A Brief History of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church

A Brief History of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church

The Syrian Christians in Kerala, India, are an ancient community whose history has often been distorted by European colonialists and missionaries. Dr Sarah Knight has scoured libraries and private archives across Kerala, as well as many of the great libraries in Europe – in the UK, the Netherlands, and the Vatican – to put together a summary of the history of this often misunderstood ancient Christian community. This fresh and authentic perspective on the Syrian Christians’ history, brings out the narrative which has survived within the community itself, despite the many periods of adversity and oppression when other interests attempted to rewrite their history. Dr Knight has combined her insider knowledge – she was born and raised within the community – with years of scholarship, which also underpinned her PhD from SOAS in the University of London. The book charts the history of the Syrian Christians in Kerala (‘Malankara’) from its origins with mission of St Thomas, through the migrations of Syrian clergy and families from the fourth century, through the adversity in the face of European colonialization and missionary work, to the current troubles caused by factions demanding they abandon their allegiance to the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church.