page_title: Mar Thoma Syrian Church
section_title: Relationship with Malabar Independent Syrian church
hierarchical_section_title: Mar Thoma Syrian Church / Ecumenical relations / Relationship with Malabar Independent Syrian church
caption_attribution_description: English: Group photo taken during the ordinations of Juhanon Mar Thimathious (Later Marthoma XVIII Juhanon marthoma) and Mathews Mar Athanasious by Abraham Marthoma (Marthoma XVII and Metropolitan of Thozhiyoor Kuriakose mar Korilos
context_page_description: The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church, often shortened to Mar Thoma Church, and known also as the Reformed Syrian Church and the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar, is an autonomous Reformed Oriental church based in Kerala, India. While continuing many of the Syriac high church practices, the church is reformed in its theology and doctrines. It employs a reformed variant of the West Syriac Rite Divine Liturgy of Saint James, translated to Malayalam.
  The Mar Thoma Church sees itself as continuation of the Saint Thomas Christians, a community traditionally believed to have been founded in the first century by Thomas the Apostle, who is known as Mar Thoma in Syriac, and describes itself as "Apostolic in origin, Universal in nature, Biblical in faith, Evangelical in principle, Ecumenical in outlook, Oriental in worship, Democratic in function, and Episcopal in character".
  Until the beginning of the 20th century, Mar Thoma Christians lived in a few districts of Central Travancore and Kunnamkulam in Kerala. Since that time they have spread with the 20th-century Indian diaspora to North America, Europe, the Middle East, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
context_section_description: There is a historic relationship between Mar Thoma Syrian Church and Malabar Independent Syrian Church, although the doctrinal positions are not mutually accepted in full. Church Of Thozhiyoor (Anjoor) and its primates have come in rescue of Malankara church many times. After the demise of Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious (Mar Thoma X) and Punnathra Geevarghese Mar Dionysious, Kidangan Geevarghese Mar Philoxinos of Thozhiyoor Church reigned as Malankara Metropolitan as per the Royal Proclamation and returned the title back to Malankara Church without any claim after consecrating Punnathra Geevarghese Mar Dionysious and Cheppad Geevarghese mar Dionysious for Malankara church. Similarly in 1863 Malankara Metropolitan Mathews Mar Athanasious defended Thozhiyoor Church as an Independent Syrian Church in Madras High Court against Euyakim Mar Koorilos Design to subordinate the Thozhiyoor Church under Antioch. From that verdict onwards Church of Thozhiyoor came to be known as Malabar Independent Syrian Church. When the Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasius died without consecrating a successor in 1893, it was the Metropolitan of the Thozhiyoor Church who consecrated Metropolitan Titus I Mar Thoma, and helped the Mar Thoma Church in a serious crisis. Mar Thoma Metropolitans have since then helped in consecrating the Metropolitans of Thozhiyoor Church and vice versa. According to the constitution of the Thozhiyoor Church, when difficulties arise the Thozhiyoor Church should seek the advice and guidance of the Mar Thoma Metropolitan despite the fact that either Church has no authority over the other. Thus the relation between the Thozhiyoor Church and Mar Thoma Church is unique. The centenary of the fraternal relationship between the two Churches was celebrated in the Sabha Mandalam on September 14, 1994.
caption: Group photo taken during the ordinations of Juhanon Mar Thimothious (later Juhanon Mar Thoma) and Mathews Mar Athanasius, by Titus II Mar Thoma, Abraham Mar Thoma and Metropolitan of Thozhiyoor Kuriakose Mar Koorilos
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