Christian denominations

1. Christian denominations During the 16th and 17th century, Syrian Christians and Latin Christians had great influence in the social life of Kerala. Like Nair community, they also acquired military training. They used to carry sword and shield while going to church. At first, foreign priests were flabbergasted to see this practice of Christians. Portuguese and the Dutch were never reluctant to recruit Christians to the army forces. The documents written by the Portuguese and the Dutch throw light on the humble demeanour of Christians, who were also engaged in industrial and commercial affairs. Unlike the Hindu women, Christian women had covered their breasts and body fully by their attire while men used to wear traditional earrings. Christians, who were known for their honesty, had the business of pepper and coconut. Most of them were vegetarians as the practice of eating meat had not been promulgated among them. They were free from addiction to alcohol. Disputes were settled in the mediation of the church. They were influenced by Hindu rituals like untouchability, astrology and witchcraft. In 1599, the Synod of Diamper (Udayamperoor Synod) issued a number of decrees to eliminate the influence of these superstitions followed by the Hindus.

2. Syrian Christians According to Syrian Christians, they are individuals born to Syrian Christian parents. In fact, most of the current Syrian Christians are descendants of converts from among Hindus. The vast majority of the community of today belongs to one or other of an Indian race, Dravidian or Aryan. They do not differ from Hindus, be in language, attire and other customs. Those who follow the “Syrian Rite” in their religious services defined as Syrian Christians. The Syrian Christians in Kerala consists of a number of different denominations. They are Romo-Syrians (the Jacobite or Orthodox Christians, who became Roman Catholics under Portuguese influence), the Jacobite Syrians (the original Syrian Christians), the Reformed Syrians (Mar Thoma), and Protestant Syrians, etc. The Romo-Syrians were the dominant group among the Syrian Christians of erstwhile Travancore. They formed a much larger proportion in the total Syrian population in Cochin State from 1901 to 1941. Romo-Syrians were also existed in large numbers in Cochin State, Meenachil, Changanaserry, Thodupuzha, Vaikom, Moovattupuzha, Kunnathunadu and Ambalapuzha. Jacobite Syrians The Jacobite Syrians rank second in terms of size among the Syrians Christians. Before the arrival of European missionaries and bishops in Kerala, almost all the Syrians had belonged to the Jacobite community. When the Portuguese arrived in Kerala, their numbers started to dwindle. The time trend during 1901-1941 among the Jacobites was similar to that of the Romo-Syrians. Geographically, the Jacobite Syrians were less concentrated than the Romo-Syrians. The Mar Thoma Syrians The Mar Thoma Syrians can be considered as the third important group among the Syrian Christian community. The Mar Thoma Christians of Kerala were a Travancore community during the pre-Independence era. During that period, very few of them lived outside the Travancore State,

3. especially outside the central Travancore taluks of Tiruvalla, Chegannoor and Kozenchery. Besides Romo-Syrians, Jacobite Syrians and Mar Thoma Syrians, there are a few other denominations, which also come under the category 27 of Syrian Christians. Some of the protestant communities were part of the Syrian Christian community during the period before their joining to these denominations. Assyrian (Saint Thomas Christians or Nasrani) According to the 2011 Indian census, there are around 6,411,269 Christians in Kerala. Saint Thomas Christians (Syro-Malabar Church, Syro- Malankara Catholic Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, CSI Syrian Christians, Mar Thoma Syrian Church, St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India, Chaldean Syrian Church and Malabar Independent Syrian Church) come around 70.73 percent of the Christians of Kerala. Latin Catholics occupy 13.3 percent while Pentecostals constitute 4.3 percent. CSI and Dalit Christians stand at 4.5 percent and 2.6 percent respectively. Other Protestant groups (Lutheran, Calvinist and other charismatic churches) constitute 5.9 percent. The Saint Thomas Christians fall under the churches that follow the East Syriac Rite (Syro Malabar Church and Chaldean Syrian Church) and West Syriac Rite (Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church, Mar Thoma Syrian Church, St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church and the Malabar Independent Syrian Church). Meanwhile, the Anglican rite is followed by the CSI Syrian Christians. The Saint Thomas Christians form 12.5 percent of the total population of Kerala. Catholics, including Eastern Syrian Catholics (Syro Malabar Church and Syro Malankara Church) and the Latin Catholics of Kerala come around 61 percent. Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church are the Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church and St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India belong to an Oriental Protestant church.

4. However, the Church of South India is part of the Anglican Communion. India Pentecostal Church of God, Assemblies of God in India, Church of God (Full Gospel) in India, and The Pentecostal Mission are the major Pentecostal denominations in Kerala. CSI Church Church of South India (CSI) was formed in 1947 by merger of part of the Anglican Church of India, Burma (Myanmar) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Protestant groups like the CSI have strong presence in South Kerala. CSI Church is the second largest Christian church in India based on the number of members. It has a significant presence in Neyyattinkara taluk of Thiruvananthapuram and in some areas of Pathanamthitta district. Adventist Adventism began in the 19th century and it refers to belief in the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Started by William Miller, his followers became known as Millerites. Today, the largest church within the movement is the Seventh-day Adventist Church. The Adventist family of churches are regarded as conservative Protestants. The Seventh-Day Adventist Church is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, which is known as the Sabbath. Today, there are nearly 37,000 members in Kerala. Pentecostals The Pentecostal Movement began in the beginning of the 20th century. It permeated rapidly and became a prominent global Christian tradition, second in number only to the Roman Catholics. They uphold the importance of unity, fraternity and holiness. In 1924, Pastor KE Abraham founded Indian Pentecostal Church of God (IPC) at Mulakazha, Chenganur. His associates were KC Cherian (Vettiyur), PM Samual (Kekozoor), KM Zacharia (Punnakad), KC Oommen (Kumbanad) and PT Varghese (Chethakal). Today, IPC is the largest Pentecostal denomination with over 5,000 local congregations. Anglo CNI

5. Established in 1970, the Church of North India (CNI) is the prominent united Protestant Church in Northern India. It was formed by bringing together the Protestant churches functioning in Northern India. CNI is a province of the worldwide Anglican Communion and member of the World Methodist Council, besides in the World Communion of Reformed Churches. The CNI's exists in almost all Indian states excepts in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which are under the jurisdiction of the Church of South India. The Anglo CNI has around 2,200,000 members in 3,000 pastorates. Knanaya Catholic The Knanaya Catholic is an endogamous ethnic group, which is found among the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala. Also known as the Southists or Tekkumbhagar, they are different from another part of the community ---- the Northists (Vaddakkumbhagar). There are about 3,00,000 Knanaya in India and other parts of the world. The community’s origin is dated back to the fourth century when Syriac merchant Thomas of Cana (Knai Thoma) arrived in India by leading a migration of Syriac Christians (Jewish-Christians) from the Mesopotamian province of Sassanian Persia. Currently, most of the Knanaya are members of the Syro-Malabar Church (Kottayam Archeparchy) and the Syrian Orthodox Church (Knanaya Archdiocese). Many Knanaya emigrated to various parts of the world during the 20th and 21st centuries. Lutheran Headquartered in Tamil Nadu, India Evangelical Lutheran Church (IELC) belongs to the International Lutheran Council and the Lutheran World Federation. It has three synods-- Ambur, Nagercoil, and Thiruvananthapuram. The missionary efforts of the Lutheran Church– Missouri Synod (LCMS) led to the formation of IELC in 1959. Today, the IELC has about 764 congregations, 114,600 baptized members, approximately 65,000 communicant members, and 120 active pastors, besides more than 80 schools and three hospitals. Orthodox

6. The Malankara Orthodox Church is part of the St. Thomas Christians of India. It is one among the 10 different churches where St. Thomas Christians belong to. The Malankara Orthodox Church, popularly known as the Indian Orthodox Church, is a major member of the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches. The Indian Orthodox Church also keeps cordial rapport with the Eastern Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Churches. A majority of the members of the Indian Orthodox Church today reside in Kerala in South West India. However, there are parishes spread across various parts of the globe. The Church is divided into 30 ecclesial units called dioceses, each of which are administratively and spiritually headed by a respective Diocesan Bishop. The Council of bishops, known as the Holy Synod is headed by the Holy Catholicos, who is the supreme spiritual head of the Church. RC Latin Christian The Roman Catholics of Kerala follow the Roman Rite of the Latin Church and majority of them were converts by the Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries. They are a multi-ethnic religious community and the members of different castes and origins. Going by the records, the number of Roman Catholics was about 584,000 in 1941 in Travancore and Cochin combined together. Cochin State with about 30 percent of the total was a major centre of the Latin Catholics. Among the Christian population in Kerala, the Latin Catholics come around 13.2 percent. About 2.37 percent of the total population of Kerala is Latin Catholics, which is mostly found in the coastal regions of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha and Ernakulam districts. They have significant presence in Thiruvananthapuram, Alappuzha, Neyyantinkara, Parassala, Punalur, Kollam, Vypeen, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Kochi. Seventh-Day Adventist Church Seventh-Day Adventist Church is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination. It is distinguished by its observance of Saturday ---the seventh day of the week in Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath. They believe about the imminent Second Coming of Jesus Christ. It was established in 1863. Syro Malankara Catholic

7. The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, also known as the Malankara Syrian Catholic Church, is one of the major archiepiscopal Churches of the Catholic Church that are not distinguished with a patriarchal title. The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church has its origins to the missions of Thomas the Apostle in the first century. It is one of the two Eastern Catholic churches in India. The other is the Syro-Malabar Church. The Malankara Syrian Catholic Church was formed in 1930 under the leadership of Archbishop Geevarghese Ivanios. It split from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church and entered into communion with the Catholic Church. Now, the community has over 4,00,000 followers in over 12 dioceses in India and abroad. Anglican/Episcopal One of the largest branches of Christianity, Anglicanism has more than 110 million adherents worldwide. Those who practise Anglicanism are called Anglicans and they are also called Episcopalians in some countries like the US. The faith of Anglicans is based on the Bible, traditions of the apostolic church, apostolic succession ("historic episcopate"), and the writings of the Church Fathers. Anglo-Indian The origin of Anglo-Indian community in India is traced to the arrival of Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1498 in Kozhikode. During the reign of Portuguese Governor Alfonso de Albuquerque, who conquered Goa in 1510, he encouraged his countrymen to marry Indian women to help establish Portuguese dominance. The children of those marriages were known as Luso-Indians. Later, when the Portuguese started to leave India, Luso-Indians merged with the local Indian population. They inhabited in Goa, Mumbai and along India’s western coast. Post India’s independence, the Anglo-Indian population was about 3,00,000 and their social status declined significantly. So, many families migrated abroad. Today, the size of the Anglo-Indian community in India is estimated to be from 30,000 to 150,000. Born Again Born again refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. Being "born again" is distinctly and separately caused by baptism in

8. the Holy Spirit. It is not caused by baptism in water. A born again follower used to claim he/she has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. The term "born again" is also used as an adjective to describe individual members of the movement, who support this belief. Chaldean Christian Chaldean Christian is an Eastern Christian denomination based in Thrissur. Organized as a metropolitan province of the Assyrian Church of the East, it also represents traditional Christian communities of the East Syriac Rite along the Malabar Coast. It is headed by Mar Aprem Mooken, Metropolitan of India. He is in full communion with Patriarch Mar Awa III, head of the Assyrian Church of the East. The members of the church constitute a traditional community among Saint Thomas Christians (also known as Nasrani). Malabar Independent Syrian Church The Malabar Independent Syrian Church (Thozhiyur Church) is one of the churches of the Saint Thomas Christian community. This community was originated from the main body of India's Malankara Church in 1772. Albeit the church is independent under the Malankara umbrella, the church faith and traditions are strictly Oriental Orthodox. It uses western Syriac and Malayalam during the Holy Qurbono. The Eucharistic Celebration is known as Holy Qurbana owing to the historical influence of the Church of the East. Today the church has only around 5,000 members. It has good rapport with the other Malankara churches. Nadar Christian During the 16th century, when the Maharaja of Travancore usurped Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, Nadars migrated from Tirunelveli to Travancore. The Nadar community was developed from an assortment of related subcastes. As time passes by, these subcastes came under the single banner Nadar. Nadar climbers were the largest subsect of today's Nadar community. Historically, most Nadars were cultivators of palmyra trees and jaggery. A few of them were also involved in the toddy trade. Nadar climbers had faced discrimination from major upper castes. They had practised the martial art of Varma Kalai. Nadar community is prominent in South Kerala, especially in Thiruvananthapuram. Syro-Malabar Church

9. An autonomous church, the Syro-Malabar Church is in full communion with the Pope and the Catholic Church, including the Latin Church. Syro- Malabar is a prefix coined from the words Syriac as the church employs the East Syriac Rite liturgy. It is the second largest Eastern Catholic Church in the Catholic communion. Based in India, the Syro-Malabar Church has five metropolitan archeparchies and 10 suffragan eparchies in Kerala. It also has 17 eparchies in other parts of India, and four eparchies outside India.