Apostolic Succession in Syro Malabar Church
Myself a Mar Thomma Nasrani in Communion
with Bishop of Rome is humbly attempting to layout the Apostolic Succession of
Syro Malabar Church through the last nearly 20 centuries. There is no attempt
so far done by anyone and I am doing it with a very limited resource. I am
praying that my effort will be an eye-opener to my Church Authorities, who have
much more resources to make a better one than what I made.
Maran Eesho Mishiha - our Lord and God sent his Apostles throughout the world to share the good news, they received from him. After the Jerusalem Synod, Mar Yooda Thoma Sleeha, the Twin – on AD50 landed on the ancient land of Hendo / India beginning its Apostolic tradition and succession. Various periods will be divided according to the historical significance.
Maran Eesho Mishiha - our Lord and God sent his Apostles throughout the world to share the good news, they received from him. After the Jerusalem Synod, Mar Yooda Thoma Sleeha, the Twin – on AD50 landed on the ancient land of Hendo / India beginning its Apostolic tradition and succession. Various periods will be divided according to the historical significance.
Era of Apostolates - First Century
1) Mar Thoma Sleeha (St Thomas) - (AD 50-72)
2) Mar Keppa - (AD 72 – ?)
Mar Keppa is the first Native Bishop of India and disciple of St Thomas
Mar Keppa is the first Native Bishop of India and disciple of St Thomas
Second Century to Nicene Council
After Mar Keppa, the details of native bishops are unavailable and most of the
time Bishops of Persia (Fars) and neighboring dioceses are considered as the
bishop of India due to the same apostolic heritage of Persia And India through St Thomas.
3) Bishop David of Maishan – (AD 295 - ?)
Bishop David left Maishan
/ Basra and visited India during the reign of the bishop Papa bar Aggai of Seleucia-Ctesiphon.
4) Mar Yohannan (AD 310 - ?)
Mar
Yohannan represented Persia and India as the Bishop of the all of Persia and Greater India in the
first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325 A. D.
Nicene Council to Period under Persian (Fars) Bishop
The Church of Persia (Fars) was also founded by St Thomas.
The common apostolic origin and proximity than other Christian centers and
unavailability of native bishops caused bishops of Fars undertaking the
apostolic succession of India for some centuries.
5) Theophilos the Indian (AD 354 - 364)
Native of Maldives and Bishop of
India
6) Mar Komai (AD 410 -
?)
Epistle
to Romans is translated by Mar Komai
with the help of Daniel, an Indian priest, from Greek to Syriac.
7) Mar Yazdad of Rev Ardashir / Fars (AD 424 – AD 450)
8) Mar Mari of Rev Ardashir / Fars (AD 450 - 470)
He
was the recipient of a celebrated letter from the bishop Ibas of Edessa, and is known to have written a commentary on the
letters of Acacius of Amid, a commentary on the book of Daniel and a treatise
against the magi of Nisibis.
9) Mar Isaac of Rev Ardashir /
Fars (AD 510 – 530)
10) Mar Ishoʿbokht of Rev
Ardashir / Fars (AD 530 – 535)
11) Mar Acacius of Rev Ardashir / Fars (AD 535 – 540)
12) Mar Maʿna of
Rev Ardashir / Fars (AD 540 - ?)
Metropolitan
Maʿna of Rev Ardashir sent copies of his Syriac translations of Greek
devotional works to India for the use of the Indian clergy.
13) Metropolitan
Claudian (AD550 -?)
Metropolitan Claudian was
among the signatories of the acts of the synod of Joseph in 554.
14) Mar Shemʿon of Rev Ardashir / Fars (AD 640 - ?)
Patriarch Ishoʿyahb III (649–59)
written a letter to him complaining about conversions to Islam by the
Christians of Beth Mazonaye (Oman) during the Arab conquest. He was in charge
of the affairs of the Church of India.
Indian
Church under Catholicos-Patriarch of Seleucia-Ctesiphon
A situation arose in which the Bishop Shemʿon of Fars became hostile to the
Patriarch Ishoʿyahb III, resulting
in his excommunication. Following this, Patriarch Ishoyahb III issued an encyclical releasing the Church of
India from the jurisdiction of Fars eparchy and appointed a Metropolitan Bishop
for India. The title of the Metropolitan bishop of India was 'the Metropolitan and Gate of all India'.
15) Unknown Metropolitan
bishop of India sent by Patriarch Ishoyahb III, (AD 655 - ?)
16) Unknown Metropolitan
bishop of India sent by Patriarch Sliba-zkha, (AD
715 - ?)
Patriarch
Sliba-zkha consecrated a metropolitan for India, perhaps in response to an
appeal from the Indian Christians, to fill the place of the bishop sent there
by Ishoʿyahb half a century earlier.
17) Patriarch Timothy the Great (AD780-823)
Patriarch released the Church of India from the authority of the bishop of Fars permanently, placing it under his direct jurisdiction.
Era
of permanent Bishops travelling to India from Seleucia-Ctesiphon
Two letters written by Patriarch Timothy with regard to the Church of India
contains guidelines for the election of Metropolitans. The letter demands that
the acknowledgement of the Patriarch must be obtained after the people selected
bishops based on the guidelines set by the Patriarch. This indicates some
native bishops are being ordained by people of India with approval Letter of
Patriarch placed on their head.
In the second letter addressed to the
Archdeacon of Malankara, the Patriarch mentions some violations of canon in the
Church of India. The Patriarch also demands that bishops should abstain from
entering wedlock and consuming meat. While writing about the journeys of East
Syriac missionaries during his reign, Timothy I says (in Letter 13) that a
number of monks go across the sea to India with nothing but a staff and a
beggar's bag.
18) Mar Sabor (also known as Mar
Abo) and
19) Mar Proth (also known as Mar
Aphroth) (AD 822 - ?)
Mar
Sabor and Mar Proth (twin bishops) arrived at the Port of Kollam with some
migrants including a monk Maruvan Sabor Iso. They developed the City of Kollam, commencing the Malayalam Era / Kollavarsham by King
Kulashekhara. Mar Sabor and Mar Proth
became bishops of Kollam and Kodungalloor. They built many churches through out
Malabar. Maruvan Sabor Iso built the Nilakkal Ashram near SabariMala. He died and was buried there.
20) Mar Yohannan (AD 880 - ?)
According
to the Portuguese writer Diogo do Couto, the Malabar church sent a delegation
to Mesopotamia to ask for new bishops to be sent out to them after the death
of Mar Sabor and Mar Proth. The Patriarch
Enosh consecrated a
metropolitan named Yohannan for India, and two suffragan bishops, one of whom,
'Mar Dua', was appointed to the island of Soqotra, and the other, Thomas, to
'Masin', traditionally identified with southern China. Yohannan fixed his
metropolitan seat at Kodungalloor.
21) Mar
Yohannan (AD 988 – AD1000)
Severe
persecution caused a 100-year gap in arrival of Bishops from Selucia. As
a result of the continued request of the Malabar Nazranis, the Patriarch
Mari bar Toba sent a bishop named Mar Yohannan in
988.
22) Mar Yohannan (A.D 1000 - ?)
23) Mar Thoma (AD 1056 - ?)
24) Mar Yohannan (John III) (AD 1115 – 1129)
Bishop John III went to Constantinople, and thence to Rome,
telling of miracles associated with St. Thomas that occurred in the land of
India.
25) Mar Yohannan (AD 1129 - ?)
In response to the request of the Church of India, the Patriarch Eliya II sent bishop Mar Yohannan to Malabar.
AD1170
(Malayalam Era / Kollavarsham 345) – Armenian Merchant Thomma and family
settled in Kodungalloor and intermarried with natives. The pure descendants formed a Northist (settled on the northern bank of Kodungalloor) and merged with St Thomas Christians. The descendants from native lay formed the Southist group which even exist today.
26) Mar Yohannan (AD 1222 -
1231)
27) Mar Joseph (AD 1231 –
1265)
28) Mar David (AD 1285 - 1300)
The dating formula in the colophon to a
manuscript copied in June 1301 in the church of Mar Quriaqos in Cranganoor mentions about the patriarch Yahballaha III and the metropolitan Yaʿqob of India (described as ‘vicar and governor of the
seat of the apostle Thomas)
30) Mar Yahballaha (AD 1407 - ?)
31) Mar Thoma (AD 1490 – 1492)
32) Mar Yohannan (AD 1492 – 1503)
In 1490 a three-man delegation from Malabar
meet the East-Syrian Patriarch Mar Simeon IV (Simon) in Gazarta d'Bet Zabdai
(now Cizre in Turkey) requesting for Bishops. One of the delegates is the
famous "Joseph the Indian" who is ordained priest by
the Patriarch along with the other surviving delegate, George. The Patriarch
lets the delegation choose suitable monks from the monastery of Mar Augen (St.
Eugene). The delegates choose 2 monks, both named Joseph. The Patriarch ordains
the chosen monks as Bishops Mar Thoma (Thomas) and Mar Yohannan (John) and
sends them to Malabar with the delegates. Mar Thoma along with Joseph the
Indian, returns to Babylon with gifts from Malabar. Mar Yohannan stays on. He
died in 1517 and is buried in the Udayamperoor church.
Patriarch
Eliya V, who ascended the throne in 1502, sent three bishops, namely Mar
Yabalaha, Mar Denaha and Mar Yakob to Malankara. These bishops sent a report to
the patriarch from India in 1504, describing the condition of the Church in
India and reporting the recent arrival of the Portuguese. Eliya had already
died by the time this letter arrived in Mesopotamia, and it was received by his
successor, Shemʿon VI (1504–38).
Mar
Yakob (AD 1503 – 1553) was the last Bishop of India who had the direct Apostolic
succession of St Thomas ie the ‘laying
on of hands’ (മാർ തോമ്മായുടെ കൈവെയ്പ്പു) . From Mar Joseph Sulaqa to the current Major Arch Bishop all the
heads of Syro Malabar Church have Latin Hierarchies ‘laying on of hands’.
Era of Chaldean Catholic Bishops
After the Schism of 1552 in the Church of the East, the
Chaldean Catholic (Sulaqa) faction bishops began to reach Malabar.
34) Mar Joseph Sulaqa (AD1555 – 1567)
35) Mar Abraham of Angamaly (31 January 1565AD to
1597)
Era of Portuguese Colonization - St Thomas Christians under Latin (Jesuit) controlled East Syriac Archdiocese of Angamaly-Cranganore (Padroado)
After the death of Mar Abraham of
Angamali, through the misguided Synod
of Udamperoor, Goan Archbishop
Aleixo de Menezes colonized the St Thomas Christain Church of India. He
appointed Latin Jesuits Bishops for Christians of India.
36) Dom Francis Ros, S.J (1559–1624)
- the first Latin Archbishop of East Syriac Archdiocese of Angamaly-Kodungalloor, the See of Saint
Thomas Christians.
37) Etienne de
Brito, S.J. (18
Feb 1624 - 2 Dec 1641 Died)
Era of Coonan Cross Oath (3 January 1653)
The united St Thomas Christians revolted
against Portugal Jesuits (Paulist’s), Under the
leadership of Anjilimoottil Ittithomman Kathanar of Kallissery. The Saint
Thomas Christians publicly took an oath that they would not obey the Jesuit
Archbishop Garcia or any other prelate from the "Paulist’s" (Jesuit
Priests from St Paul Seminary Goa). The oath was not against the Pope or the
Catholic Church but against the "Paulist’s".
To
control the situation, Pope Alexander VII sent Italian
Fr Friar Joseph of St Maria Sebastiani at the head of a Carmelite delegation
who succeeded in winning over a large section of St. Thomas Christians. Thus
the St Thomas Christians got divided into two factions. The Catholic faction
under Mar Parambil Chandy agreed to work with Carmelites because their Oath was
against Jesuits. The Puthenkoor faction appointed Archdeacon as Mar Thomma 1
and became Jacobite in the future history.
Era of Roman Catholic Vicariate of Malabar (Propaganda Fide)
39) Joseph Maria de Sebastiani (AD1656 – 1663)
40) Parambil Mar Chandy (Alexander de Campo) - (31 January 1663 AD – 1687) – The first
native Bishop of modern Era
41) Custodio do Pinho (1694–1697)
Era of Vicariate of Verapoly / Varapuzha (1709) (Propaganda Fide)
42) Bishop Angelo Francis (AD1700 – 1712)
43) Bishop John
Baptist Multedo of St. Teresa, (AD1714–1750)
44) Bishop Florence of Jesus of Nazareth, (AD1750–1773)
45) Bishop Francis de Sales a Matre Dolorosa, (AD1774–1787)
Parallel Chaldean Catholic Bishops in Malabar
a) Mar Shemʿon of Ada (AD
The
Chaldean metropolitan Shemʿon of ʿAda, who had been consecrated by the Amid
patriarch Joseph I for the Catholics of the Urmia plain, travelled from Rome to
India in 1700, with the approval of the Vatican authorities, to minister to the
Chaldeans of Malabar. On 22 May 1701 he consecrated the superior of the
Chaldean seminary of Verapoly, the Carmelite Ange-François de Sainte-Thérèse,
apostolic vicar of the Chaldeans of Malabar.
b) Gabriel of Ardishai, (AD1704–1731)
The metropolitan Gabriel of the
Urmia diocese of Ardishai was sent to India in 1704 by the Assyrian patriarch
Eliya XI Marogin (1700–22). Doubtless appreciating the difficulties, he was
likely to encounter accused as a Nestorian, Gabriel made a Catholic profession
of faith in the presence of the Chaldean patriarch Joseph I at Amid before he
set off on his journey. Gabriel proceeded to offer a lively opposition to the
Jacobite metropolitan Thomas IV. Forty-two churches came over to him, leaving
the Jacobite’s with only twenty-five. The Jacobite’s only fully recovered their
hold on the Malabar church after Gabriel's death in 1731. He died in Kerala in 1731 and was buried
in Cheriapally in Kottayam which is under the control of the Indian Orthodox
Syrian Church
Era of Kariatti Mar Ouseph’s struggle for independence
Mar Kariatti
Ouseph Methrapolitha along with Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar did a historic voyage travelling
through four continents for independence and unification of St Thomas
Christians. He died under mysterious circumstances while staying in Goa while returning as Methrapolitha of St Thomas Christians.
Era of Roman Catholic Vicariate of Varapuzha (Propaganda Fide) again
47) Bishop Raymond of St. Joseph, (AD1803–1816)
48) Bishop Miles Prendergast, (AD1819 – 1831)
49) Bishop Francis Xavier Pescetto of St. Anne,
(AD1831–1844)
50) Bernardino
Baccinelli of St. Teresa, (AD1847 – 1868)
51) Leonardo Mellano of St. Louis, (AD1868 -1887)
Era of Vicariates for East Syrian Catholics of Malabar
Pope Leo XIII by his
Bull ‘Quod Jam Pridem’ dated May 20,
1887 established two Apostolic Vicariates - Kottayam and Thrissur -
exclusively for the East Syriac Rite Catholics of Malabar. The Syriac Rite
Catholics were exempted from the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of Varapuzha.
On July 28, 1896 Pope Leo XIII established a new Vicariate, Ernakulam-Angamali,
with territories carved out from the two existing Vicariates and The Vicariate
of Kottayam was renamed Changancherry.
Firstly, let see the three vicariates / diocese / archdiocese - bishop successions.
Firstly, let see the three vicariates / diocese / archdiocese - bishop successions.
Vicariate
/ Diocese / Archdiocese of Thrissur
a) Mar Adolph Medlycott (13 September 1887 – 1896) Bishop of Vicariate of Thrissur
b) Mar John Menacherry (25 October 1896 – 19 December 1919) Bishop of Vicariate
of Thrissur
c) Mar Francis Vazhappaly (6 July 1921 – 12 May 1942) – Bishop of
Diocese of Thrissur
d) Mar George Alapatt (1 May 1944 – 4 June 1970) - Bishop of
Diocese of Thrissur
e) Mar Joseph Kundukulam (16 August 1970 – 1995) – Archbishop of
Thrissur (1995)
Vicariate / Diocese / Archdiocese
of Changancherry
a) Mar Charles
Lavigne, S.J (November 13, 1887 – 1896) - Vicariate of Kottayam
b) Mar Mathew Makil (AD 1896 – 1911)
Vicariate of Changancherry
c) Mar Thomas Kurialacherry (AD 1911-1925) Diocese of
Changancherry
d) Mar James Kalachery (AD1927-1949) - Diocese
of Changancherry
e) Archbishop Mar Mathew Kavukattu (AD1950-1969) - Archdiocese
of Changancherry (1956)
f) Archbishop Mar Antony Padiyara – (AD1970-1985) Archdiocese
of Changancherry
g) Archbishop Mar Joseph Powathil - (AD1985 - 2008) Archdiocese of Changancherry
Vicariate / Archdiocese of Ernakulam-Angamali
a) Mar Aloysius
Pazheparambil (5 November 1896 - 9 December 1919) Vicariate of
Ernakulam
b) Archbishop Mar Augustine
Kandathil (18 December 1919 - 10
January 1956), Archdiocese of Ernakulam (1923)
c) Archbishop Mar Joseph Parecattil (9 January 1957 - 1 April 1984), Archdiocese of Ernakulam
d) Archbishop Mar Antony
Cardinal Padiyara (3 July 1985 - 16 December 1992)
Apostolic Succession of Syro Malabar Church from AD1887 to 1992
From
1887 to 1992, its difficult to point out one bishop as the Apostolic Successor
as the Indian Syriac Church was divided into three independent vicariates. But
by considering seniority or grade of position the Apostolic Succession can be
made.
52) Mar Adolph Medlycott (13 September 1887 – 1896)
53) Mar John Menacherry (25 October 1896 – 19 December 1919)
54) Archbishop Mar Augustine Kandathil (18 December 1919 - 10 January 1956)
55) Archbishop Mar Joseph Parecattil (9 January
1957 - 1 April 1984)
56) Archbishop Mar Antony Padiyara (3 July 1985 - 16 December 1992)
Era of establishment of Major Archiepiscopal see of Ernakulam-Angamaly and Office of Major Arch Bishop for Syro Malabar Church
On December 16, 1992, Pope John Paul II, by the Apostolic
Constitution Quae maiori (Acta Apostolicae Sedis, 85[1993], pp. 398-399),
raised the Syro-Malabar Church to the status of Major Archiepiscopal sui
iuris (Autonomous) Church with the Major Archiepiscopal see of
Ernakulam-Angamaly. Mar Antony Paidyara, the then Metropolitan of Ernakulam was
appointed its First Major Archbishop.
Major Arch
Bishop Mar Antony Padiyara (16 December 1992 - 18th December 1996)
57) Major Arch Bishop Mar Varkey Vithayathil (23 December 1999 - 1st April
2011)
58) Major Arch Bishop Mar George Alencherry (29th May 2011 – current)
Syro
Malabar Church is the rightful heir of the Apostolic tradition of St Thomas as
it is the only Church which, without any break still follows the East Syriac
Rite and traditions in India. But unfortunately from AD 1553 the Apostolic ‘laying on of hands’ of Mar Thomma
/ St Thomas (മാർ തോമ്മായുടെ കൈവെയ്പ്പു) is missing in the Church. All the Bishops of the church from that
period is having the ‘laying on
of hands’ from Latin tradition which is the Apostolic ‘laying on of
hands’ of Mar Simon Keppa / St Peter (മാർ കേപ്പായുടെ കൈവെയ്പ്പു). The other St Thomas Churches with Jacobite
background is also having ‘laying
on of hands’ of Mar Simon Keppa / St Peter.
The Only Apostolic Church in the world
currently having the Apostolic
‘laying
on of hands’ of Mar Thomma / St Thomas (മാർ തോമ്മായുടെ കൈവെയ്പ്പു) is Chaldean Catholic
Church. Hopes our Bishops will take Apostolic ‘laying on of hands’ of Mar Thomma / St Thomas
from them in the future and also restore the some lost East Syriac Traditions as it was from the beginning.
Thanking our Lord Eesho Messiah for
helping me to do this mammoth effort easily. Any suggestions or corrections or criticisms
are welcome into my e-mail – nibin4uall@gmail.com
Chacko Mappila / Chacko Chan
