Bishop Thomas of Cana, Nasrani History, Southist- Northist, Thekkumbhagar

Kurien: I agree that EM Philip’s work was helpful …

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Comment posted Arrival of Thomas of Cana ( Bishop Thomas of Cana ?), History and references about Southist Community (Thekkumbhagar – Knanaya ) by John Mathew.

Kurien:

I agree that EM Philip’s work was helpful to the Patr of Antioch. Unfortunately, however, he started a very bad trend in Malabar amongst the Puthenkoor — historical fabrication.

His “historical” text is basically fiction, stating that Malankara and Antioch were connected from “ancient” times, when in fact the connection started from the 17th century. The repercussions of this continues to this day when an endless stream of fiction coming out of the Puthenkoor (e.g., we were connected to Antioch, we were connected to Alexandria, etc… silly theories that both the Jacobite SO Church and the Malankara IO Church are guilty of perpetrating).

Although I’m a Jacobite, I’m no fan of the tactics employed by certain late Patriarchs of Antioch to basically overwrite the prior East Syriac history of Malankara. It was wrong, a disservice to our actual fathers.

To use the term “ancient” to describe a family whose historical start begins in the 16th century, and whose major acts (that you describe) are in the 19th century (EM Phillip, etc.) is a distortion of the term “ancient”.

I have nothing to do with Binu’s post; however, if it is accurate then I’m curious, why would that publication resort to such defamation?