Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, is the Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Kerala, India. It is part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, with the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, as its supreme head. The local head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church in Malankara is the Catholicos, Baselios Thomas I, ordained by and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch. In 2003 it was estimated that the church has 1,200,000 members globally.
The Church has dioceses in most parts of India as well as in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Western Europe, and the Persian Gulf nations.
Malankara is one of the churches that are part of Saint Thomas Christians, tracing their origins to St. Thomas the Apostle who, according to tradition, came to India in AD 52.
==Name==
Although the church is officially named, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
Content of The Patriarchal Boola No E 149/02 dated July 5, 2002, issued by the Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatious Zakka I Jacobite Syrian Christian Church it is commonly called the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. Other names that are in common use are Syrian Orthodox Church in India,Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, Malankara Jacobite Church, Syriac Orthodox Church in India, and Malankara Jacobite Church. The Church is sometimes referred as Patriarchal faction or Bava faction, because of the disputes with the Methran Faction.
In 2000, a Holy Synod ruled that the name of the church in English should be the "'Syriac Orthodox Church". It had been, and often still is today, called the "Syrian Orthodox Church". The church in India uses the term "Jacobite" or 'Bava Faction' as a way to distinguish themselves from the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church or Methran Faction.
In Kerala, the church members follow a complicated social modality intermingling traditions of Syrian, Catholic and Hindu traditions. Many of the customs and traditions of this group are borrowed from traditional practices of upper caste Hindus including specific rituals involving marriage, death and caste-related observations in relation to other Christians and lower-caste Hindus.
Jewish-Syriac liturgical time is used to mark the observations of fasting and prayer and the preparation for the Eucharist. However, the Malayalam Calendar is used to make the more recent religious events such establishment dates of churches, houses and gravestones. This practice is increasingly superseded by the standard Western Gregorian calendar. The Malayalam numbering of calendar years is 825 years less than the standard.
==History==
==Dioceses of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church==
*Malabar Diocese (Syriac Orthodox Church)
*Kozhikode
*Thrissur
*Angamali
*KochiKochi Diocese
*Kandanad
*KottayamKottayam Diocese
*Idukki
*Knanaya Archdiocese
*NiranamNiranam Diocese
*Thumpamon
*Kollam
*Bangalore
*Bombay
*Delhi
*Chennai
*Middle East
*Malankara Archdiocese of Europe
* Patriarchal Vicarate of Ireland
*Patriarchal vicarate of Germany & Central Europe
*Australia & New Zealand
*Simhasana Churches
*EAE Churches
*Honavar Mission
*Malankara Archdiocese of North America
==Major Institutions==
*Malankara Jacobite Syrian Youth Association
*Malankara Jacobite Syrian Vanitha Samajam
*Malankara Jacobite Syrian Sunday School Association
*Malankara Syrian Orthodox Theological Seminary
*Mor Gregorious Jacobite Students Movement
==Bishops of the Church==
The church has 27 Indian bishops & Catholicos:
{| cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" border="1" style="background-color:#FFFFFF; border-collapse: collapse; border: 1px #DEE8F1 solid"	Prelates 	Diocese and Roles
Dr. Aboon Baselios Thomas I 	Catholicos of India & the Metropolitan Trustee of the Church in India and the Metropolitan of Angamali, New Delhi, Mumbai & Bangalore Dioceses	
Dr. Abraham Mor Severious 	Angamali Region of Angamali Diocese and Abbot of Mor Gabriel Dayro 	
Dr. Yuhanon Mor Philaxinos 	Retired 	
Dr. Thomas Mor Timotheos 	Kottayam Diocese, Singapore & Malaysia 	
Dr. Joseph Mor Gregorios 	Kochi & Kothamangalam Region of Angali Diocese* 	
Kuriakose Mor Severios Edavazhikal	Arch Bishop - Knanaya Archdiocese 	
Kuriakose Mor Gregorios 	Kallisseri & Malabar Regions of Knanaya Archdiocese 	
Kuriakose Mor Ivanios 	Ranni & Outer Kerala Regions of Knanaya Archdiocese 	
Ayoub Mor Silvanos 	Archbishop of Knanaya Archdiocese, USA & Europe Region 	
Yeldho Mor Theethose 	Malankara Archdiocese of North America 	
Dr. Geevarghese Mor Coorilose 	Niranam & UK Dioceses 	
Dr. Mathews Mor Ivanios 	Kandanad Diocese & President of the Youth Association 	
Mathews Mor Aphrem 	Highrange, Sharjah, Al Ain and Perumbavoor REgion of Angamali Diocese 	
Kuriakose Mor Julios 	Simhasana Churches 	
Geevarghese Mor Dionasios 	Auxiliary Bishop of Simhasana Churches Abbot of Mor Ignatios Dayaro, Manjanikkara 	
Yuhanon Mor Militos 	Thumbamon Diocese, Dubai, Abu Dhabi / President of MJSSA 	
Mathews Mor Thevodosios 	Kollam Diocese, Kuwait 	
Dr. Kuriakose Mor Theophilos 	MSOT Seminary & Europe Diocese 	
Kuriakose Mor Eusabios 	Thrissur, Oman and Mumbai Dioceses (Assistant) 	
Pathros Mor Osthathios 	New Delhi Diocese (Assistant) 	
Dr. Kuriakose Mor Clemis 	Idukki Diocese 	
Paulose Mor Irenios 	Kozhikode Diocese 	
Geevarghese Mor Polycarpus 	Evangelical Association of the East / Honavar Mission 	
Markose Mor Chrisostamos 	Evangelical Association of the East / Honavar Mission (Assistant) 	
Yaqu'b Mor Anthonios 	Honavar Mission (Assistant) 	
Geevarghese Mor Athanasios 	Bahrain & Qatar Gulf Region, Kunnamkulam Environs / Manjannikkara Dayra(Assistant) 	
Kuriakose Mor Diaskoros 	Abbot of Malekuriz Dayro, Ireland and Bangalore Diocese (assistant) 	
Elias Mor Athanasios 	Assistant to the Catholicos and Metropolitan of Antiochean Movement 	
==Autonomous dioceses==
The North American, Europe Archdiocese, Knanaya Archdiocese, Simhasana, Evangelical Association are under the jurisdiction of the Patriarch. Of these, the last two had been formed as autonomous bodies in the early 20th century, to escape from the onslaught of civil court cases arisen from disputes with the rival Orthodox Church of India(Malankara Orthodox Church).
==Knanaya Archdiocese==
The Knanaya diocese (today an archdiocese) was formed in 1910. Its jurisdiction extends to all Knanaya Jacobite people throughout the world. The diocese was formed in recognition of the endogamous character of the Knanaya people. It was also intended to recognize the leadership and sacrifice of the Knanaya people in establishing and maintaining since 345 A.D. the (Antiochan) orthodox faith in Malankara. The Knanaya Archbishop is a member of the Synod of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, but is part of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church.
==See also==
*Catholicos
*List of Orthodox Churches
*List of Patriarchs of Antioch - to 518
*List of Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch - list from 518
*Saint Thomas Christians (Syrian Malabar Nasrani)
==References==
==External links==
=== General Links ===
* Jacobite Syrian Church Organization
* Malankara Syriac Voice by Mor Behnan Study Circle
* SyrianChurch.org: Malankara Syriac Christian Resources
** History and Faith of the Malankara Church
* Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Network
* SyriacChristianity.org: Malankara Syriac Resources
* Malankara Jacobite Syrian Christian Association
===Dioceses and Churches===
* Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in North America
*Kochi Diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Church
*Kottayam Diocese of the Jacobite Syrian Church
*Niranam Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church
===Online Magazines===
* Viswasa Samrakshakan, a Fortnightly of Jacobite Syrian Christians
* Shroro - The Syriac Orthodox Christian Digest
* - Malankara Syriac Voice 
Category:Christian denominations in India
Category:Christianity in India
Category:Saint Thomas Christians
Category:Syriac Orthodox Church
ar:الكنيسة المسيحية السريانية اليعقوبية
frp:Égllése siro-malancara ortodoxe
de:Malankara Syrisch-Orthodoxe Kirche
fr:Église syro-malankare orthodoxe
hu:Szír Malankara Ortodox Egyház
ml:യാക്കോബായ സുറിയാനി ക്രിസ്ത്യാനി സഭ
ru:Маланкарская православная церковь
fi:Jakobiitti (uskonto)