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+--- Thread: "East of the Euphrates: Early Christianity in Asia" (/showthread.php?tid=1201)
"East of the Euphrates: Early Christianity in Asia" - oozeaddai - 02-08-2005
Here actually is one of my favorite resources for the basis of Syriac Church History and evangelism. While some of you old timers, probably have run across it on the web, before. I figured I would post this link, to those of you who haven't got a chance to read it. There are other ones more detailed like "the Church Aflame" (covering the Church of the East, spread across asia etc.). But hey, they all cost money and some of them are even out of print. This one however is free! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/happy.gif" alt="" title="Happy" /><!-- s --> <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=1553">http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=1553</a><!-- m -->
- Dan Gan - 02-08-2005
Interesting link oozeaddai!
Here is another link that I would like to add to this thread:
A HISTORY OF ST. THOMAS CHRISTIANS OF KERALA
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kerala.com/cristian.htm">http://www.kerala.com/cristian.htm</a><!-- m -->
It is about the Christians of Kerala, India
Quote:As the history goes, St. Thomas went to Sree Lanka (Ceylon) from Kerala and then to Poona in Maharashtra and from Poona he went to China to spread the Gospel. From China, he went back to Edessa and worked there.
(We can learn about his works, in the book of "Nadapadi Krama" and from the "Scrolls of Dead Sea" .) He came back to Kerala again. In 72 AD, he was assassinated by some Hindus in St. Thomas Mount in Madras. He was buried in Mylapore (Madras) in the Hebrew tradition. Later on, his remains were taken from Madras to Edessa (may be in 165 AD).
(According to the legends, the king of Edessa invited Jesus to Edessa to cure his disease and help him; and Jesus replied in writing that the king was blessed as he believed in Him without seeing him, and that He had responsibilities to fulfill at his home. It is said that later, after the resurrection of Jesus, Thomas went to Edessa and cured the king.) Thus St. Thomas became the founder of Christianity in Kerala. We believe that he built seven Churches in Kerala, Niranam, Nilackal, etc.
Quote:The language of the Jews was Abraya language. The fifth son of Shaem, Aram's descendants were in Persia (during 5th-6th century BC), and Aramaic was their official language. When Babylon conquered Judea, the Jews learned this language and took it back to their home-land, Palestine. Syriac is Aramaic. Since the beginning, Syriac is the language of worship for the St. Thomas Christians, and so, they are also known as Syrian Christians (Suriani Christian). Now many of the prayers and books are translated from Syriac to Malayalam. The Syrian Christians always had close relationship with the Orthodox churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Armenia, etc. Their representatives attended the synods of Nice (325 AD),etc
There is another link to an interesting article online that I would like to add but I am not so sure whether this link that is indexed by Google is meant for public viewing without having to pay any subscription fee.
- Paul Younan - 02-08-2005
Shlama Akhi Dan,
This is referring to Christians from the Roman Empire who were "Syrians".
The Church of the East did not send any delegation to Nicea or any other council in the Western Empire. They did not live in the Western Empire.
They didn't even find out about Nicea until an ambassador from the West, whose name was Marutha, brought them the canons arrived at by that Western synod.
For ecumenical purposes, the CoE accepted this council - but it did not have to. Nor was it involved in any way whatsoever in the council of Nicea.
The Persian church had its own councils, and there were no representatives from the Western Church who attended those.
- judge - 02-08-2005
Paul Younan Wrote:They didn't even find out about Nicea until an ambassador from the West, whose name was Marutha, brought them the canons arrived at by that Western synod.
.
Paul, do we know what year this happned?
- oozeaddai - 02-09-2005
[quote="Dan Gan"]A HISTORY OF ST. THOMAS CHRISTIANS OF KERALA
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.kerala.com/cristian.htm">http://www.kerala.com/cristian.htm</a><!-- m -->
It is about the Christians of Kerala, India
Ok cool I this one site that I was not aware of thanks!
- oozeaddai - 02-09-2005
judge Wrote:Paul Younan Wrote:They didn't even find out about Nicea until an ambassador from the West, whose name was Marutha, brought them the canons arrived at by that Western synod.
.
Paul, do we know what year this happned?
Well since were on the subject of COE and Syriac church history web sites was gong to recommend another web site for folks interested in the topic.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.nestorian.org/">http://www.nestorian.org/</a><!-- m -->
anyway here are some quotes on this issue from the "Nestorian History" section of the web site.
"Mar Aprim the Assyrian, the representative of the Church in the first ecumenical council at Nicea in 325A.D., played a great role in the literary and religious life of all Christians until today. That is the reason he is recognized by the Roman Catholic Church which declared Saint Aprim as the doctor of the Universal Church"
and it said this in "timeline" area
325 First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea asserts Christ's deity (James of Nisibis and a Persian bishop from "India" recorded as attending)
James of Nisibis establishes theological school in Nisibis after the Council of Nicaea
- oozeaddai - 02-09-2005
Ok one more! <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/happy.gif" alt="" title="Happy" /><!-- s --> BY FOOT TO CHINA
Mission of The Church of the East, to 1400
By
John M. L. Young
Chairman
Japan Presbyterian Mission
Missionary of Mission to the
World of the Presbyterian Church in America
DEDICATED
to the memory of the men of God who thirteen centuries ago first took the gospel to China - "the missionaries who traveled on foot, sandals on their feet, a staff in their hands, a basket on their backs, and in the basket the Holy Scriptures and the cross. They went over deep rivers and high mountains, thousands of miles, and on the way, meeting many nations, they preached to them the gospel of Christ."
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.aina.org/books/bftc/bftc.htm">http://www.aina.org/books/bftc/bftc.htm</a><!-- m -->
- Paul Younan - 02-09-2005
Shlama Akhi Addai,
Mar Aprim wasn't part of the Persian Church. In fact, when Persia conquered Edessa he fled further west into the Byzantine empire.
Mar Yaqub (James) of Nisibis lived and led the church there while Nisibis was under Roman control. Nisibis didn't come under Persian control until the reign of the Persian Shah Shapur II.
The Church of the East had no representation or participation at Nicea, or at any other Western Church council. Likewise, the Church of the West had no representation or participation at any Eastern Church council.
- Paul Younan - 02-09-2005
Shlama Akhi Michael,
Marutha brought the canons of Nicea to the Church of the East during the Council of Mar Isaac in the town of Seluecia-Ctesiphon (Babylon) in the year 410.
See:
http://www.stpaulassyrianchurch.org/churchoftheeast.htm
The Nicean Council was held, of course, in 325.
- judge - 02-09-2005
Paul Younan Wrote:Shlama Akhi Michael,
Marutha brought the canons of Nicea to the Church of the East during the Council of Mar Isaac in the town of Seluecia-Ctesiphon (Babylon) in the year 410.
See:
http://www.stpaulassyrianchurch.org/churchoftheeast.htm
The Nicean Council was held, of course, in 325.
Thanks Paul,
and when did the Persian Church hear about the council of Ephesus?
- Paul Younan - 02-10-2005
judge Wrote:Thanks Paul,
and when did the Persian Church hear about the council of Ephesus?
It must have been some time after Nestorius' death, since one of the reasons given for their refusal to accept the decisions of this Western Council was that they refused to excommunicate someone who had already died and couldn't come to his own defense.