Portal:Indian Christianity/Selected article/2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Saint Thomas Christians are a group of Christians from the Malabar coast (now Kerala) in South India, that follows the tradition of conversion to Christianity by St. Thomas the Apostle . The different groups and denominations within the St Thomas Christians together form the Nasrani people , who also follows Syriac Christianity traditions. The tradition goes back to the very beginnings of first century Christian thought, and the seven churches that are believed to have been established by St. Thomas the Apostle in 52 AD .They are popularly known as Syrian Christians in view of the Syriac (classical form of Aramaic) liturgy used in church services since the early days of Christianity in India.
As an ethnic community they refer to themselves as Nasranis referring to the common cultural heritage and cultural tradition.As a religious group they refer to themselves as the Mar Thoma Khristianis or in English as Saint Thomas Christians referring to their religious tradition, due to the common ancestry of being the descendants of the early Mar Thoma church or Saint Thomas tradition of Christianity.
These first century churches, according to tradition, were, from north to south: Palayoor near Guruvayoor/Kunnankulam, Kodungalloor (believed to be the ancient Muziris of Pliny, and the Periplus, on the north bank of Periyar River today), Paravur on the south side of Periyar, Gokkamangalam or Kokkamangalam, Niranam, Chayal or Nilakkal (the only inland church) and the Lakes or Kaayals, and finally Kollam. The visit of the Apostle Thomas to these places and to Mylapore on the East coast of India can be read in the Ramban Song of Thomas Ramban ...
