{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 9,
  "chapterName": "c.333-397. Ambrose on Christian Contacts with India",
  "pageFrom": 6,
  "pageTo": 6,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 6,
      "ocrText": "6\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\n9. AMBROSE ON CHRISTIAN CONTACTS WITH INDIA\n(333-397 A.D.)\nThe reference to Brahmins in Ambrose of Milan's treatise De\nMoribus Brachmanorum makes it clear that the reference is to the\nIndian subcontinent. His knowledge of India was based upon the\naccounts of travellers as well as the Greek and Latin classics. Patro-\nlogia Latina, Migne Edition, 17.1131. Translation in A. C. Perumalil,\nThe Apostles in India, pp. 56-57.\nSince I, in fact, have not seen either them (Brahmins) or their\ncountry, for they are separated from our Europe by a vast\nstretch of land, I will try to narrate to you only those things\nI ave heard from others and gathered from authors... First, there-\nfore, our brother, Museus, the bishop of the Doleni, related to me\nthat when going to the India, some years ago, with the intention\nof visiting the Brahmins he travelled through nearly the entire\nregion of Serica.\nAmbrose also identifies St. Thomas with India. Patrologia Latina,\n14.1143. Loc. cit.\nEven those kingdoms which were shut out by rugged mountains\nbecame accessible to them, as India to Thomas, Persia to Matthew\nAgain he refers to the journey of a certain Theban to India. Patrologia\nLatina, 17.1133. Loc. cit.\nWherefore, he going on board a ship with some merchants in\nthe Erythraean Sea or Mare Rubrum sailed first to the gulf of\nAdulis, saw the town of Adulitans, then the promontory of Aro-\nmata, and came to the emporium of the Troglodytes; thence he\ntouched the lands of the Auxumitans, whence he sailed with favour-\nable winds. After many days' voyage he came to Muziris, the\nemporium of all India on this side of the Ganges.\n10. RUFINUS OF AQUILEIA ON THE INTRODUCTION OF\nCHRISTIANITY TO INDIA (345-410 A.D.)\nIn his Ecclesiastical History, 1.9, Rufinus describes the work of\nFrumentius in what is clearly the Indian subcontinent. It should be\nnoted that the author believes that evangelistic work was not done there\nprior to the time of Constantine. An account may be found in Socra-\ntes, Ecclesiastical History, 1. XIX. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers,\nVol. II, p. 23.\nWe must now mention in what manner Christianity was spread\nin this emperor's (Constantine) reign for it was in his time that\nthe nations both of the Indians in the interior, and of the Iberians\nfirst embraced the Christian faith. But I shall briefly explain why",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}