Syriac Christians
Also called: Syrian Christians, Saint Thomas Christians · Topic: India, a Home to Many: Diasporas and Refuge · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "India, a Home to Many"
Meaning
Syriac Christians are Christians of Kerala whose worship used the ancient Syriac language. In India they are also called Syrian Christians. From the 4th century CE, groups of them faced trouble in West Asia. In the Roman Empire they were called heretics, meaning people whose beliefs differ from the official ones, because some of their ideas about Christ were different. In the Persian Empire they were suspected of secretly helping the Romans, who were Persia's enemies. So they travelled east along trade routes to the Malabar coast, where they could worship freely. Local tradition also links Kerala's Christians to the apostle St Thomas.
Example
Today the Syriac Christians of Kerala are split into several sects, or branches. They are a well-settled part of Indian society, and their weddings mix Christian rites with Kerala customs.
Don't confuse with
- Armenians in India: they were also Christians, but they came mainly as traders. Their main growth came under Mughal patronage from the 16th century, in places like Agra and Kolkata. The Syriac Christians settled earlier, on the Malabar coast.