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Archdeacons (Arkkidiyaon)
According to the Indian Christian tradition, the Indian
church or Malankara Church was governed by the Malabar
Yogam (an assembly of Malabar people) . There was also an
indigenous head of the Church of Malabar, called Jatikku
Karthavian ( in Malayalam), which means The head of the
caste ,i.e., the head of the St Thomas Christians, and
also the “Archdeacon of All India.” According to the
canons of the Church of East, the Archdeacon is the
highest priestly rank. The indigenous Archdeacon of India
served the needs of the ecclesiastical organisation of the
Church.While originally the Archdeacon in the Church of
the East was elected by the bishop according to merit, the
office of the Archdeacon of India seems to have been
hereditary in practice. It was the privilege of the
Pakalomattam family of Kerala
Quoting the words of an olden Marthomacharitram
Kallyanapattu (a folk song)
"... Thankamayolla Vedam Seekaricha Naralill
Shankarapuri yanum Pakalomattom ennum
Keerthi parukiya randu veettukarannu
Sleehakarthavin namathil
Thirupattavum Koduthu..."
Some of the duties included selection of seminarians,
appointing and transferring of priests, exercising
temporal powers over the church properties, collecting the
levies from the faithful etc. The kings and princes of
Kerala considered him as the chief of Christians.
The kings of Cochin used to give royal insignias to the
newly elected archdeacons. On behalf of the Christians he
used to parley with the rulers and negotiated with local
chieftains.Armed bodyguards used to escort the Archdeacons
on their journeys. The archdeacon of the Kerala Church was
not an equal to the arch-deacons of Europe. He was a much
larger entity with wider powers and exalted position. He
was also called prince of believers, Lord of the
Christians, and Archdeacon of the whole of India. The
Archdeacons were the right arm of the Metropolitan Bishop,
and in their absence or vacancy held spiritual control of
the Church also.
Thimothy (780-826) , the Patriach of Persia , called him
the head of the faithful in India. The mortal remains of a
few archdeacons are still preserved at the Pakalomattam
Chapel in Martha Mariam Church in Kuravilangadu.
From Knai Thoma's time to the 16th century the Persian
Patriach appointed Bishops used to exercise spiritual
control of Kerala church on the request of Kerala
Christians. These bishops used to ordain priests, bless
churches,gave sacraments, bless "syth" and performed other
functions. They were held as honoured guests. The
metropolitans used to be known as sitting in the throne of
St. Thomas and exercising suzerainty over Indian Church.
The Metropolitans used to exercise their control over the
Church through the Archdeacons. In practical and
day-to-day functioning of the Church Arch-deacons
exercised superintendence.
Geevarghese Archdeacon
Geevarghese Archdeacon of Pakalomattam family was
appointed as the Archdeacon in 1502.
Archdeacon George of Christ
Archdeacon George of Christ was also from Pakalomattom
family. Pope Gregory XIII in his letter to the clergy and
the St. Thomas christians calls him as Bishop.Pope Gregory
XIII directs another letter dated 5th March 1580, to the
clergy and laity of the St. Thomas christians exhorting to
be obedient to their Prelates Mar Abraham the Archbishop
of Angamale and George of Christ the Bishop of Palayor.
In 1566 Patriarch Abdisho authorised Mar Abraham to ordain
him (George of Christ) as bishop and suffragan (successor}
to Mar Abraham. Both Mar Abraham and the Jesuit fathers
had written to Rome about it. Pope Gregory XIII confirmed
this nomination by his brief “Accepimus quod”, issued on 4
March 1580.(G.Beltrami, La Chiesa Caldeo, pp.196-7). But
the archdeacon who, out of humility, had previously
declined this honour was not consecrated even after the
papal confirmation.He died in 1585 AD.
His brother Yohannan was Archdeacon (1585-93). Another
brother Jacob became Archdeacon in 1596.
Archdeacon Geevarghese of the Cross
He was the son of the elder brother of Archdeacon of the
Christ. By the last year of Bishop Abraham, he became the
Archdeacon. After the death of Persian Bishop Abraham in
1597, he led the Indian Church. He led the church amidst
portugese intervention. The Synod of Diamper of 1599 was
held during his time. In 1601 Francis Roz became Bishop.
In beginning there was cordiality. But the deliberate
downgradation of Ankamali and the inertia of Bishop Roz
frustrated him. When the Arch deacon protested, Rox
ex-communicated him. In 1615 Bishop and Archdeacon
reconciled each other, but again fell out later. The next
Bishop Britto also did not recognize the Arch deacon's
status of the Archdeacons. He led the church in a period
of severe stress of the Archdeacons.
Arrival of the Portuguese
The Portuguese started settling in India with the arrival
of Vasco Da Gama on Sunday, May 20, 1498. From that time
the Portuguese were powerful in the western parts of India
and had control over the sea routes.
Synod of Diamper
The Portuguese authorities used force to bring the
Malankara Church under their Latin hierarchy, despite
Papal letters urging restraint. A powerful Archbishop
Aleixo de Menezes[19] arrived in Goa in 1595. He then
convened an unlawful Synod at Udayamperoor [20], south of
Ernakulam, from 20–26 June, 1599. This is known as the
Synod of Diamper. Here the Archbishop demanded obedience
to the supreme Bishop of Rome through him. The
representatives sent from various parishes in and around
Cochin were forced to accept the decrees read out by the
Archbishop. Thus those parishes of the Malankara Church
were made subordinate to the Latin Church.
The Great Swearing - Coonen Kurisu Sathyam
Under the leadership of Malanakra Mooppen Thomas,
Nazranies around Cochin gathered at Mattancherry church on
Friday, January 24, 1653 (M.E. 828 Makaram 3) and made an
oath that is known as Oath at the crooked Cross.
Syrian Christian
After the Swearing, out of about 200,000 persons,
initially about 400 joined the Catholics.Their language of
worship was Syriac (but decrees of the Synod heavily
latinized their Rites and Liturgy) while that of Malankara
Church was Syriac. So the Portuguese started using the
name Syro-Roman Christians for Malabar Catholics and
Syrian Christians for non-Catholic Malankara Church. The
majority of Malankara Christians returned to union with
the Pope of Rome when the Pope repudiated the harsh
Portuguese Jesuit leadership and replaced them with
Italian Carmelites and Indian leadership.
During the Synod of Diamper, Archbishop used old converts
(Pazhay Margam) to refer Malankara Nazraies and new
converts (Puthen Margam) for Catholics. But in 1758, Roman
bishop of Verapoly used the name Old community (Pazya
koottu/Pazhyakur) for Catholics and New community (Puthen
koottu /Puthenkur) for Nazranis.[24] After the The Great
Swearing in Ceremony, the parish elders (Idavaka Mooppens)
of the Church met together and elected Kuravilangad
Parampil Thomas Kathanar as Malankara Elder (Malankara
Mooppen). Following the ancient custom, twelve Idavaka
Mooppens laid their hands on him and appointed him as
Malankara Mooppen, while awaiting the arrival of a bishop
to properly ordain. The Portuguese made fun of this,
because this was not the practice in the other Churches or
in Rome. So the Marthoma Nazranis send letters to various
other eastern Churches for a bishop. In 1665, Mar
Gregorios Abdul-Jaleel, Patriarch of Jerusalem arrived.
Thus began the relation between the Malankara Church and
the Anthiochian Jacobites.
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