{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 38,
  "chapterName": "1599. Decrees of the Synod of Diamper",
  "pageFrom": 39,
  "pageTo": 42,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 39,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n39\ndoctrine of the Catholic faith, taking from them all heretical books\nthat they possess. I humbly suggest that he (the Latin bishop,\npreferably a Jesuit) be instructed to extinguish little by little the\nSyrian language, which is not natural. His priests should learn\nthe Latin language, because the Syriac language is the channel\nthrough which all that heresy flows. A good administrator ought\nto replace Syriac by Latin. What is most important of all is that\nthe bishop be a suffragan of the city, as is at present the bishop of\nCochin, his near Neighbour.\n38. DECREES OF THE SYNOD OF DIAMPER (1599 A.D.)\nThe Synod of Diamper was called by Aleixo de Menezes, the Arch-\nbishop Metropolitan of Goa, for the purpose of compelling the Syrian\nChristians of Kerala to repudiate their traditions and place themselves\nunder the Roman jurisdiction. The Decrees of the Synod throw light\nupon the faith and practice of the Syrian Christian community. Here\nonly a few of the decrees relating to the terms of submission have\nbeen included. A complete English translation of the decrees may be\nfound in James Hough, The History of Christianity in India from the\nCommencement of the Christian Era, Vol. II, pp. 513-683.\nSession I. Decree I.\nThe Objects of the Synod:\nMy beloved brethren, you the venerable priests, and my most\ndear sons in Christ, you the representatives and procurators of the\npeople, does it please you, that for the Praise and Glory of the holy\nand undivided Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, and for\nthe increase and exaltation of the catholic faith, and Christian\nreligion, of the inhabitants of this bishopric, and for the destruction\nof the heresies and errors which have been sown therein by several\nheretics and schismatics, and for the purging of books from the\nfalse doctrines contained in them, and for the perfect union of this\nchurch with the whole church catholic and universal, and for the\nyielding of obedience to the supreme Bishop of Rome, the uni-\nversal pastor of the church, and successor in the chair of St. Peter,\nand vicar of Christ upon Earth, from whom you have for some\ntime departed, and for the extirpation of simony, which has been\nmuch practiced in this bishopric, and for the regulating of the\nadministration of the holy sacraments of the church, and the\nnecessary use of them, and for the reformation of the affairs of the\nchurch and the clergy, and the customs of all the Christian people\nof this diocese; we should begin a diocesan Synod of this bishopric\nof the Serra",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 40,
      "ocrText": "40\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nSession III. Decree VIII.\nFor that, till the very time of the most illustrious Metropolitan\nentering into his diocese, there was a certain heresy twice repeated\nin the holy sacrifice of the mass, and twice more in the divine office,\nin calling the Patriarch of Babylon, the universal pastor, and head\nof the catholic church, in all places, and as often as they happen to\nname him; a title that is due only to the most holy father, the\nBishop of Rome, successor of the prince of the Apostles, St. Peter,\nand vicar of Christ on earth the Synod therefore command in\nvirtue of obedience, and upon pain of excommunication to be ipso\nfacto incurred, that no person of this bishopric, secular or ecclesi-\nastical, shall from henceforward presume, by word or writing,\neither in the holy sacrifice of mass, or in the divine office, or in any\nother occasion, to bestow that title on the said Patriarch of Babylon,\nor on any other prelate, besides our lord, the Bishop of Rome;\nand whosoever shall dare to contravene this order, shall be declared\nexcommunicate, and held for a schismatic and heretic, and shall be\npunished as such, according to the holy canons and whereas\nthe Patriarch of Babylon, to whom this church was subject, are\nNestorians, the heads of that cursed sect, and schismatics out of the\nobedience of the holy Roman Church, and aliens from our holy\ncatholic faith, and are for that reason excommunicate and accursed:\nand it not being lawful to join with such in the church in public as\nstand excommunicate wherefore this bishopric, upon its having\nnow yielded yielded a perfect obedience to the most holy father, the Pope.\nChrist's vicar upon earth, to which it was obliged by Divine autho-\nrity, and upon pain of damnation, shall not henceforward have any\nmanner of dependence upon the said Patriarch of Babylon; and the\npresent Synod, does under the said precept of obedience, and upon\npain of excommunication to be ipso facto incurred, prohibit all\npriests, and curates, from henceforward to name the said Patriarch\nof Babylon in the holy sacrifice of the mass, or in any other\ndivine office, in the prayers of the church, even without the false\ntitle of universal pastor; but instead thereof, shall name our lord\nthe Pope, who is our true pastor, as also of the whole church, and\nafter him, the lord Bishop of the diocese, for the time being; and\nwhosoever shall maliciously and knowingly act the contrary, shall\nbe declared excommunicate, and otherwise punished at the pleasure\nof his prelate, according to his contumacy.\nSession III. Decree XIX. (Oaths taken to submit to the Church of\nRome)\nThe Synod having been informed of several meetings that were\nin this diocese, upon the death of bishop Mar Abraham, in which\nboth public and private oaths were taken against yielding obedience\nto the holy Roman Church, several curates and others obliging",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 41,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n41\nthemselves never to consent to any change either in the government\nof the bishopric, or in matters of faith, not to receive any bishop\nthat should be sent to them by the holy apostolical see, or by any\nother way, than, by the order of the schismatical, heretical, Nesto-\nian Patriarch of Babylon, with several other particulars, contrary\nto the sacred canons, and the obedience that is due to the most holy\nRoman pontificate; doth declare all such oaths, or any other\ntaken, or that shall be taken in the same manner, to be void of no\nforce; and that they do not only not oblige the consciences of those\nthat have taken them, but that as they were rashly and maliciously\ntaken, so it is an impiety and schism to keep them; denouncing\nthe sentence of the greater excommunication upon all those that\nmade them or took them; this synod having above all other\nthings promised and sworn to yield obedience to the commands\nof the Pope, and the holy apostolical see, according to the holy\ncanons, and never to receive any bishop or prelate, but what shall\nbe sent by the holy Roman church, to which it of right belongs to\nprovide prelates and bishops to all the churches in the world, and\nto receive those that he shall send, without any doubt or scruple,\nacknowledging them for the true prelates and pastors of their\nsouls, without waiting for any other order besides that of the bishop\nof Rome, notwithstanding any impious oaths that may have been\nmade at any time to the contrary.\nSession III. Decree XX. (Condemning Nestorianism and subscribing\nto the doctrines of Rome)\nThis present Synod, together with all the priests and faithful\npeople of this diocese, doth embrace all the holy general councils\nreceived by holy mother church, believing and confessing all that\nwas determined in them, anathematizing, rejecting, and condemning\nall that they have rejected and condemned; but especially it doth\nwith great veneration receive and embrace the first holy council of\nEphesus, consisting of 200 fathers, firmly believing all that was\ntherein determined, and rejecting and condemning whatsoever it\ncondemned; but above all, the diabolical heresy of the Nestorians,\nwhich has been for many years preached and believed in this\ndiocese; which together with its author Nestorius and all his\nfollowers, the said council did reject and anathematize; who being\ntaught by the devil, held that there were two persons in our Lord\nChrist; affirming also, that the Divine Word did not take flesh into\nthe unity of its person, but only for an habitation, or holy dwelling,\nas a temple; and that it ought not to be said, that God was incar-\nnate, or that he died, nor that our lady, the glorious Virgin, was the\nmother of God, but only the mother of Christ, with other diabolical\nheresies, all which this Synod does condemn, reject, and anathe-\nmatize, embracing the holy catholic faith, in that purity and integ-",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 42,
      "ocrText": "42\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nrity, that it is believed and professed in by the holy mother Roman\nchurch, the mistress of all churches, to which in all things it submits\nitself according to the profession it has made\nSession III. Decree XXI. (Resolved to be governed in all things\nby the last council of Trent)\nFurthermore, this present Synod, with all the priests and faithful\npeople of this diocese, doth embrace the last holy and sacred council\nof Trent, and does not only believe and confess all that was deter-\nmined and approved of therein, and reject and anathematize all\nthat the council rejected and condemned; but doth moreover\nreceive and embrace the said council as to all matters therein deter-\nmined, relating to the reformation of the church, and all Christian\npeople, promising and swearing to govern itself according to the\nrules thereof, and to observe the same forms that are observed in\nthe catholic church, and as are observed in this province of the\nIndies, and in all other provinces and suffragans to the metropolis\nof Goa; in order to the removing of all abuses and customs that\nare contrary to the decrees of the said council of Trent; by which\nonly it is resolved to govern itself as to all matters relating to the\ngovernment of the church, and the reformation of the manners of\nthis faithful and catholic people, any customs, though immemorial.\nin this bishopric, to the contrary notwithstanding.\nSession III. Decree XXII. (Subjects the Syrians to the\nInquisition at Goa)\nThis present Synod, together with all the priests and faithful\npeople of of this diocese, doth with great submission and nd reverence,\nsubmit itself to the holy, upright, just, and necessary court of the\nholy office of the inquisition, in these parts-established; and being\nsensible how much the integrity of the faith depends upon that\ntribunal, it doth promise and swear to be obedient to all its\ncommands in all things thereunto pertaining; being, after the\nexample of all other bishoprics in the province, willing that all\nmatters of faith should be judged I of of by by the same court, or by such\npersons as it shall depute and notwithstanding the said holy office\nhas not hitherto, by reason of this church's having been separated,\nand had little or no correspondence with the apostolical see, or with\nany of the churches that are subject to it, meddled with any person be-\nlonging to this bishopric, yet now for the benefit of their souls, as to\nabsolutions in cases of faith, which are known to be reserved to that\ncourt; this present Synod doth beseech the lords inquisitors to\nauthorize some learned men within this bishopric, or the Jesuits of\nthe college of Vaipicotta, and of other residences of the same\nreligion in the said diocese, to absolve all such as shall stand in\nneed thereof, and that with such limitations as they shall think fit;",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}