

Maclamatas

Uguarda or Rose

Camiz

Menra

Book of Orders

Book of Homilies

An Exposition of the Gospels

Book of Hormisda Raban

Book of Lots

A book of unknown title which is a Nestorian version of Flos Sanctorum

Parisman or Persian Medicine

Changes in Liturgy

Changes in Administration

Destruction of Syriac Books

Aftermath

See also

Books (Studies on Synod of Diamper)

External links