IICS
welcomes research scholars all over the world for the study of
Bible and Church history. The institute has a library of 10000
authoritative books on Christian History Bible, Culture and
other religions. The campus has well furnished
residential rooms for the visitors at a very low price.
Scholars who are
interested in doing research on the history of the Christians in
India especially on the history of ancient Nazranis are welcome
to the campus.
Director: Joseph Pulikunnel
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IICS has published a number of books both in English and
Malayalam.
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The Nazaranis of India
have a long and chequered history of 2000 years. Though there
were attempts to undertake a superficial study of the history of
the Nazranis, no earnest effort was made by the scholars to
highlight their peculiar customs, architecture, art and ways of
living and faith.
The Indian Institute
of Christian Studies invites scholars from the universities for
an in-depth study and to
unravel the complexities related to the
history of Christians in India.
The Institute provides
accommodation for the scholars at nominal fees and facilities
for Research. The Institute does not offer scholarships, but,
will help the scholar by giving directions. |
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The Indian
Institute of Christian Studies is an institution dedicated to
the study of Bible and the history of
Christians especially the nazranis of Kerala is,run by the CRLS
Founder & Hon.Director Joseph Pulikkunnel
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Hosanna is a monthly
in Malayalam started in 1975. The main thrust of Hosanna is the
reformation of the churches with Bible as the norm of faith. The
creative criticism of Hosanna has been a corrective influence on
the life of the Christians in Kerala.
The basic approach and
mission of Hosanna is prophetic in nature. The reformation of
the Church is a continuing process. It believes that it should
be the duty of the Christians in every age to scrutinize
their faith with the instrument of the Bible. When the
worldly thought enters into the Church system the Church
deviates from its apostolic vision.
Hence in every age and all times the Christians should be
vigilant in preserving the faith in accordance with the gospel
teaching.
Mr. Joseph Pulikunnel
is the founder editor of Hosanna and still continues to be the
editor. |
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The ancient Christians in India are
known as ‘Nazranis’ or Thomas Christians. Nazranis
claim that their Church was founded by St. Thomas the Apostle.
This small herd of the sheep of Christ lived and flourished in
the cultural milieu of India in the far south without any direct
contact with their counterparts in other parts of the world.
They preserved their identity and were steadfast in their faith
in Christ, unpolluted by the theological controversies or
struggle for power as in the case of Eastern and Western
Churches. When the Persian Christians were persecuted by the
Sassanid dynasty, and later by Arabs, the Persian Christians
sought asylum in Kerala from 4th century. There were at least
three waves of migration of the Persian Christians to Kerala.
The Persian migrants merged with the native Christians. The
persecuted Church in Persia was supported generously by this
church with financial help.
The Portuguese came to Kerala in 1498.
They were armed with the Papal Bull, with the mandate to appoint
Bishops and administer the ecclesiastical properties of the
Christians in India. With the support of the native Kings, the
Portuguese Arch Bishop Alexis Menezis convened a Representative
Assembly of the Nazranis at Udayamperoor,presently in Kerala state,in 1599, known
in History as Synod of Diamper and passed decrees to bring the
Nazranis under the Pope of Rome. Till then the Nazranis
had no hierarchical relationship with Rome or any other church.
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Each local church was independent. The
churches were administered by the Assembly of elders of the
family. The "Kathanars", the presbyters, were nominated
by the elders. While the presbyters looked after the spiritual
needs of the people, the assembly of the elders (Edavaka
yogam) presided over by Kathanars, administered the
church. The presbyter had no authority over the temporalities of
the Church.
While each Church was independent, for
common good, there existed a Representative Assembly of the
whole Church (synod). The "Jathikku karthavyan" (the
responsible leader of the community) presided over the Assembly
and was responsible for over seeing the welfare of the Church.
Boniface, a missionary from Europe described the Church System
of the Nazranis as "Christian republic".
The faith of the Nazranis, before the
advent of Portughese is described by Michael Gedess.
"By this account it will appear, that
previous to the Reformation in Europe, we have no knowledge of
any Church in the world, except that of the Cathari, or Vaudois,
in the valleys of Piedmont, whose doctrines and practice were as
free from error as those of the Church of Malabar."
16th century was a watershed in the history of the Nazaranis of
India. The Portuguese usurpation of the Church was opposed by
the Nazaranis and in 1653 a solemn oath was taken by Nazranis in
an assembly at Mattancherry that they would never be under the
rule of the foreign missionaries. This divided the church into
Catholic and non - Catholic. Those who opposed the Catholic
hierarchy accepted the patriarch of Antioch as their spiritual
leader. This Church was again divided into different
denominations. The Nazarani Catholics have been fighting to
preserve their identity. Yet the domination of the Roman
Catholic Church divested the Nazranies of their ecclesial and
faith system. Those who were converted by the western
missionaries from native Indians are known as the Latin
Catholics. Now in the Catholic sector there are three different
rites. Syro-Malabar, Latin and Syro-Malankara. The non-Catholic
Episcopal churches are, the Jacobite church under the Patriarch
of Antioch, the Orthodox church which though accept the
spiritual leadership of Antioch claims complete autonomy from
him. The Marthoma church, a splinter group from the Orthodox
church, the Church of South India, successor of the Anglican
church. There exist several evangelical Churches also in Kerala.
The original Nazranis find themselves drawn into the fold
of different Churches and non-Episcopal groups. Yet they cherish
their ancient patrimony. |
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