{
  "bookName": "History of Christianity in India: Source Materials",
  "authorName": "M. K. Kuriakose",
  "publisherName": "Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge",
  "publicationYear": 2011,
  "chapterNumber": 93,
  "chapterName": "1836. A Memorial Submitted to Col. Fraser by Twelve Priests of the Syrian Church",
  "pageFrom": 129,
  "pageTo": 131,
  "pages": [
    {
      "pageNumber": 129,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n129\n8. Processions.\n9. Forbidding the Metran to marry.\n10. Having pictures in the Churches representing God the\nFather, and refusing to remove them.\nOn the part of the people:\n1. General ignorance and moral depravity.\n2. Neglect of the Sabbath.\n3. Heathenish practices at marriages.\n4. Making use of heathenish enchantments etc., in sickness\nand danger.\nAnswer Rev. S. Ridsdale: Philoxenes, the former Metran,\nhad his nativity cast.\n5. Early marriages.\nAnswer - All: Yes at 9; 10 or 12 years of age.\n6. Pilgrimages to St. Thome.\nAnswer All: Rarely.\nRev. S. Ridsdale: I do not remember a case.\n7. Certain customs before and after marriage.\n(Questions L to XL and the answers by the missionaries contain\ninformation about the people employed by the mission in Kottayam,\nthe trusteeship of the College and of Munro Island. Questions LXI\nto LXXVI mostly deal with financial and educational matters and are\nnot answered by the Missionaries, probably because these questions\nhad been touched upon earlier in the document.)\n93. A MEMORIAL SUBMITTED TO COL. FRASER BY\nTWELVE PRIESTS OF THE SYRIAN CHURCH (1836 A.D.)\nThis memorial was a protest against the allegedly evil practices of\nthe then Metropolitan of the Syrian Church, Mar Dionysius, sub-\nmitted by twelve priests of the Syrian Church in Malabar. Cited in\nK. K. Kuruvilla, A History of the Mar Thoma Church, pp. 15-17.\n1. Of the ten commandments given in Exodus 20, the Second\nis dropped out\nCommandment, relating to the worship of images, is dropp\nand, to make amends for this, the Tenth Commandment is split\ninto two.\n2. It is necessary and proper that the baptism of an infant\nshould be made perfect through instruction and examination; and,\nH.C.I.-9",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 130,
      "ocrText": "130\nHISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA\nin utter disregard of this principle, marriages and similar rites are\nbeing conducted before this is done.\n3. There is neither the custom nor the rule of anointing a\nperson a second time for the same blessing. In violation of this\nand in the name of First Unction' Mooron (Sythe) is administered.\n4. It is ordained that prayer should be offered on behalf of a\nsick person and that, when he is conscious, he should be advised\nto repent and that the Holy Communion should be administered\nto him. Instead of this, it is taught that the performance of the\nlast unction even when a man is unconscious is a guarantee of\nsalvation.\n5. For forgiveness of sins and the grace of God, Holy Com-\nmunion should be offered only to those who through confession\nhave given evidence of repentance, but it is administered without\ngiving adequate time for instruction and advice, in the anxiety to\nsecure one chakram (about half an anna) per individual from those\nwho come for Holy Communion.\n6. The Holy Fathers have enjoined on all who come for\nconfession that they should ask for forgiveness with fasting and\nprayer. Instead they are asked to offer coconut oil, incense and\ncandles on such an occasion.\n7. The Sunday services are held in a very irreverent and un-\nspiritual way. Instead of reading and expounding Scripture as is\nordained, clergymen seek for betel leaves and arecanuts from those\nwho come daily to church and indulge in meaningless talks with\nthem. They also take this as an occasion to ascertain whether\nthere are festivals in connection with the departed. There are\noccasional demonstrations of bitter conflicts among them over the\ndays appointed for such functions; this occurs when there are\nmore priests iests than one in a parish. After these irregularities, they\nsay a mass which has no life and which does not provoke people\nto a holy life.\n8. Besides the practice of going round the church and then\ncrawling into it to offer gifts, the worshippers seek salvation through\nmigration from one church to another on festival days.\n9. All ministers are expected to follow the advice of St. Paul\nto Timothy that he should preach the word in season and out of\nseason; but these instead of fulfilling their great responsibility\nfrequent law courts, conspire with revenue officers for illicit gains,\nengage in trade and come to church to hold services only when\nthere is any hope of financial gain out of it.",
      "status": "completed"
    },
    {
      "pageNumber": 131,
      "ocrText": "SOURCE MATERIALS\n131\n10. The Old and New Testaments as well as the canons instruct\nChristians to spend Sunday in prayer and the reading of the Word.\nInstead of encouraging this habit, on promise of settlement of\ndisputes on Sundays before the bishops or the elders, they encourage\nsuch people to come to church for this purpose. Others spend the\ntime in attending to their ordinary work.\n11. The canon has enjoined the bishops that they should ordain\nonly candidates who have been examined by them and the malpans\n(Syriac professors) and who have gained the good report of the\npeople. But this being entirely overlooked, young men are called\nto the ministry with the recommendation ommendation of interested people.\n12. The Holy Fathers have decreed that a deacon should be\ncalled to the priesthood only after he reaches the age of thirty,\nbut, no heed being paid to this, deacons are called to be priests\neven at the age of sixteen.\n13. It is but proper that on Saints' Days we should be instructed\nto follow them. Instead of this, people are advised to celebrate\nthese days with the hoisting of flags and theatrical performances as\nheathens do.\n14. Heretics who like the Nestorians deny the Catholic faith\nregarding the person of Christ and the Trinity are included in the\nlist of saints, in disregard of the synodical and canonical injunctions.\n15. The Syrian Canon, Chapter 7, places on bishops the res-\nponsibility of appointing malpans for the education of the young\nfor the priesthood, and, if the Church has not resources enough\nto maintain the school and pay the malpans, contributions may be\ncalled for from the faithful. It is regrettable that the money available\nis not used for this purpose, but is appropriated by the priests and\nlay administrators of the church for their selfish ends, and if any\nthing is left it is used to make small images for the adoration of the\nlaity.\n16. The holy books and the canon teach that image-makers,\nastrologers and those who produce inscribed tablets to ward off\nevil should be ex-communicated from the Church, but the priests\nencourage these, and worse than these, both in church and outside.\n17. Lent should be utilised both as an expression of repentence\nand as a means for self-control. It is not used properly, and in\naddition an unauthorised season of lent for eight days is now in\nvogue. During this period, people are allowed to congregate in\ncertain churches, and they keep Lent by saying formal prayers in\nthe Roman fashion, by preparing their food, and by indulging in\ntrivial pleasure.",
      "status": "completed"
    }
  ]
}