Malankara Metropolitan

Malankara Metropolitan was a legal title given to the head of the Malankara Syrian Church aka Puthencoor Syrian Christians by the Governments of Travancore and Cochin in South India. This title was awarded by a proclamation from the government of Travancore to the legal heirs of Malankara Syrian Church . Supreme court of India in its verdict in Malankara Church case,Metran (Orthodox) faction Vs Bava (Jacobite) faction have authenticated the usage of the title by Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.

History

In 1816 Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius became a bishop and he got an approval letter known as the Royal Proclamation from the Travancore government to function as the Metropolitan of the community. Now on wards the head of the Church came to be known as Malankara Metropolitan. The position of the Malanakara Metropolitan in the 19th century is a growth from the position of the Marthoma Metrans. The power and authority of the Malanakara Metropolitan got more recognition than the power and authority of the Archdeacons and Marthoma Metrans because of some political changes in the country through the establishment of British rule.

From 1816, DionysiusII, DionysiusIII, DionysiusIV, Mathews Mar Athanasios, Thomas Mar Athanasios and DionysiusV were the Malanakara Metropolitans in the 19th century. Among these Mathews Mar Athanasios of Palakkunnathu exercised enormous spiritual as well as temporal powers inside and outside the community. Thomas Mar Athanasius of Palakkunnathu was the Malankara Metropolitan at the time of the Synod of Mulanthuruthy (1876), but a parallel group under Dionysious V was working against the reformation ideas of the ruling Malankara Metropolitan . During the later half of the 19th century there occurred two factions in the community; minority faction that favored reformation and supported the Malankara metropolitan( Metran Kakshi- Reformists)and majority faction who were against the introduction of new changes which was against the syrian tradition of the church got stood with the Patriarch of Antioch (Bava kakshi- Syrian traditionalists ) . This invited a closer interference of the Patriarch of Antioch. Mar Dionysius V stood with Patriarch of Antioch against Thomas Mar Athanasios of Palakkunnathu . Travancore Royal court declared that Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasius and his ally (Reformist faction) has no rights in Malankara Syrian Church. Later the Reformist faction choose the name Marthoma Syrian Church.

The practice of issuing Royal proclamation ceased after the time of Palakkunnathu Mathews Mar Athanasious. After repeated request to save the traditional Syrian church from the Reformist ideas of Palakkunnath Thomas Mar Athanasius , the Patriarch Peter III of Antioch came here in 1875 .The Patriarch divided the Malankara church into Seven Diocese,Dionysious V who was holding the Diocese of Quilon was declared as the "Malankara Metropolitan "in the synod of Mulanthurathy . Neither the reigning Malankara Metropolitan, Palakkunathu Thomas Mar Athanasious nor the Churches favouring him participated in the synod .The Patriarch thus saved the Syrian church from the Reformist ideas. This resulted in a series of court cases and stronger rift in the church. Thomas mar Athanasius and his ally wanted to take over the assets of the Malankara church in favour of reformation. Dionysious V of Jacobite faction approached the Royal Court of Travancore aganist Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasious reigning as Malankara Metropolitan and against occupying assets of church and seminary. Appellant Dinoysious V and Jacobite faction won the case in 1889 and Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasius was deprived of the title and evicted from Syrian Seminary, and from the seat of Malankara Metropolitan .

The Reformist faction argued over the years later that the case took a turn in favor of Jacobite faction on production of an evidence exhibit which later became infamous as KAPPI CANON ( A Syriac Church law book which was tampered with addition of extra articles narrating historic subordination of Malankara church to Holy See of Antioch and giving temporal powers to See of Antioch) dipped in coffee concentrate to show its antiquity. However the fact is that the Malankara synod convened by Chepat Mar Dionysius at Mavelikkara on 16 January 1836 , accepted the supremacy of the Syrian Church of Antioch. They also stated that only bishops permitted by the Patriarch, had the authority over the Malankara Church.

Mean while the defeated metran(reformist) faction organised themselves under the Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasious with independent Indigenous Christian heritage and episcopal powers of the See of St Thomas known as the Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church.

However, later after the establishment of Catholicate in Malankara in 1912, again a rift occurred among Jacobites over the temporal authority of Patriarch of Antioch .There were years of litigation between the two factions, Metran (orthodox) faction and Bava (jacobite) faction. At last Supreme Court verdict came to function as two separate churches. Now Jacobites and Orthodox are separate sister churches as Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church aka Indian Orthodox church (Under Catholicate See of St Thomas)and Jacobite Syrian Church aka Malankara Syrian Church (under The Holy Antiochian See of St Peter).

Malankara Throne

Jacobites believe that this chair was gifted by the Raja of Travancore to the Malankara Metropolitan on the occasion of the Royal proclamation and hence called Malankara Throne. After Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athansius and his ally (Metran Kakshi) lost the seminary suit against the Bava Kakshi (Jacobites) in 1889, he and his ally took many things including this chair as well as two plates of Tharisapally cheppeds from the Old seminary at Kottayam.

The synod convened by the Mar Dionysius at Mavelikkara on 16 January 1836, accepted the supremacy of the Syrian Church of Antioch. They also stated that only bishops permitted by the Patriarch, had the authority over the Malankara Church.

Mathews Mar Athanasius (Abraham Malpan) was ordained as Malankara Metropolitan by the Patriarch in Antioch(Mar Thoma XIII). He wanted to introduce reformist ideas in the Malankara Syrian Church; thus evolved two factions in the Malankara church called Bava kakshi who resisted the introduction of reformist ideas and Metran kakshi who supported the reformation of the church . The Bava Kakshi under Pulikkottil Dionysious II brought Patriarch Peter III and declared full subordination of the Malankara church to the Patriarch through Synod of Mulanthurathy .The Patriarch divided the Malankara church into seven Dioceses and ordinated six other bishops. Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysious who was in charge of Diocese of Quilon was declared as the Malankara Metropolitan of the Church. However the reformist faction didn't agree with the decree of the Malankara synod presided by the Patriarch. Dionysious V of Jacobite faction approached the Royal Court of Travancore aganist Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasious the reigning Malankara Metropolitan and against occupying assets of church and seminary. Appellant Dinoysious V and Jacobite faction won the case in 1889 and Palakkunnathu Thomas Mar Athanasius was deprived of the title of Malankara Metropolitan and evicted from Syrian Seminary. According to the Travancore Royal court decree,then onwards Palakunnath Thomas Mar Athanasius and his ally has no rights in the Malankara Syrian Church. After the Royal Court verdict reformist faction(Metran Kakshi) organised themselves as Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church under the indigenous Christian Heritage with Apostolic succession.

See also

External links

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