{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 14,
  "chapterName": "c.638. Isidore of Seville on Eastern Geography and Bartholomew’s Mission in India",
  "pageFrom": 10,
  "pageTo": 10,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 10,
      "ocrText": "10\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\n14. ISIDORE OF SEVILLE ON EASTERN GEOGRAPHY AND\nBARTHOLOMEW'S MISSION IN INDIA (c. 638 A.D.)\nIsidore's writings reveal the extent of European knowledge about\nIndia in the seventh century A.D. and the tradition that the Apostle\nBartholomew came to India. He also is familiar with the tradition\nof St. Thomas' martyrdom in India. Extract from Etymol. Liber.\n14.3.5-6. Patrologia Latina, 82.497. Translation cited in A. С.\nPerumalil, The Apostles in India, p. 37.\nIndia derives its name from the river Indus, by which it is\nenclosed on the West. It stretches out from the southern area to\nthe rising of the sun, and it extends on the North as far as the\nCaucasus mountain. It has many nations, towns and also the\nisland of Taprobane which is filled with elephants. It has (the\nislands of) Chryse and Argyra which are rich in gold and silver,\nand also (the island of) Tyle which is never wanting in foliage. It\nhas both rivers Ganges and Indus and Hyphasis which make the\nIndian famous.\nEtymol. Liber., 14.3.15. Patrologia Latina, 82.498. Cited in A. C.\nPerumalil, The Apostles in India, p. 44.\nThis Thomas preached the Gospel of Christ to the Parthians,\nthe Medes, the Persians, the Hyrcanians and the Bactrians, and\nto the Indians of the Oriental region and penetrating the innermost\nregions and sealing his preaching by his passion he died transfixed\nwith a lance at Calamina, a city of India, and there was buried with\nhonour.\nDe Ortu et Obitu Patrum, 74.132. Patrologia Latina, 83.152. Cited in\nA. C. Perumalil, The Apostles in India, p. 65.\nBartholomew the Apostle. translated the Gospel of Matthew\namong the Indians into their own language. Finally he was flayed\nalive by cruel and barbarous people in Albano, a city of Major\nArmenia; and so he is buried there.\n15. THE COPPER PLATES (849 A.D.)\nGrants made by Ayyanadikal, King of Venad, to the new church\nat Quilon (built by Marwan Sabriso) in 849 A.D. were inscribed on\ntwo sets of copper plates, known as the Tarisapalli copper plates.\nThese are mostly written in Tamil-Malayalam, but two plates are\nin Pahlavi and Arabić. Of the two sets, the first consists of three\nplates. One of these is in the custody of the Orthodox Church, another\nis in the custody of the Mar Thoma Church, and the third is lost. A\ntranslation is found in Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai, Studies in Kerala\nHistory, pp. 371-373. Both sets, constituting the earliest details con-\ncerning the Christian community in India from India itself, provide\nvaluable information concerning the high social position enjoyed\nby Christians in that part of India at that time.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}