The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-07-19
! india. Christianity was g


first brought TO India By the Apostle
Thomas. the one Of the Twelve who
doubted the Resurrection until he had
seen the Risen Lord with his own eyes.
The careful students OF history In late
years have denied the claim Of the
ancient church IN southern India that
II IL the direct descendant Of the con-
gregation organized by 81. Thomas,
but even the most iearne1 and criti-
cal admit the historical truth Of st.
Thomas visit to northwest india In
that section, however, there II no re-
naming Christian church.
The legend Of st. Thomas II firmly
believed by the many native Chris
tians OF southern India, however. and
q cathedral at Madras marks the re-
puted site Of his pulpit. Leaving aside
the controversial origin OF the Indian
Christian Church, II Is certain that the
Christian community In Maiabar had
reached position Of Importance In the
of land for church purposes, engraved
on enduring metal plates. leave no
room for doubt on that score.
In the fifth century this church
adhered TO the HISTORIAN schism. The
HISTORIANS. who denied that the divine
and human natures were blended In
Jesus. were driven from Europe and
Africa to find refuge in Central Asia.
They rose to great Importance In
India, swept over China AMI Korea,
and even penetrated Japan. The
to this schism, and looked to the
Patriarch OF Babylon as its spiritual
head. He supplied Bishops Of the
Chaidean or Syrian rite for India, and
that rite exists today. The holy wars
waged under the green banner OF Mo-
manned killed the HISTORIAN Church,
broke Its communications and forever
destroyed Its Importance.
For six or seven centuries the small
church of South India lived to itself,
unprogressive but peaceful. Then
came the Portuguese invasion of India.
The Portuguese endeavored 20 bring
the church under the rule OF the Pope
and this was nominaliy affected at the
Synod of Diamper in 1899. Tho con-
soiidation was In the nature Of COM
promise, as the Syrian rite and liturgy,
purged Of Nestoriauisn, was permitted
to continue In use. the church acknow-
Lodging the supreme spiritual power OF
the Pope. About fifty years after
many of the members revoited and re-
established the old independent church
without re-adopting HISTORIAN doc
trines.
A carmeiite mission sent out from
Rome In 1860 succeeded In bringing
most of the Indian Christians back into
the fold. but the remaining few re-
ceived support from the Protestant
Dutch, always at war with the Por-
tuguese, ami established O separate
church. In this way arose the two
native churches which stiii exists In
India. One Is the Old Church. or
Syrian Catholic. owning allegiance TO
its own Bishops under the Patriarch
of Antioch; and the other IL the New
Church of Jacobite,. which maintains
the use of the Syrian language In the
ritual, some dogmas and rites peculiar
to itself. but which Acknowledges the
spiritual supremacy of the Pope.
Much more active and influential is
the Roman Catholic Church proper. II
owes It's foundation In India indirect-
ly to Portuguese arms, hut It's strength
IL q heritage from one OF the greatest
and missionaries OF the
whole history of Christendom. st.
Francis Xavier came to India In fb42.
The Franciscan brethren had been In
India for over forty years. but they.
had not extended their labors far from
the Portuguese capital at Goa. For
ten years st. Francis Xavier iabored
nightly on the Malabar coast ana the
eouthern provinces of Madras. convert
ing thousands and establishing live
ing church. He then went on to the
further East. and died on the coast
Of China. His body was brought back
to India and now rests under beau
tifuI shrine In the Church CT Bonn.
Jesus at Goa. Fifty years later Q
Jesuit mission began work In southern
India, founding schools and parochial
which, will exist.
All these Catholic bodies were
brought under control of the Inquiai-
ton of Goa and so continued until Its
in 1919. Goa Is still the
of the church In India,
although the name is now given to
newer city. OF the ancient capital OF
the Portuguese Empire in India Moth
ing remains except ruined forts. ..
dozen majestic churches and the at
tendant priests. The secular popuia-
ton of that once-great. city Is now
only twenty eight.
The first Protestant mission was es,
tablished in India In 1706 by
sent out under the protec-
ton of the Danish kingdom. A half
century later came the devoted Swartz,
who founded a mission at Tinnevelly
which is reckoned as the beginning of
modern missionary effort in India A
SWede mission to Calcutta was found
ed In 1853, two years after the FAM
GUS tragedy Of the Black Hole.
The East India Company. which
ruled India until 1858. was
in its opposition to
and placed every possible diff.
ticulty in the way of the missionaries.
In spite OF this obstacle, William Ca
rev, an English Baptist, succeeded IN
gaining admission to the country In
1888. He founded a famous Baptist
In q tiny city then owned by
which became the inepira-
lion and model for all subsequent mis-
sionary EFFORT by the evangelical pro-
testant denominations.
II was not until 1914 that the East
india Company permitted the establish
ment of a bishopric Of the Church of
England. A company chaplain had
been stationed here in charge Of the
English community, but with the es-
of a diocese the work
among the natives was begun. Bishop
Heber, the second Bishop of Calcutta.
was a great writer and his books and
hymns stimulated the Church of Eng
land to the first active missionary
work. Adoniram Judson, an American
Baptist, came to Burma In 1913. He Is
known as the Apostle to the Bur.
mese," and has been called the great
est of American missionaries. Hum
dreds of churches and chapels in the
East have his name, which Is also
borne by a great institutional church
In washington Square. New York.
But the East India Company per-
mitted the missionaries to come only
because of the fear of public opinion
In England In India, the company
continued. to make things very hard
for them and progress was but slow.
Therefore the spread of Christianity
In India dates only from 1853, the year