User:Pakalomattam/cco tinu cherian

Coonen Cross Oath
Coonen Cross Oath was a turning point in the history of Indian Christian Church.

The history of this ancient Church during 4th to 15th centuries reveals the fact that it was in friendly relations with the Church in Persia.There was ecclesiastical connection between the Church in West Asia and the Church in Malabar until the 16th century. Though there were such ecclesiastical connections and ministrations, the Church in Malabar was independent in administration under its own Archdeacons.

The Portuguese started settling in India with the coming of Vasco Da Gama in 1498. They established their power in the 16th & the 17th centuries. This was also a period, which witnessed far-reaching effects of the missionary adventures of the Roman Catholic Church. At this time the Portuguese were powerful in the eastern areas and had control of the sea routes. The Roman Catholic Church wanted to use this opportunity to bring the Church in Malabar under the supremacy of Rome. A powerful Archbishop Alexio-de-Menezes arrived in Goa in 1592.

He then convened a Synod at Udayamperoor, south of Ernakulam, in the year 1599, called the Synod of Diamper for demanding obedience to the supreme Bishop /Pope of Rome. The representatives sent from various congregations were forced to accept the decrees read out by the Archbishop. Thus the Syrian Christians of Malabar (the Malankara Church) were made part of the Roman Catholic Church under the Pope.There he ordered all the texts of the Syrian Nasranis to be burnt.The Portuguese burned the Gospel of Thomas and the Acts of Thomas. The purpose stated by Menezes was to erase all legacies of antiquity and Jewishness. Amongst several accusations, the Nasranis were accused of not worshipping images of saints and biblical figures. They completely obliterated the records of early Nasrani life and Hebrew-Syriac tradition .The Malankara Church was under the Roman church for half a century. Gradually the power of the Portuguese empire declined and the churchgoers sought regaining independence.

They tried to get a prelate from one of the Eastern Churches to change this state of affairs. When their efforts were proved futile, they declared their independence after 54 years of Roman supremacy, with the Oath of Coonen Cross ( Coonen Kurishu Satyam - Oath at the church with a bent Cross) in 1653. That was a historic event for the history of the Church in Malabar as they wanted to remain loyal to their ancient faith and traditions.

In 1665 their Archdeacon, named Thomas, was consecrated with the title Mar Thoma I by Mar Gregorius of Jerusalem who was associated with the Jacobite Patriarchate of Antioch. Thus the Episcopal continuity was restored with Mar Thoma I as the first Indian Metropolitan and this began the relation between the Syrian Church with the Antiochene Jacobites. Due to this relationship with the Syrian Church, the Church in Malankara (Malabar) was also known as Syrian Church of Malabar.