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The history of Christianity in Kerala starts with the arrival of Apostle St Thomas in Muzris in AD52. He established the Ezharapallikal (Seven and a half churches) in Kerala. The first church was built in Kodungalloor. They were called St. Thomas Christians Syrian Christians or Nasranis. Europeans were surprised to see on their arrival that there was a Christian community already existing in Kerala. Let us read more to know about how Portuguese intervention created conflicts and the whole history of the Synod of Diamper.
Synod of Diamper – History, Purpose, Quiz PDF
The Greek word synod refers to a gathering of religious leaders for a conference or assembly to examine broad matters about the church. Currently, the term Synod refers to a gathering of bishops. The book Jornado, written by Gouvea and published in Portuguese in Portugal in CE 1606, is the only source of information available regarding the Synod of Diamper. The text was translated into English by Dr. Pius Melekandathil. After attending the Synod of Diamper, Archbishop Alexis Menezes travelled to Goa, where he wrote this book, which captures the social environment of 16th-century Malabar. It sounds like a travelogue in both tone and tenor. Let us look more at the history of the Synod of Diamper.
Synod of Diamper Summary
Synod of Diamper (known as ഉദയംപേരൂർ സൂനഹദോസ് in Malayalam) was held in June 1599 at Udayamperur in Ernakulam. It was a diocesan synod. In other words, a council which was put on to create rules and regulations for the subjugations and Latinisation of the ancient Saint Thomas Christians also known as Mar Thoma Nasranis. They belonged to the Malabar coast of present-day Kerala India.
These guidelines were intended to formally subjugate them and downgrade their whole Metropolitanate of India to the Diocese of Angamale, a suffragan to the Archdiocese of Goa run by Latin Church Padroado missionaries. This synod also imposed forced Liturgical Latinization and the abandonment of indigenous rituals and beliefs. This sparked a massive ecclesiastical protest by Saint Thomas Christians. This protest is known as the Coonan Cross Oath and it resulted in a schism in the mid-17th century.
Key Point for Exam Preparation
Some of the key points repeatedly asked for the exams on the subject of Synod of Diamper are given below.
- Christianity was propagated in Kerala by St. Thomas
- St Thomas first reached Kerala in 52 AD in Muzris.
- He established Ezharapallikal.
- The first Christian church in Kerala is in Kodungallor.
- Syrian Christians in Kerala are also known by the name Nasranis.
- Synod of Diamper was held in AD 1599 June 20 to 26.
- It was presided over by Alexis de Menezes.
- Alexis de Menezes was the Methran of Goa.
- The synod aimed to bring the Syrian Christians under the rule of Rome and the Pope.
- 813 people participated in it, 133 priests, 20 decans, and 660 ordinary citizens.
- The Syrian Christians were unimpressed by the results of the Synod of Diamper.
- So, they gathered near Mattancheri’s old cross in AD 1653 January 3rd and took an oath that they would never follow the regulations set up by the Latin Bishops. This is known as the Oath of Koonan Cross.
- This movement was inspired by the rumours that the Portuguese killed the Babylonian Syrian Bishop Mar Ahettella, who was travelling to Kerala to resolve the conflict caused by Portuguese missionary influence on the Syrian Christian community.
- After the Oath of Koonan Cross, the Syrian Christians made the Archdeacon Thomas i.e., Mar Thoma 1 their Metrapolita.
- The Synod of Diamper was an event that denoted the failure of the religious colonisation of the Portuguese in Kerala.
History of Synod of Diamper
1: Who was the first woman President of India?
First, we have to learn about the early days of Christianity in Kerala and how Portuguese influence disrupted their peaceful existence to fully understand the significance of the Synod of Diamper. Let us start from there.
Early History of the Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians traced their lineage back to the Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon and the Church of the East of Persia. They relied on their bishops. While Middle Eastern bishops served as the Church’s spiritual leaders, the general administration of the Church of Kerala was overseen by a local priest known as Arkkadiyakkon or Archdeacon. The archdeacon served as the community leader for Saint Thomas Christians. There was only one archdeacon for the whole Saint Thomas Community, even during periods when there were several foreign bishops.
Saint Thomas Christians and Portuguese Missionaries
In 1500, a group of 19 missionaries arrived in Malabar as part of the Portuguese fleet under Pedro Alvarez Cabral’s command. Franciscans made up more than half of them. Missionaries made up the majority of the later groups who arrived from Portugal. At first, the Saint Thomas Christians and the Portuguese missionaries got along well, but between 1520 and 1530, things started to go wrong. The reason for this is that the Portuguese started forcing their religious customs on the Christians of Malabar.
Collapse of Church of East and Schism
The Church of the East collapsed in 1552 as a result of the schism. Under the direction of Yohannan Sulaqa, a group that is now known as the Chaldean Catholic Church came into communion with the Church of Rome. It is hard to pinpoint the precise impact of this division on the Saint Thomas Christian Church in Malabar. Bishops from the Nestorian and Chaldean Catholic groups started travelling to Kerala after the schism. One of the final bishops from the Church of the East was Abraham, also called Abraham of Angamaly. Mar Abraham came to India before to 1556 as a Nestorian bishop from the regular Nestorian Patriarchate.
The patriarch submitted letters to Pope Pius IV and re-consecrated Abraham. In 1565, Abraham was ordained as an episcopal member a third time, in Rome. In 1568, he returned to India. Despite the Pope’s unequivocal endorsement, the Portuguese authorities in Goa did not welcome him, leading to his second imprisonment. But Abraham managed to flee in 1570 and made his way to Malabar, where he led his followers in rebellion against the Portuguese until his passing in 1597.
Events Leading Up to the Synod
Aleixo de Menezes, the Archbishop of Goa, started working to unite the Archdiocese of Angamaly under Goa following Abraham’s passing. Menezes proposed Francis Ros to be Angamaly’s Administrator. However, at this point, Abraham had appointed Archdeacon George (of the Cross) to assume the role of administrator of the Archdiocese of Angamaly by tradition. As a result, Menezes was forced to remove the administrator. However, Menesis was determined that the Pope should have absolute spiritual authority over Saint Thomas Christians. He asked the Goan viceroy, the Portuguese captain of Kochi, and the Kochi king for assistance with this. Additionally, the Portuguese took great care at the ports to keep Kerala out of the hands of any Eastern Bishops.
Malabar was visited by Archbishop Menezes in February of 1599. Menezes threatened to dismiss Archdeacon George and replace him with Thomas Kurian, a different nephew of George whose claims had been rejected in 1593. George bowed to Menezes’s demands to avoid a rift. Menezes held a synod in June 1599 after conducting a visitation in several Saint Thomas Christian parishes, winning over the local authorities and a portion of the clergy, ordaining a sizable number of new priests and compelling the Archdeacon to bow to him. The Synod was to be held at a little town called Diamper (Udayamperur), near Kochi, the Portuguese stronghold, rather than the diocese’s centre in Angamaly.
The Synod of Diamper
On June 20, 1599, the third Sunday following Pentecost, the synod convened solemnly at the Diamper (Udayamperoor) church. It met there until June 26, 1599. There were 660 civilian delegates and 153 local priests present at the synod. Menezes led the assembly in prayer. Babylon’s patriarch was denounced as a heretic and schismatic, and they were forced to make a vow that they would only recognize a bishop chosen by Rome. The problematic Synod of Diamper recognized the Church of Saint Thomas Christians’ Latinization.
Because the synod was called under fear of excommunication by the archbishop of a nearby archdiocese, academicians have questioned the legitimacy of the assembly and whether it broke canon law. The pope also permitted him to name an apostolic administrator instead of the typical diocesan archbishop, although with restricted authority. There were changes in liturgy. Many prayers, hymns etc were changed if they seemed to be heretical to the Portuguese. Many of the holy books of the Syrian Christian community were banned and burned. However, the results of the synod were not as successful as the Portuguese missionaries expected.
After Effects of Synod of Diamper
Many Hindu doctrines, particularly those concerning astrology, fate, and transmigration, were condemned by the Synod of Diamper. Hindu rituals and procedures associated with marriage, birth, death, and untouchability were completely abandoned, even though they were common among Saint Thomas’s Christian population. They were even forbidden from attending Onam and other Hindu holidays. The synod also denounced the idea that any man, regardless of faith, may be saved by following God’s commandments, which are all righteous and lead to heaven.
The synod forbade Christian educators from putting any Hindu idols in their classrooms or utilizing any of them. Clergymen were prohibited from marital relations, military service to Hindu rulers, and other secular indulgences. Polygamy and concubinage were also prohibited. Hindu musicians were previously employed to perform in Christian churches, but the synod specifically prohibited the practice.
Oath of Bend Cross/ Koonan Kurishu Sathyam
The violent response of the Saint Thomas Christian community was sparked by the harsh authority of the Portuguese Padroado. In 1653, the first serious protest took place. On Friday, January 24, 1653, Nasranis assembled in Mattancherry church under the direction of Archdeacon Thoma, and they took an oath known as the Great Oath of Bent Cross. Those who were unable to come into contact with the cross-tied ropes in the cross and took the oath while holding the rope in their hands. The cross is reported to have bent somewhat due to its weight, hence the name “Oath of the bent cross.”
Present-Day Impact of Synod of Diamper
Archdeacon Thomas was ordained as Thoma I by twelve church priests four months after the Coonan Cross Oath was taken. The Portuguese missionaries failed in their attempts to make peace with the Saint Thomas Christians. The group associated with Palliveettil Chandy and the Catholic Church was known as the Pazhayakūttukar, also known as the “Old Party” or “Pazhayakoor faction,”. The group associated with Thoma I was referred to as the Puthankūttukar, also known as the “Puthenkoor faction” or “New Party.”
Saint Thomas Christians are now members of multiple churches as a result of several splits that have occurred. The Puthenkoor faction split into the following factions.
- Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
- Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
- Mar Thoma Syrian Church
- Saint Thomas Anglicans of the Church of South India
- Syro-Malankara Catholic Church
- Thomas Evangelical Church of India
- Malabar Independent Syrian Church.
The Pazhayakoor faction split into the following.
- Syro-Malabar Church
- Chaldean Syrian Church.
Synod of Diamper Quiz – Free PDF
Synod of Diamper Quiz
- Which apostle of Christ propagated Christianity in Kerala?
- Paul
- Peter
- Thomas
- Mathew
- In Which year did St. Thomas arrive in Kerala?
- 51 AD
- 52 AD
- 53 AD
- 54 AD
- In which port did St Thomas arrive in Kerala?
- Kappad
- Kochi
- Muzris
- Mahi
- Who established Ezharapallikal in Kerala?
- Paul
- Peter
- Thomas
- Mathew
- Where was the first Christian church established in Kerala?
- Kochi
- Kodungallor
- Kappad
- Muzris
- Synod of Diamper was conducted in which year?
- AD 1599 July 20 to 26
- AD 1598 June 20 to 26
- AD 1598 July 20 to 26
- AD 1599 June 20 to 26
- Who presided over Synod of Diamper?
- Alexis de Mensis
- Alvarez Cabral
- Thoma 1
- Thomas
- Alexis de Menesis was the Methran of ___?
- Mahi
- Goa
- Angamali
- Kochi
- When was the Oath of the Bend Cross?
- AD 1653 January 3rd
- AD 1654 January 2nd
- AD 1653 June 3rd
- AD 1653 June 2nd
- What was the aim of the Synod of Diamper?
- to bring the Syrian Christians under the rule of Rome and the Pope.
- to bring the Syrian Christians under the rule of Patirachis.
- to bring the Catholics under the rule of Rome and the Pope.
- to bring the Syrian Christians under the rule of Portuguese Royalty.
Quiz Answers
- Thomas
- 52 AD
- Muzris
- Thomas
- Kodungallor
- AD 1599 June 20 to 26
- Alexis de Mensis
- Goa
- AD 1653 January 3rd
- to bring the Syrian Christians under the rule of Rome and the Pope.
