Bishop of oldest church in Kerala, Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, busts 'myth바카라 that St. Thomas came to Kerala and converted members of Brahmin families to Christianity, laments brahminic tendencies among Christians.
The Bishop of Niranam diocese, historically one of the oldest dioceses of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in Kerala, has criticized the upper caste tendencies among believers fuelled by a 바카라mythical바카라 belief that St. Thomas converted Brahmins to Christianity in Kerala.
It is also widely believed that St Thomas, one of the 12 apostles of Christ, had converted members of top Brahmin families in Kerala to Christianity. Though the Abrahamic faith is devoid of caste hierarchies, Christian families often hold get-togethers to celebrate their lineage and put out books proclaiming their Brahmin origin.
The Bishop, Geevarghese Mor Coorilos, however, in a Facebook post announced that he would not attend any such get-togethers, dubbing them as 바카라programs to assert their artificially created upper caste identity and lineage.바카라
바카라They say their ancestors were Brahmins converted by St. Thomas. They even put out their family history in books proclaiming such false notions. These baseless, savarna caste-oriented and reactionary myths have to be busted,바카라 read his statement in Malayalam, adding, 바카라I did attend such events due to my personal intimacy with them. But, I regret it. I can바카라t (do it) any more바카라.
Syrian Christians are divided mainly into Syrian Catholic, Jacobite, Orthodox, Marthoma churches depending upon whether they owe their allegiance to the in Rome, the Patriarch in Antioch, in Kerala바카라s Kottayam or Metropolita in Thiruvalla. Coorilos, who belongs to Jacobite Church, has mercilessly swung an axe at the root of the age-old belief that is pervasive across all the four sects 바카라 that their ancestors are Namboodiris who were converted to Christianity by St Thomas.
It also questions the existence of churches like Malayatoor that is famously believed to be the meditative halt of St Thomas during his Kerala leg of his sojourn.
Brahmins바카라 conversion to Christianity under St. Thomas had been a point of dispute for long. Historians such as M.G.S. Narayanan had earlier questioned the claim.
바카라Thomashleeha (as St. Thomas is known in Kerala) is an imaginary thing. He is one of the apostles. He should be Christ바카라s contemporary. If he had come to Kerala, there would have been only forests in Kerala, let alone Brahmins,바카라 Narayanan told Outlook.
바카라Syrian Christians바카라 trade relations with Kerala started in 2nd and 3rd century. Brahmins came as a hegemonic community in Kerala only in 8th Century,바카라 he said.
Pius Melekandathil, professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who is an expert on maritime history and church history, admitted that it is a matter of dispute however saying that the probability factor has to be taken into consideration.
바카라It is a matter of debate. But, many historians have seen it as highly probable and reliable. The earliest reference to St. Thomas preaching gospel to Brahmins is from St. Jerome of 4th century. Among the converts , the Brahmin converts seem to have been quite significant enough to attract the special attention of St. Jerome, who mentions that the apostle went 바카라ut Christus apud Brachmanas praedicaret바카라 (to preach Christ to the Brahmins),바카라 he said.
바카라This needs more investigation. It is more nuanced and complex. Brahmin does not mean one single category of social group. There were different categories of Brahmins in Kerala. It was not a period where there was absence of Brahmins. It바카라s true they came as a hegemonic group only in 8th Century. But, there were Brahmins as scattered and fragmented community even before that. Duties and obligations of Brahmins under Chera empire are mentioned in Sangam literature, 바카라 he said.
Melekandathil also said that there are written documents of maritime trade agreement between Muziris (in Kerala) and Alexandria from 2nd century obtained from Vienna archive in 1985.
Fr. Paul Thelakat, former Syro Malabar Church spokesperson, echoed Coorilose바카라s statement.
바카라In India we have bane that we irrespective of our religion have Manu sleeping within our consciousness. Everyone wants to establish one바카라s own upper caste glory. It is found in the ancient Christians of Kerala e.g certain families claiming to have been baptised from Brahmin families by St Thomas himself. St Thomas is supposed to have come to Kerala, it would be in the first century. Brahmins came to south India only in the 8th century. I am sorry to say upper caste mentality can be found also in Marxists in Kerala. Even though Marxism has a universal humanistic ideology, we find the upper caste surname kept, like Nampoodirpad, Menon, Pillai, Nair etc,바카라 he said.
Firm on his position despite the sharp and mixed reactions to his statement, Coorilos later wrote on the same post: 바카라I am adding this after reading many comments to this post. Many of you are calling me바카라Thirumeni바카라 ( a feudal honorific). That바카라s also a product of the savarna consciousness. You can call me a friend or Father. Or, if you want to make it more formal, you can call me Bishop.바카라
바카라(Writer) OV Vijayan had said that English is the best weapon to resist caste. We must change. Change is must,바카라 he said.