HEBREW-BRAHMIN ROOTS OF THE ST.

THOMAS SYRIAN CHRISTIANS, ALSO KNOWN AS NAZRANEES (NAZARENES), OF MALANKARA/MALABAR/KERALA

Dr. Kuruvilla Cherian Amprayil (Email: amprayilusa@gmail.com)

Introduction
The Brahmin roots of the St. Thomas Syrian (Syriac) Christians, or Nazranees, of south-west India or Malankara (former Travancore-Cochin-Malabar, present day Kerala) have been indicated in several publications; mention has been made, for example by S.G. Pothen in his book THE SYRIAN CHRISTIANS OF KERALA (Asia Publishing House, 1963), of several high caste families including several Brahmin families - notably the Kalli, Kaliankara, Sankarapuri, Madapoor, Vyampilli, Muttedal, Kottakara and Pakalomattam families - who accepted the Gospel from Apostle Thomas during his missionary work in south-west India in the first century. Perhaps less well known and less documented are the possible Hebrew (Jewish/Israelite) roots of this ancient Christian community.

Nazranees (Nazarenes) and Ancient Jewish/Hebrew Christianity

A primary indication of Hebrew roots are evident in the name by which this community has been (and is) known locally: Nazranees (or Nazarenes). Dr. Ray A. Pritz, in his thesis NAZARENE JEWISH CHRISTIANITY (The Magnes Press, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1988) mentions that Christian was originally used by non-Christians to designate believers among the Gentiles while Nazarenes was already used in Palestine to describe Jewish adherents to the new Messianic sect. This name had been used to describe Christians of Hebrew origin in places far away from Palestine as well, as the findings of Dr. Asahel Grant show. Having been deputed by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions to learn about the Nestorians in Persia, Dr. Grant, a physician-missionary, reached Persia in 1835; he returned to the USA in 1840 and submitted a report of his findings which was published as THE NESTORIANS OR, THE LOST TRIBES (Harper & Brothers, New York, 1841). Dr. Grant mentions of the tradition of the Nazoreans (Nazarenes) among the Nestorians that they are the posterity of the Israelites of the ancient northern kingdom carried away into captivity and dispersed among the nations by Assyrian kings; their ancestors accepted the Gospel directly from the Apostles, including Thomas. This fact was attested by Jews living among or near them. The Nazorean Nestorians exhibited antipathy to the Jews while at the same time they also exhibited several traits and followed traditions similar to those of the Jews. Dr. Grants observations and conclusions, including the possible Hebrew/Israelite branches involved, are given in detail in his book. To show that the name Nazorean is not an incidental adoption but reflects a Hebrew heritage of the community known by the name, he also specifically mentions about the St. Thomas Christians of Travancore (Malankara) who also have the name Nazranees or Nazoreans, and points out that they too have traditions, rites, customs and evidence of a Hebrew origin. He has expressed the view that the St. Thomas Christians could have derived the name from Nestorian groups who were driven to seek refuge in India by the bloody persecutions of the 4th and 7th centuries, or they may be converts from some other branch of the Hebrew family. Further historic, social and scientific studies indicate that all these possibilities were involved in the case of the St. Thomas Nazranee Christian community of Malankara in India.

The Apostles and Dispersed Hebrew/Israelite Communities

It is a well known fact of history that the ancient northern Kingdom of Israel was destroyed and its inhabitants enslaved and exiled by ancient Assyria around 722 BC. It is also believed that there were subsequent dispersions from the ancient southern Kingdom of Judah as well. Several scholars have made observations which support the multiple Hebrew (Jewish/Israelite) dispersion view. For example, Dr. William S. McBirnie of the California Graduate School of Theology, in his book THE SEARCH FOR THE TWELVE APOSTLES (Tyndale House Publishers, Illinois, 1973) mentions that there was not just one single dispersion of the tribes of Israel, though the process began in 725 BC when Assyria carried off many people of the Israelite tribes in the northern kingdom; instead, there were successive waves of removal from Palestine which scattered the Israelites and Jews everywhere. He then points precisely to the Jews of Cochin to prove the point. Though it is often stated by modern scholars that the exact whereabouts of most of the dispersed Hebrews or Israelites are unknown, it appears the early Apostles were aware of where they were; for example, the Epistle of James begins with James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings. (21st Century KJV). Dr. McBirnie in the book referred to earlier and also Dr. George M. Moraes in his book published in 1964, A HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY IN INDIA, FROM EARLY TIMES TO ST. FRANCIS XAVIER: A.D. 52-1542 (Manaktalas, Bombay, 1964) besides others, mention that as a rule the Apostles preached the Gospel to the Jews (or

Israelites) first and then to the Gentiles, and they must have been guided by this principle when they divided the known inhabited world among themselves for evangelization. According to the late Dr. T.V. Philip, distinguished Mar Thoma Church Historian and author of EAST OF THE EUPHRATES EARLY CHRISTIANITY IN ASIA (ISPCK & CSS, 1998), Apostle Thomas is believed to have carried out more than one missionary journey to the East, as Apostle Paul is known to have to the West. Since even St. Paul is reported to have gone first to the Jews (or Israelites) and then turned to the Gentiles, Apostle Thomas too would have followed this pattern of preaching the Gospel first to the lost sheep of Israel in the East. The difference perhaps was that Apostle Thomas may have received a more enthusiastic welcome from his Hebrew (Jewish/Israelite) brethren, who had been cut off for long from Palestine and dispersed in Babylon/Persia and India. In the ACTS OF THOMAS, and also quoted in later publications such as THE LESSER EASTERN CHURCHES (AMS Press Reprint, New York, 1972) by Dr. Adrian Fortescue, and the book on the Cochin Jews (referred to later below), Apostle Thomas is reported to have visited Edessa and Babylon, where Christianity began among the Jews, and later the kingdom of Gondophares in Parthia (Northern India). According to Dr. Moraes, it was possibly the existence of a Jewish colony at Takshashila which drew him to this place, and the merchant Habban who brought him to India was a Christian one of those Parthian Jews who embraced Christianity on Pentecost day after hearing Apostle Peters sermon. Apostle Thomas later preached the Gospel in the island of Socotra and passed over to Cranganore (known as Muziris to Pliny the Elder) on the Malabar coast where too there was an ancient community of Hebrews (Jews/Israelites), considered by some to have existed from the days of King Solomon. William Logan of the former Madras Civil Service, in his book MALABAR MANUAL (Madras 1887 and Asian Educational Services, Delhi, 2004), mentions that the Jews of Malabar have at least traditions, which carry back their arrival on the coast to the time of their escape from servitude under Cyrus in the sixth century B.C. Apostle Thomas converted both Hebrews and Gentiles and established churches in Malabar, before going over to Mylapore where he was martyred.

Historic & Cultural Indications of Hebrew Roots of Nazranees

Let us now examine where the views on the Hebrew heritage of the Nazaranee Christians of St. Thomas stand in the light of modern historical and cultural studies & research. Eusebius and St. Jerome, around the 3rd/4th century, mention of the visit of Pantaenus of Alexandria to India where he found a copy of the Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew or Aramaic - which obviously must have been used by priests who knew the language, and this must have been Hebrews! The possibility of Hebrew (Jewish and/or Israelite) roots of Nazranees therefore merits serious consideration. Rev. Leslie Brown, in his book THE INDIAN CHRISTIANS OF ST. THOMAS (Cambridge University Press, 1982), has quoted the traditional song Thoma Parvam mentioning about Apostle Thomas having made converts in Thiruvachikulam (Cranganore) from Jews who were living there, as well as from natives of the place. He has also pointed out that most of the sites associated in tradition with Apostle Thomas are on trade routes and often associated with Jewish colonies. He mentions of a Hebrew letter of 1768, which in addition to recording certain traditions of the Jews, states that there were then six colonies of Jews; these were at Cochin (where the Rajah had received them and given them land on their expulsion from Cranganore (Muziris) by the Portuguese in 1566), Anjikaimal (near Cochin), Paravoor (where the synagogue is near the Syrian church), Chendamangalam (here also the synagogue adjoins the church), Mala, Tirutur and Mattom. There were, however, other Jewish colonies too, as evidenced by locality names such as Judakunnu (Jews hill) near the church at Palayur and Judankulam (Jews pool) near the village of Vadakkat in Malabar. Rev. Brown also mentions that the spoken language of the first (Jewish) immigrants was undoubtedly Aramaic and much of it remains in the service books of the Cochin Jews. Aramaic is related to the Syriac used by the St. Thomas Syrian Christians. Prof. Nathan Katz, Professor of Religious Studies and an internationally recognized authority on South Asian Religions, spent a year in Kerala on a Fullbright Senior Research Fellowship with Ellen S. Goldberg, journalist, editor and photographer to investigate and collect first hand information on the Cochin Jews. This inevitably involved examining the communitys relationship with their neighboring communities - the Syrian Christians or Nazaranee Mappillas, the Muslims or Jonaka Mappillas, and the Hindus. The results of their studies have been published in the book THE LAST JEWS OF COCHIN - JEWISH IDENTITY IN HINDU INDIA (University of South Carolina Press, 1993). In this book, a brief survey of the legendary accounts of the sojourns of the three Abrahmic religious communities in south-western India is also included. According to the authors, there were several waves of Jewish migration to India, with reported origins from the Israel of King Solomon, from the Assyrian conquest of the 8th century BCE, from the Babylonian exile, from the destruction of the Second Temple, from Hadrians oppressions of 136 CE, from fifth century Persia, from Yemen, Spain and Turkey, etc. They also mention, Keralas Jews and Christians not only lived amicably ....but the two developed a symmetrical relationship, quite unique in world history Prof. Katz mentions of an eminent leader of the Cochin Jewish community, Ezekiel Rahabi II having undertaken missions on behalf of local Christians: In 1747, the impoverished Syrian Community of Cochin wanted to send for their new bishop from Basra in Iraq, but lacked the funds to do so. They appealed to Ezekiel II who magnanimously dispatched a ship to fetch the bishop, and advanced the church some 8,000 rupees.

The St. Thomas Nazranee Christians also share with the Jews the tradition of having received a royal charter engraved on copper plates, from the idealized Hindu emperor, Cheraman Perumal. Reference is also made by Prof Katz to the ancient copper plates kept in Holy Ark of the Cochin Synagogue, and the Jewish Malayalam folk song regarding them in which the leader of the Jews, Joseph Rabban, is referred to as the Syrian. Rev. Leslie Brown and S.G. Pothen, in their books on the St. Thomas Syrian Christians, mention of similar plates (chepped) granted to the Nazaranees - four or five of which are still in existence; these contain records of grants made to the Nazranees at Kollam (some of these are in the possession of The Mar Thoma Church). The full translations of the first and second sets of copper plates are given in Pothens book. What is especially noteworthy is that while the major part of the copper plate text is in the then extant local Vattezhuthu script, there are signatures in Middle Eastern languages including Hebrew (see pictures of the copper plates at http://www.marthomasyrianchurch.org/heritage.htm)! The implications are clear: there were significant numbers of Middle Eastern and Hebrew speaking members in the St. Thomas Nazranee community when the plates were written. Prof Katz has expressed the opinion that many among the present day Malayalee Nazranee (Nazarene) Syrian Christians are close kin to the Jews - not only the Southists among them who are eager to make the claim, but many among the Northists as well who may not have been too eager about emphasizing it. There are several Northist families, now settled in various places in modern day Kerala State, India and overseas, who have written family histories mentioning ancestral links to ancient Cranganore Nazranees, but without specifically highlighting any Hebrew links. The apparent indifference may be the result of a combination of various social, political and religious considerations, over the centuries. In the past, those who have had a Brahmin heritage as well to speak of may have preferred to highlight that part of their possible ancestral Hebrew-Brahmin roots, as this perhaps was more prestigious in the Indian society context. Such an attitude might have led to their eventually forgetting about their Hebrew roots altogether. Or, it could be the result of the sincere acceptance by the early St. Thomas Nazranee Christians of the principle that There is neither Jew nor Greek.....for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Or, it may even be a wish to dissociate themselves from members of a community which (unfortunately) came to be branded as Christ killers. Whatever the reason(s) may have been, the Hebrew link is, nevertheless, evident in several past and present common customs and traditions. These are similar to or derived from ancient Hebrew traditions, and are being followed by the Northists among the St. Thomas Nazranee Syrian Christians too though they are now divided into several denominations. It must be noted, tragic as it is, that the Nazranee community was forced to give up many of their Hebrew-related customs & traditions by the Roman Catholics at the Synod of Udayamperoor (Diamper) in 1599; a decree was also issued to surrender all records and books in Syriac, and a literary holocaust was carried out, consigning them to the flames - an act comparable to the vandalism of Omar, who by similar wanton destruction ordered the noble library of Alexandria to be consumed by the flames - as mentioned by S.G. Pothen. Whether the Brahmins who received the Gospel from Apostle Thomas were all Hindu Brahmins or were some of them Brahmin-like strict law observant Hebrews (Jews and/or Israelites) following a patriarchal family system too, is a matter to be considered further. Prof. Katz & Goldberg have indicated that the ancient Jewish community of Malabar had several customs and traditions apparently similar to those of the Brahmins, such as 1) a hereditary priesthood paralleling the Brahmins, 2) a fastidious system of dietary regulations, 3) complex laws governing family purity and 4) ascetical tendencies in certain holidays, especially Passover and Yom Kippur and other fasts. Prof. Katz too has expressed the view that Namboothiri Brahmins appeared on the scene only later, around the 8th century or so. Apostle Thomas, according to tradition, ordained the first priests from two families, Pakalomattam and Shankarapuri. Since both Hebrews and Gentiles are reported to have accepted the faith from the Apostle, wouldnt it be more likely and logical that selections for priesthood were made from Hebrew converts who were already familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures and the Messianic prophecies, rather than Hindu Brahmin converts or other Gentiles whose familiarity till then lay in the Hindu/Jain/Buddhist Scriptures?

Scientific/Genetic Evidence for Hebrew Roots of Nazranees

Continued rigorous archaeological investigations in Cranganore and surrounding areas may provide valuable results, though one must remember that the climatic conditions there have not exactly been favorable for possible documentary evidence to be preserved for centuries as in the case of the ancient scroll discoveries at Nag Hammadi or Qumran. However, The Almighty has preserved for us, a very reliable record of our ancestral roots in a safer location in our own genes! Recent advances in modern genetics offer this generation of Nazranees the facility to investigate scientifically their ancestral origins through genetic DNA tests - something which wasnt available to our ancestors. A male person has Y chromosome (Y-DNA) that is passed down only from father to son, while both male and female persons have mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that is passed down from the mother. Y-DNA tests have been developed, and are being used, that would provide information about the male paternal ancestral line; similarly, mtDNA tests have been developed that would provide information about ones maternal ancestral line. Genetic genealogy has now rapidly developed into an effective tool to investigate ancestral origins of various communities worldwide. More specifically, it has helped confirm Israelite origins of communities such as the Bene Israel in India and the Lembas in Africa. In fact Y-DNA genetic

signatures have been reported from Jewish/Israelite populations that indicate Cohen origins (A patrilineal priestly line in Judaism - Aarons descendents), and also the priestly tribe of Levi. One of the well known firms offering genetic genealogy testing is FamilyTreeDNA based in Texas. Their website (www.familytreedna.com) provides links to a wealth of information on the subject. They also maintain databases and offer facilities to join a Surname/Community or Geographic DNA project for their DNA tests at special rates, and listing with other members of the community who also have had their DNA tests done and results obtained. Such a project for Syrian Christians of Kerala exists and may be found at http://www.familytreedna.com/public/SyrianChristiansOfIndia, of which Jacob Thomas Manakalathil is the Administrator. This project has just begun and members of the wider Nazranee community now have the opportunity for genetic genealogy testing to obtain reliable scientific evidence regarding their patrilineal and matrilineal ancestral origins Middle Eastern and/or Indian. The above site provides links to the Y-DNA and mtDNA results of Syrian Christians who have joined the project and have had their Y-DNA and mtDNA tested; currently the number is about 35, which is very small compared to the overall size of the Nazranee/Syrian Christian population. But certain trends are evident. Of the results so far, the Y-DNA results indicate middle-eastern origin/roots among many Nazranees, and in some cases these apparently include the possibility of Hebrew, Levite and Cohanim ancestry as well! If the Y-DNA tests confirm Levite/Cohanim genetic ancestral links of Nazranees, it could then mean that the Namboothiri/Brahmin origins statements may have to be looked upon as a misnomer for priestly class: Namboothiri = Brahmin = Priestly class, and Levite/Cohen = Priestly class; therefore, a phrase such as a priestly class origin like Brahmins to denote Nazranees of Levite/Cohen ancestry during the early centuries could have evolved over the centuries to just Brahmin origin! This need not mean that there were no Indian Brahmin converts at all, but is stated only to show how the Brahmin origin concept could have become very widespread among the Nazranees, even among those with Hebrew origins. Many recorded Nazranee family histories may thus need correction to incorporate their real Hebrew/Israelite origins; the question remaining is, how many would show the courage to search for, find and accept the genetic genealogy facts that could be revealed by modern science and DNA analysis? Perhaps the Nazranee Diasporas and their younger generations would take up this challenge and search for their Hebrew roots!

Conclusions
Summarizing the discussions above, we have seen that: 1. Scholarly opinion indicates that in the past the term Nazarenes, or Nazranees, has traditionally referred to followers of Yeshu the Nazarene, from Hebrew (Jewish/Israelite) background. 2. The Apostles were apparently aware where the dispersed Hebrew (Jewish/Israelite) communities were. It must have been the ancient Hebrew settlements on the Malabar coast that attracted Apostle Thomas to this region; and as was the practice of the Apostles, he would have preached the Gospel first to the Hebrews and then to the Gentiles. 3. Historic and cultural analysis of the Nazranee community does indicate evidence of Hebrew roots. The early Nazranee priesthood selections may therefore have been from Hebrew converts who were already familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures and the Messianic prophecies. 4. Modern genetic genealogy (Y-DNA) tests provide scientific support for possible middle-eastern ancestry among at least some of the Nazranees; these include the possibility of Hebrew, Levite and Cohanim ancestry as well in some cases. The phrase a priestly class origin like Brahmins to denote Nazranees of Levite/Cohen ancestry could have, over the centuries, evolved to the phrase Brahmin origins, thus leading to the widespread use of the latter phrase when discussing Nazranee origins.