Yes, the *Persian* element in Persian Christianity is …

Comment posted Letters of St. Thomas the Apostle to Edessa from India by John Mathew.

Yes, the *Persian* element in Persian Christianity is often overlooked, especially now that the Church of the East and the Chaldeans have lost their heterogeneous makeup (apart from the Indians) and have withdrawn into ethnocentricity (the “Assyrian Church of the East” being a shameful renaming of what was once a multicultural Church).

In addition to Mingana and Brock, let me also add one more resource (yet again): Dr. Christopher Buck.

His article “How Persian was Persian Christianity” offers some deeper insight into the Persian side of East Syriac Christianity.

Get it here: http://christopherbuck.com/Buck_PDFs/Buck_Persian_Christian_1996.pdf

Once again, the Persian side of our heritage should be better explored for a variety of reasons and here they are:
0. The *only* ancient non-Indian language that we have evidence of in Kerala that was used by our Christian ancestors is PAHLAVI. Not Syriac, not Hebrew, not another form of Aramaic. But Pahlavi, the Indo-Aryan language of our Persian brothers.
1. The Church in Kerala used to be administered (for part of our history) by the Metropolitans of Fars.
2. There are documented reports of Patriarchs authorizing intermarriage of Persian Christians and Indians.
3. The Copper Cheppads seem to have Persian names in addition to Arabic and Hebrew names.

That is, there is much evidence of our connections with the Persians. Yet for the last few centuries, we’ve amplified our Syriac connections (which are important and are certainly well documented for the last several centuries or so) and — most recently — purported Jewish connections (which are not documented at all; rather, they are often the product of romantic, Bible-inspired creative writing).

Let’s look at something that actually has factual evidence…

Related NSC Network Articles

• Mission of Pantaenus in India and Saint Bartholomew, the Apostle in India
• ‘East of the Euphrates- Early Christianity in Asia’ by T.V. Philip
• Hymns of Saint Ephraem (Ephrem) the Syrian, on Apostle Thomas and India
• ‘The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India’- Volume I -Prof. George Menachery
• MS Vatican Syriac 22 & MS Vatican Syriac 17: Syriac Manuscripts copied in South India
• ‘The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India’- Volume II , Chief Editor Prof.George Menachery
• Ancient Churches with traditional dates of foundation & Stone Crosses of Kerala- Saint Thomas Cross, Nazraney Sthambams and other Persian Crosses

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