Belated Thoughts

A Review by Joseph Wissam Noun I consider it a great honour for me to write a brief reflection on Malankara Nasranis in the book ‘A Hindu Church And An Indian Christ: The Rejection of 'Syrian' Christian Identity & The Quest for a Judeo-Dravidian Bhartiya Malankara Nasrani Identity’. In this brief review, I shall give my reflections on what the rest of the authors have written in the book. I am an outsider and never lived nor have visited India yet and it’s all new to me in particular what Malankara Nasranis face and their views of church and life etc. For those who have a one-sided view of the Malankara Nasrani Indian Christians, for the first time, they will be able to read the alternative side of history which has been destroyed, ignored, mutilated, fabricated, and lied about all due to colonialism and aimless leadership. As the famous line goes ‘winners write the history and own it’. In the case of Kerala and other places, the hist...

A review by George Alexander 'Unmasking the Syriacs - The Hidden Origin of Indian Christianity ' authored by historian Jeevan Philip is a book that deserves serious attention from historians, researchers, clergy, and faithful who are interested in the origin and development of Christianity in India. The book sheds light in detail on Malankara Nasranis, who are otherwise called St Thomas Christians or Syrian Christians, and their socio-anthropological origin and development. Nevertheless, the author argues against the traditional understanding that Church was established by St Thomas in South India. His arguments remain compelling indeed. The thesis discusses the crucial history behind the so-called St. Thomas cross or Persian crosses found across various churches in Kerala and elsewhere thereby exposing the origin of the Malankara Church, the indigenous cultural institution of Malankara Nasranis who are one of the oldest followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Usually, Church hist...