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Christianity in India

Christianity is India's third-largest religion, with approximately 24 million followers, constituting 2.3% of India's population,[1] .

Christianity arrived in India with the coming of Thomas the Apostle during the 1st century. The second spurt in the growth of Christianity came during the colonization of India which started after discovery of sea route to India by Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama in 1498.[2][3]

Today Christians are found all across India and in all walks of life, with major populations in parts of South India, Konkan Coast, North-East India and sparse populations in Central India. Christian presence in India is most visible in the form of educational institutions, social services, and hospitals run by Christian organizations.[4] Around 70% of Christians in India are Roman Catholics and the rest mainly Protestants.[5]

Contents

Early Christianity in India

Indian postal stamp depicting Saint Thomas
Indian postal stamp depicting Saint Thomas
According to Indian Christian traditions, Saint Thomas is credited with introduction of Christianity in India in 52 AD. Saint Thomas arrived in Kodungallur, Kerala and established the Seven Churches and evangelized in present day Kerala and Tamil Nadu.[6]. It is believed that he attained martyrdom, after being assassinated by a Brahmin, at St. Thomas Mount in Chennai and buried on the site of San Thome Cathedral.

According to some historians, India had a flourishing trade with Central Asia, Mediterranean, and Middle East, both along mountain passes in the north and sea routes along the western and southern coast, well before the start of Christian era. Hence, it is likely that Christian merchants settled in Indian cities along trading routes.[7]

According to the 3rd century text Acts of Thomas, originally written in Syriac, when the apostles were in Jerusalem and divided the world among them, it was decided that Saint Thomas would go to India. Saint Thomas then arrived in North West India, and baptized King Gondophares and his brother, thereby heralding the beginning of Christianity in India.[7] However, historians generally describe Acts of Thomas as a romantic work, rather than historical account, whose characters were influenced by Indo-Parthian Kingdom that existed in north-western India. During this time, Buddhism which was recently introduced to Northwestern India was making great strides and cosmopolitan cities such as Taxila, meeting points of Greek, Bactrian, Scythians, and Indian discourse, where centers of Buddhist learning.[7]

According to Travancore Manual, Thomas of Cana, a Mesopotamian merchant and missionary, introduced Christianity to India in 345 AD.[8] He brought 400 Christians from Baghdad, Nineveh, and Jerusalem to Kodungallur. He and his companion Bishop Joseph of Edessa sought refuge from King Cheraman Perumal from persecution of Christians by the Persian king Shapur II. The colony of Syrian Christians, thus established at Kodungallur, became the first recorded Christian community in South India.[9]. A number of historians conclude that Thomas of Cana was confused with the 1st century apostle Thomas by India's Syrian Christians sometime after his death and became their Apostle Thomas in India.[10] [11] [12] [13]

There are also two sets of distinct accounts of Jesus travelling through India.[14] According to the first set of accounts, Jesus traveled and studied in India between the ages of twelve and thirty. According the the second set of accounts, Jesus did not die on the cross, but after his apparent death and resurrection he journeyed to Kashmir to teach the gospel, and then remained there for the rest of his life[14][15]. The origin of the first set of accounts is attributed to Russian author Nicolas Notovitch who published the book La vie Inconnue du Jesus Christ (The Unknown life of Jesus Christ) in 1894.[14] The origin of the second set of accounts is attributed to Kashmiri author Mirza Gulam Ahmed who published the book Masih Hindustan Mein (Jesus in India) in 1899.[16] These two accounts are generally not presented in combination. While travel between Middle-East and India was common during those times, these accounts are not given serious thought and treated as speculation since there is no historical account, either in early Christian writings or Indian historical accounts, to either confirm of refute Jesus traveling to India.[14]

Although, the exact origins of Christianity in India remain unclear, it is generally agreed that Christianity in India is almost as old as Christianity itself and spread in India even before it spread in many, predominantly Christian, nations of Europe.

Medieval Period

The Nasrani Menorah, the symbol of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani Christian community in South India.
The Nasrani Menorah, the symbol of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani Christian community in South India.
The Syrian Malabar Nasrani community was further strengthened by various Persian immigrant settlers. The community was Christian-Jewish Knanaya colonies of third century, Manichaeanism followers and the Babylonian Christians settlers of 4th Century, the 7th Century Syrian settlement of Mar Sabor Easo and Proth, and the immigrant Persian Christians from successive centuries. The Kerala Syrian Church was in communion with Syrian Church and was belived to be under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians and the Patriarch of Babylonian till the Portuguese arrival in the late 15th century. Bishops came from Syria. They seem to have maintained their identity for a long time in the first few centuries and later amalgamated into one patronized community known differently as Nasrani, Malankara Christians, Syrian Christians.

The archaeological excavations at Pattanam show that the ancient port town of Muziris was in modern Kerala. The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea calls it of ?leading importance? describing it: Muziris, of the same kingdom, abounds in ships sent there with cargoes from Arabia,it is located on a river, distant from Tyndis by river and sea five hundred stadia, and up the river from the shore twenty stadia.

The South Indian epic of Manimekalai (written between 2nd and 3rd century CE) mentions the Nasrani people by the name Essanis referring to one of the early Christian-Jewish sect within the Nasranis called Essenes. The embassy of Alfred in 833 CE described the Nestorian Syrian Christians as being prosperous and enjoying high status in the Malabar coast. Marco Polo also mentioned the Nasranis and their ancient church in the Malabar coast in his writings Il Milione.

Early Modern Period

In the early modern periods, the French missionaries were the first Europeans to touch Indian shores. The French missionary Jordanus Catalani arrived in Surat in 1320. After his ministry in Gujarat he reached Quilon in 1323. He not only revived Christianity but also brought thousands to the Christian fold. The first Bishop of Quilon was received with great jubilation by the faithful of Quilon. He brought a message of good wishes from the Holy Father to the local rulers. As the first bishop in India , he was also entrusted with the spiritual nourishment of the Christian community in Calicut , Mangalore, Thane and Broach (north of Thane).[17]

Portuguese missionaries had reached the Malabar Coast in the late 15th century, made contact with the St Thomas Christians in Kerala and sought to introduce the Latin Rite among them. Since the priests for St Thomas Christians were served by the Eastern Christian Churches, they were following Eastern Christian practices at that time. Throughout this period, foreign missionaries also made many new converts to Christianity. This led to the formation of the Latin Catholics in Kerala. Latin Catholics in Kerala today comprises the St Thomas Christians who accepted Latin Rite, found mostly in central Kerala, and the Christians converted by Portuguese influence and other missionary work, found mainly in the southern parts of Kerala.

The Sé Cathedral of Santa Catarina is a cathedral dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, located in Old Goa
The Sé Cathedral of Santa Catarina is a cathedral dedicated to Catherine of Alexandria, located in Old Goa
With the Papal bull Romanus Pontifex the patronage for the propagation of the Christian faith in Asia was given to the Portuguese. The Portuguese colonial government in Goa supported the mission in India with incentives for baptized Christians. They offered rice donations for the poor, good positions in the Portuguese colonies for the middle class and military support for local rulers[18].Early Roman Catholic missionaries, particularly the Portuguese, led by the Jesuit St Francis Xavier (1506-52), expanded from their bases on the west coast making many converts. Portuguese missionaries wanted to convert the population of Goa. As a result of Portuguese incentives many converted Indians were opportunistic Rice Christians, who even practiced their old religion[18]. This was seen as a threat to the immaculateness of the Christian belief. St. Francis Xavier, in a 1545 letter to John III of Portugal, requested an Inquisition be installed in Goa. However, the Inquisition, one of the most violent events in History of Goa targeting Hindus, Jews, and many newly converted Christians,[19][20][21] was installed eight years after Francis Xavier's death. Modern-day Goa has a substantial Roman Catholic population; around 30% of the population is Roman Catholic. The undecayed body of Saint Francis Xavier is still on public view in a glass coffin at the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Goa.

The St Aloysius Chapel in Mangalore
The St Aloysius Chapel in Mangalore
Mangalore is one more significant region on the west coast which has a huge population of Christianity. In 1321, the French Dominican friar Jordanus Catalani of Severac (in south-western France) landed in a place called Bhatkal near Mangalore and established a missionary station there. Many locals were converted to Christianity by Jordanus. .[17] However like the other tracts in India, the Portuguese were unable to establish their presence in Mangalore due to the valiant Vijayanagara ruler Krishnadevraya and the dauntless Bednore Queen of Mangalore Abbakka Rani of Ullal. Mangalorean Catholics were basically the descendants of Goan Catholics who fled Goa during the Portuguese-Maratha Wars and the Goa Inquisition. The St. Aloysius Chapel was later built in Mangalore. This chapel very closely resembles the world-famous Sistine Chapel in Rome.[22]

The Malankara Orthodox St. Mary's Church in Kottayam, Kerala which was originally built in 1579
The Malankara Orthodox St. Mary's Church in Kottayam, Kerala which was originally built in 1579
In Bombay, the high-class Hindus were ceremoniously converted to Christianity by the Portuguese in the 16th century. A large number of the converts were decendants of the Christian Community founded by Apostle St. Barthmolew. They were even referred to as the Portuguese Christians by the Portuguese. From the early days of the East India Company, there were no other Indian Christians in the North Konkan. With the defeat of the Portuguese at the hands of the Marathas and later on the advent of the British, there came a lot of changes. With gradual development, the North Konkan region received the Goan Catholic emigrants from Goa. On the occasion of The Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria, the Christians of North Konkan, who were known as Portuguese Christians discarded that name and adopted the designation East Indians.[23]

Beginning in the eighteenth century, Protestant missionaries began to work throughout India, leading to the growth of different Christian communities. In 1793 William Carey, an English Baptist Minister came to India as a Missionary.

Inside view of Church in Ahmednagar
Inside view of Church in Ahmednagar
He worked in Serampore, Calcutta, and other places as a missionary. He started the Serampore College. He translated the Bible into Bengali.[24] He worked until his death in 1834. Anthony Norris Groves, Plymouth Brethren missionary came to India in 1833. He worked in the Godavari delta area. He worked in India until his death in 1852. Mormon missionaries, including Hugh Findlay, arrived in Bombay and Pune in the early 1850s, but did not meet with success.

Ahmednagar district in Maharastra has majority of Protestant Christians as compared to Catholics. They are also called as Marathi Christians. Missionary started to Evengelized the local people in 1800 CE. Population of Christians in Ahmednagar is only 4%. Haregaon a small village in Shrirampur taluka of Ahmednagar district has majority of Catholics. Haregaon is set to receive thousands of devotees on the occasion of the annual Feast of the 'Matmauli' 'The Blessed virgin Mary' on September 7 & 8.[25]

Demographics

Distribution of Christian population in different Indian states
Distribution of Christian population in different Indian states [26]
The total number of Christians in India as per Census in 2001 are 24,080,016 or 2.34% of the population.[1]

Majority of Indian Christians are Roman Catholics accounting for a total of 17.3 million members[27], including 408,725 members of the Syro-Malankara Church[28] and 3,674,115 of the Syro-Malabar Church[29]. In January 1993 the Syro-Malabar Church and in February 2005 Syro-Malankara Church were raised to the status of major archiepiscopal churches by Pope John Paul II. The Syro-Malabar Church is the second largest among 22 Eastern Catholic Churches who accept the Pope as the "visible head of the whole church". The states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India and Arunachal Pradesh in North-East India account for 60% of India's total Christian population.

Church in Vasai near mumbai
Church in Vasai near mumbai

Most Protestant denominations are represented in India, as a result of missionary activities throughout the country. The largest Protestant denomination in the country is the Church of South India, since 1947 a union of Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregational, Methodist, and Anglican congregations with approximately 3.8 million members[30]. A similar Church of North India had 1.25 million members[31]. (These churches are in full communion with the Anglican Communion.) The Mar Thoma Church has 900,000 members[32], and derives from the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church, which numbers 1.2 million and is in communion with the Anglicans, but not a full member. In 1961, the evangelical wing of the church came out of Mar Thoma Church and formed the St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India which has 10,000 members [33]. Syrian Orthodox Church of Malabar rites 1,200,000 members[34], respectively. There were about 1,267,786 million Lutherans[35], 648,000 Methodists[36], and 2,392,694 Baptists in India [37]. Pentecostalism, another denomination of Protestantism, is also a rapidly growing religion in India. It is spreading greatly in northern India and the southwest area, such as Kerala. The major Pentecostal churches in India are the Assemblies of God, The Pentecostal Mission (TPM ? founded in 1923.[38] [39]), India Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) with 900,000 members.[40] New Apostolic Church founded in 1969, with total adherents of 1,448,209.[40] The New Life Fellowship (founded in 1968) now has approximately 480,000 adherents, and the Manna Full Gospel churches and ministries (founded in 1968 with connections to Portugal) has 275,000.[40] Evangelical Church of India now has over 680 churches with a 250,000 community.[41] Another prominent group is the Brethrens. They are known in different names Plymouth Brethren, Indian Brethren, Kerala brethren. Presbyterian Church of India has 823,456 members.[42]

From the late nineteenth century, the fastest growing Christian communities have been located in the northeast, among the Khasis, Mizos, and the Nagas. Today Christians are most prevalent in the northeast, and in the southwestern states of Kerala and Goa. Indian Christians have contributed significantly to and are well represented in various spheres of national life. They are currently chief ministers of the states like Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Meghalaya, and they were chief ministers earlier of Kerala, Manipur, Goa, and Chattisgarh. In the powerful election committee of the ruling Indian National Congress party, they take four out of twenty places.

Church Name Population
Roman Catholics Latin Rite[43] 13,217,160
Roman Catholic Syro-Malabar Church[29] 3,674,115
Roman Catholic Syro-Malankara Church[44] 408,725
Church of South India[30] 3,800,000
Baptists[37] 2,392,694
New Apostolic Church[40] 1,448,209
Church of North India[31] 1,250,000
Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church of Malabar[34] 1,200,000
Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Syrian Church[45] 1,200,000
Mar Thoma Church[31] 600,000
Lutherans[35] 1,267,786
Methodists[36] 648,000
India Pentecostal Church of God[40] 600,000
Indian Brethren 1,000,000
St. Thomas Evangelical Church[33] 30,000
Presbyterian Church of India[42] 823,456
New Life Fellowship[40] 480,000
Manna Full Gospel[40] 275,000
Evangelical Church [41] 250,000

Conflicts

Hindu-Christian conflict

Historically, Hindus and Christians have lived in relative peace since the arrival of Christianity in India from the early part of the first millennium. The arrival of European colonialists brought about large scale missionary activity in South India and North-East India. Many indigenous cultures were converted to Christianity. Sometimes they were voluntary, and other times they were violent and forced, as in the Goa Inquisition.

Then Hindus who converted to Christianity typically retained their social customs, including caste practices;[46] Dalit Christians make up 70% of India's Christian population. [47] Aggressive proselytizing by Christian missionaries under British rule was a cause of resentment among Hindus and Muslims in the 19th century, who felt that their cultures were being attacked. This was one of the several causes of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British Raj. Also, many Christian ideals prompted reform movements within the Hindu society in the 19th century, the most notable being the Brahmo Samaj, which was influenced by British Christian Unilateralism.. Some Indian Christians have retained Hindu customs and practices, and have combined Hindu customs with Christianity to achieve a unique brand of Indian Christianity. For instance, some Christians in India celebrate the Hindu festival of Diwali .[48]

In more contemporary periods, Hindu-Christian amity is sometimes challenged by partisan politics and extremism from both communities. Christian missionary activity among lower-caste Hindus has created groups of Crypto-Christians, particularly among Dalits. As a response to allegedly aggressive missionary activity four Indian states (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu mainly) have passed laws restricting or prohibiting religious conversion.

An Australian who was working for the Christian missionaries was burnt alive along with his two sons who came to India to spend their vacation with their parents. He was killed by a VHP (Hindu organization) activist Dara Singh. At present many Churches were burnt and dozens of Christians were killed by VHP activists.

The Government of the state of Tripura has uncovered evidence to support the assertion that the Baptist Church of Tripura has been supporting the terrorist group National Liberation Front of Tripura, a violent separatist group that has attacked and killed Hindus in the region and that has banned Hindu festivals by force.[49] The cause of the terror groups are supported by leadership of the American Baptist Churches USA. John Sundquist of International Ministries ABC/USA stated support for these groups in a release on Feb. 26, 1998.[50]

The Nagaland Rebels is a coalition of rebel groups operating in Nagaland, North-East India. "Christianity is an essential part of Naga identity"; the NSCN-IM estimate that 95% of Nagas are Christian.[51] According to Gordon Means "the religious issue cannot be overlooked... A great number of Nagas are Christians... the Naga Federal Government (NFG) could play upon the fear of many Nagas that within the Indian Union the religious freedom of a small Christian minority would be compromised. An independence movement that can cloak itself in the garb of both nationalism and religious righteousness has an initial advantage. And there can be no doubt that the rebel Nagas are a sincerely pious lot. By all accounts, hymn singing and prayers constitute an important part of their daily routine in their jungle hide-outs. The vice-president of the NFG, Mr. Mhiasiu, was a preacher before joining the underground. Serving as chaplains for the Home Guards are many Baptist ministers working actively to ethnically cleanse the region of Hindus and other non-Christians."[52]

Muslim &nbsp? Christian conflict

Muslims in India and Pakistan who convert to Christianity have been known to be subjected to harassment, intimidation, and attacks. In Kashmir, a 50 year old Christian convert named Bashir Tantray was killed, allegedly by Islamist militants, on November 21, 2006.[53]

A Christian priest, K.K. Alavi, who is a convert from Islam, recently raised the ire of his former Muslim community and has received many death threats. An Islamic militant group named "The National Development Front" actively campaigned against him.[54]

A set of palm leaf manuscripts from the 15th century or the 16th century, containing Christian prayers in Tamil
A set of palm leaf manuscripts from the 15th century or the 16th century, containing Christian prayers in Tamil

References

  1. ↑ a b
  2. ↑
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ a b c
  8. ↑ Manuscript volume dated 1604 AD kept in British Museum
  9. ↑ K.S. Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity, 7 vols., London, 1940-49
  10. ↑ Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, London, 1957
  11. ↑ Koenraad Elst, Negationism in India: Concealing the Record of Islam, New Delhi, 1992,
  12. ↑ T.R. Vedantham, "St. Thomas Legend" in the South Madras News, Madras, 1987
  13. ↑ Ishwar Sharan, The Myth of Saint Thomas and the Mylapore Shiva Temple, New Delhi, 1995
  14. ↑ a b c d
  15. ↑ .
  16. ↑
  17. ↑ a b
  18. ↑ a b
  19. ↑
  20. ↑
  21. ↑
  22. ↑
  23. ↑
  24. ↑ Haregaon
  25. ↑ Population by religious communities
  26. ↑
  27. ↑
  28. ↑ a b http://www.smcim.org//about.htm
  29. ↑ a b Church of South India
  30. ↑ a b c Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions
  31. ↑ Indian Christianity
  32. ↑ a b Adherents.com
  33. ↑ a b Malankara Syriac Christian Resources - http://SyriacChristianity.org
  34. ↑ a b Adherents.com: By Location
  35. ↑ a b GBGM Feature
  36. ↑ a b Baptist World Alliance - Statistics
  37. ↑ Critique Of Pentecostal Mission By A Friendly Evangelical
  38. ↑ http://www.missionstudies.org/conference/1papers/fp/Roger_Hedlund_Full_Paper.pdf
  39. ↑ a b c d e f g http://www.apts.edu/ajps/01-1/01-1-SBurgess.pdf
  40. ↑ a b Adherents.com: By Location
  41. ↑ a b || Indian Christianity ||
  42. ↑ BBC NEWS | World | Factfile: Roman Catholics around the world
  43. ↑ Welcome to "The Syro-Malankara Catholic Major Archiepiscopal Church Website"
  44. ↑ Malankara Orthodox Church - Malankara Orthodox Church
  45. ↑ Christian caste - Britannica Concise
  46. ↑ Dalit Christians demand equality - ''Times of India'', ([[2004-2-14])
  47. ↑ Christianity - Hindu Customs in the Christian Community in India
  48. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/south_asia/717775.stm BBC News article explaining links between the Baptist Church of Tripura & the NLFT
  49. ↑ ABC IM - Nagaland Crisis
  50. ↑
  51. ↑
  52. ↑ Christian convert from Islam shot dead in Kashmir, SperoNews
  53. ↑ Convert from Islam in India Remains on Death List, Christian Examiner
  • This article includes material from the 1995 public domain Library of Congress Country Study on India.
  • Trec International
  • International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention
  • American Baptist Convention
  • The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Vol.I (India), Vol.II (Kerala)

See also

External links

pl:Chrze?cija?stwo w Indiach




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