IICS - Indian Institute of Christian Studies

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

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.

Area of Research

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.

Hosanna

Hosanna is a monthly in Malayalam started in 1975 and closed the publication 2017 along with his death. 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.

Catalogue of Book

Publications

IICS has published a number of books both in
English and Malayalam.

The Nazranis of kerala

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.

Nazranis their unique Church Organisation and Faith

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.