View source for Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

{{Short description|Malankara body of the Syriac Orthodox Church in India}}
{{distinguish|text=the British political movement, [[Jacobitism]]}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox Christian denomination
| icon               = Syriac orthodox COA.svg
| icon_width         = 80px
| icon_alt           = [[List of Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch|Syriac Orthodox Church Under the Holy See of Antioch and All East]]
| name               = Jacobite Syrian Church
| native_name        = 
| native_name_lang   = 
| image              = 
| imagewidth         = 300px
| alt                = Patriarch Ignatius Zaka I Iwas Centre
| caption            = Patriarch Ignatius Zaka I Iwas Centre in [[Kochi]]
| abbreviation       = JSC
| type               = 
| scripture          = [[Peshitta]]<br />''Vishudhagrandham'' (Malayalam Translation)
| polity             = [[Episcopal polity]]
| governance         = 
| separated_from     = 
| structure          = 
| leader_title       = [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|Patriarch]]
| leader_name        = [[Ignatius Aphrem II]]
| leader_title2      = [[Catholicos of India | Catholicos]]
| leader_name2       = [[Baselios Joseph I | Baselios Joseph]]<ref>{{cite news |script-title= ml:യാക്കോബായ സഭക്ക് പുതിയ നാഥൻ; ജോസഫ് മാർ  ഗ്രി ഗോറിയോസ് കതോലിക്ക ബാവായാകും |language=ml | url= https://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/joseph-mar-gregorios-takes-charge-as-new-catholics-of-jacobite-1.10146141 |date=8 December 2024 }}</ref>
| leader_title3      = 
| leader_name3       = 
| fellowships_type   = 
| fellowships        = 
| fellowships_type1  = 
| fellowships1       = 
| division_type      = Church
| division           = [[Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch]]{{sfnp|Brock|2011}}
| division_type1     = 
| division1          = 
| division_type2     = 
| division2          = 
| division_type3     = 
| division3          = 
| area               = India and [[Nasarani]] [[Malayali]] Diaspora
| language           = [[Malayalam language|Malayalam]], English, [[Hindi]], [[Syriac language|Syriac]], [[Tamil language|Tamil]], [[Kannada]]
| liturgy            = [[West Syriac Rite]]<br />[[Divine Liturgy of Saint James]]
| main_classification = [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodox]]
| orientation        = [[Syriac Christianity|Syriac]] <br> [[St. Thomas Christians|Malankara]]
| theology           = [[Oriental Orthodox Theology]]
| headquarters       = Patriarch Ignatius Zaka I Iwas Centre (Patriarchal Centre)<br />[[Puthencruz]] [[Kochi]] India
| founder            = [[Saint Thomas the Apostle]]
| founded_date       = {{indented plainlist|
*52 AD by tradition<ref>[http://www.malankaraworld.com/library/History/Resources_history-jacobite-church.htm History of Jacobite Syrian Church]</ref><ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20150102051205/http://www.syriacchristianity.info/MalankaraChurch/DEFAULT.HTM Malankara Church]}}</ref>
*1665 (West Syriac Rite)<ref>{{cite book|first=O. M. |last=Mathew|title=The Syrian Jacobite Church of Kerala and the Church Missionary Society|publisher=Mor Adai Study Centre|year=2013|pages=20–21}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|editor-first=Daniel |editor-last=King|title=The Syriac World|chapter=The Syriac Church Denominations: An overview|first=Dietmar W.|last=Winkler|publisher=Routledge|year=2019|pages=130–131}}</ref>
}}
| branched_from      = [[Malankara Church]]{{sfnp|Brock|2011}}
| separations        = [[Malabar Independent Syrian Church]] (1772), [[Church of South India]] (1836), [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church]] (1889), [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]] (1912,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford History of Christian Worship|title-link=The Oxford History of Christian Worship|editor-link1=Geoffrey Wainwright|editor-last1=Wainwright|editor-first1=Geoffrey|editor-last2=Westerfield Tucker|editor-first2=Karen B.|isbn=978-0-19-513886-3|date=2006|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=[[Oxford]]|chapter=The Ancient Oriental Churches|last=Chaillot|first=Christine|page=132}}</ref> 1975)<ref name="Gorgias">{{cite web|url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/entry/Malankara-Syriac-Orthodox-Church|title= Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church|work= Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition|publisher= Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute|first=Thomas|last=Joseph|access-date=1 September 2024}}</ref>
| merger             = 
| absorbed           = 
| merged_into        = 
| congregations_type = 
| congregations      = 
| members            = 1 million worldwide (2003)<ref name="Encyclopedia of Christianity">Fahlbusch, Erwin; Lochman, Jan Milic; Mbiti, John S.; Vischer, Lukas; Bromiley, Geoffrey William (2003). The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Encyclopedia of Christianity) Volume 5. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. pp. 285–286. </ref>
| ministers_type     = 
| ministers          = 
| missionaries       = 
| churches           = 
| hospitals          = 
| nursing_homes      = 
| aid                = 
| primary_schools    = 
| secondary_schools  = |
| website_title1     = Official News Portal
| website1           = [https://www.jscnews.in/ JSC news]
| slogan             = 
| logo               = 
| footnotes          = 
}}

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The '''Jacobite Syrian Christian Church''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jscnews.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131007101308/http://www.jscnews.org/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=7 October 2013|title=JSC News - The Official News Portal of the Holy Jacobite Syrian Christian Church}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.malankarasyriacvoice.com/News/BavaKalpanafor%20Barodachurch.jpg|title=Pastoral message of H.B Thomas I, Maphrian of India, Jacobite Church Head in India|access-date=19 February 2023|archive-date=17 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160917050211/http://www.malankarasyriacvoice.com/News/BavaKalpanafor%20Barodachurch.jpg|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.mdbookstall.com/AboutUs.aspx |title=Official Publication of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church |access-date=19 February 2023 |archive-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218094448/http://www.mdbookstall.com/AboutUs.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://syriacchristianity.info/pdf/2002Constitution-jc.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160812034542/http://syriacchristianity.info/pdf/2002Constitution-jc.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=12 August 2016|title=Jacobite Syrian Christian Church Constitution 2002 (in Malayalam) The official Constitution of the Church}}</ref>  also known as the '''Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church''',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church |url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Malankara-Syriac-Orthodox-Church |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250114162529/https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Malankara-Syriac-Orthodox-Church |archive-date=2025-01-14 |access-date=2025-03-27 |website=gedsh.bethmardutho.org}}</ref> '''Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church''',<ref>{{Citation |last=Joseph |first=Jacob |title=Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church |date=2023 |work=Encyclopedia of Indian Religions |pages=545–548 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-024-2241-2_33 |access-date=2025-03-27 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |isbn=978-94-024-2240-5}}</ref> or the '''Syriac Orthodox Church in India'''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/metropolitans-from-the-syriac-orthodox-church-of-india-visits-patriarch-ignatius-aphrem-ii/|title=Metropolitan's from the Syriac Orthodox Church of India Visits Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II|date=21 October 2016|access-date=6 December 2024|archive-date=31 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200131130255/http://theorthodoxchurch.info/blog/news/metropolitans-from-the-syriac-orthodox-church-of-india-visits-patriarch-ignatius-aphrem-ii/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Alexander|first=George|title=The Orthodox Dilemma|year=2018|edition=3rd rev.|publisher=OCP Publications|isbn=9781387922284|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPdiDwAAQBAJ|page=56}}</ref> is an autonomous [[maphrian]]ate<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kaniamparampil |first=Curian Corepiscopa |url=https://archive.org/details/syrianorthodoxch0000kani |title=The Syrian Orthodox Church in India and Its Apostolic Faith |date=1989 |publisher=Tiruvalla, Kerala, India: National Offset Press / Rev. Philips Gnanasikhamony |others=Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute}}</ref> of the [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch]] based in [[Kerala]], India and a part of the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]. It is headed by the Catholicos of India, [[Baselios Joseph I|Mor Baselios Joseph]], within the hierarchy of Syriac Orthodox Church.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Welcome to Jacobite Syrian Christian Church |url=http://www.jacobitesyrianchurch.org/ |website=jacobitesyrianchurch.org |quote="The Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, an Orthodox church in Malankara (Kerala, India) is an integral part of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church with the Patriarch of Antioch, His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II as its supreme head. The local head of the church in Malankara is the Catholicose of the east, His Beatitude Aboon Mor Baselios Thomas I, ordained by and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch."}}</ref>

According to tradition, it was founded by [[Thomas the Apostle|Saint Thomas the Apostle]].<ref name="Britannica">{{cite web |last1=Frykenberg |first1=Robert Eric |title=Thomas Christians |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Thomas-Christians |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> It is currently the only church in [[Malankara Church|Malankara]] that maintains the hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church under the Holy See of Antioch. The church employs the [[West Syriac Rite]]'s [[Liturgy of Saint James]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Saint Thomas Christians- Chronological Events from First Century to Twenty First Century|url=https://www.nasrani.net/saint-thomas-christians-chronological-events-from-first-century-to-twenty-first-century/|website=Nasranis}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Thomas|first1=Abraham Vazhayil|title=Christians in Secular India|date=1974|publisher=Fairleigh Dickinson Univ Press|isbn=9780838610213|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dcDhYz8vUKcC&q=syria+and+india+relation+christiaNITY&pg=PA90|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Joseph|first1=John|title=Muslim-Christian Relations and Inter-Christian Rivalries in the Middle East: The Case of the Jacobites in an Age of Transition|year=1984|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9781438408064|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1rlfxl0_YkIC&q=syria+and+india+relation+christiaNITY&pg=PA141|language=en}}</ref>

==Name==
In the aftermath of the [[Council of Chalcedon]], Emperor [[Justinian I]] who supported the [[Chalcedonians]], exiled [[Patriarch of Antioch|Patriarch]] [[Severus of Antioch]] to Egypt, for refusing to accept the council, and professing [[Miaphysitism]]. The Syriac Orthodox Church is the church of Antioch that continued to accept Severus as [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|patriarch]] until his death in 538 AD. During this turbulent time for the church, [[Jacob Baradaeus]] was consecrated as bishop with the support of [[Theodora (wife of Justinian I)|Empress Theodora]] and he led and revived the church.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mor Ya'qub Burdono (St. Jacob Baradaeus)|url=http://www.syriacchristianity.info/bio/MorYaqubBurdono.htm|access-date=2021-09-01|website=www.syriacchristianity.info|archive-date=22 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422004926/http://www.syriacchristianity.info/bio/MorYaqubBurdono.htm|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The term "Jacobite" was originally used as a derogatory word for Miaphysites from the church of Antioch, but were later embraced by the church.

==History==
{{Main|Saint Thomas Christians|Saint Thomas Christian Churches|Malankara Church}}
[[File:Branches & Denominations of Saint Thomas Christians.svg|alt=|thumb|400px|History and evolution of the Malankara church.]]
According to Indian Christian tradition, the Saint Thomas Christians of [[Kerala]] were evangelized by [[Thomas the Apostle]], who reached Malankara in 52 CE.<ref name="Britannica" /> The dominant view<ref name="Gorgias">{{cite web|url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/entry/Malankara-Syriac-Orthodox-Church|title= Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church|work= Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition|publisher= Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute|first=Thomas|last=Joseph|access-date=1 September 2024}}</ref> is that the entirety of the Saint Thomas Christian community gradually gravitated towards the Persian [[Church of the East]] headed by the Catholicos-Patriarch of [[Seleucia-Ctesiphon]], and became part of its [[Fars (East Syriac ecclesiastical province)#The Archdiocese of Rev Ardashir|archdiocese of Rev Ardashir]], by 420 CE,<ref name="Mallampalli2023">{{cite book |last1=Mallampalli |first1=Chandra |title=South Asia's Christians: Between Hindu and Muslim |date=2023 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-060890-3 |pages=24–28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-d2mEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Baumer2016">{{cite book |last1=Baumer |first1=Christoph |title=The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity |date=5 September 2016 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-1-83860-933-7 |pages=58–68 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6eiWDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref><ref name="Kanjamala2014">{{cite book |last1=Kanjamala |first1=Augustine |title=The Future of Christian Mission in India: Toward a New Paradigm for the Third Millennium |date=21 August 2014 |publisher=Wipf and Stock Publishers |isbn=978-1-63087-485-8 |pages=109–110 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FaENBQAAQBAJ |language=en}}</ref> which lasted till the arrival of Portuguese colonists in the 16th century.{{sfn|Brock|2011|loc=[https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/entry/Thomas-Christians Thomas Christians]}} The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church however maintains that Saint Thomas Christians always acknowledged the ecclesiastical pre-eminence of the [[Patriarch of Antioch]] over the "East", which covers Persia and India, based on the canons of the ecumenical councils of [[First Council of Nicaea|Nicaea]] and [[First Council of Constantinople|Constantinople]].<ref name="Gorgias" /> The Jacobite church further argues that the Persian bishops who governed Saint Thomas Christians, recognized the supremacy of the Patriarch of Antioch before 500 CE. However, it acknowledges the perpetual connections with the Church of the East from the 14th to 16th centuries.<ref name="Gorgias" />

In the 16th century, the overtures of the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] ''[[Padroado]]'' to bring the Saint Thomas Christians into the [[Latin Church]] of the Catholic Church led to the first of several rifts in the community due to Portuguese colonialists, and the establishment of the [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]]. Since then, further splits have occurred, and the Saint Thomas Christians are now divided into several factions.

Saint Thomas Christians were administratively under the single native dynastic leadership of an archdeacon (a native ecclesiastical head with spiritual and temporal powers, deriving from the Greek term ''arkhidiākonos'') and were in communion with the church in the Middle East from at least 496 AD.{{sfnm|Frykenberg|2008|1p=93|Wilmshurst|2000|2p=343}} The indigenous Church of Malabar/Malankara followed the faith and traditions handed over by the apostle St. Thomas. In the 16th century, the Portuguese [[Jesuits]] deliberately attempted to annex the native Christians to the Catholic Church, and in 1599 they succeeded through the [[Synod of Diamper]]. Resentment against these forceful measures caused the majority of the community under Archdeacon Thomas to swear an oath never to submit to the Portuguese, known as the [[Coonan Cross Oath]], in 1653.

Meanwhile, the [[Dutch East India Company]] defeated the Portuguese and gained supremacy over the spice trade in Malabar in 1663. The Malankara church used this opportunity to escape from Catholic persecution with the company's help. At the church's request, the Dutch brought [[Gregorios Abdal Jaleel|Gregorius Abdul Jaleel]] of [[Jerusalem in Christianity|Jerusalem]], a bishop of the Syriac Orthodox Church, aboard their trading vessel in 1665. The Malankara Church consolidated under [[Mar Thoma I|Archdeacon Thoma]] welcomed [[Gregorios Abdal Jaleel]], who regularized the canonical ordination of Thoma as a bishop. The Malankara Church gradually adopted [[West Syriac Rite|West Syriac liturgy]] and practices.

As part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, the church has continued to use the adopted West Syriac liturgy, and as of the 21st century, has dioceses in most parts of India as well as in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Western Europe, the [[Persian Gulf]], Australia, and New Zealand. In 2003 it was estimated that the church had 1,000,000 (including [[Knanaya]]) members globally.<ref name="Fahlbusch">{{Cite book |author1=Fahlbusch, Erwin |author2=Lochman, Jan Milic |author3=Mbiti, John S. |author4=Vischer, Lukas |author5=Bromiley, Geoffrey William | title=The Encyclopedia of Christianity (Encyclopedia of Christianity) Volume 5 | year=2003 | publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company | isbn=0-8028-2417-X | pages=285–286}}</ref>

== Beliefs and practices ==
{{multiple image
| perrow      = 3
| total_width = 350
| image1      = Divine_litugury_jacobite.jpg
| caption1    = Celebration of [[Holy Qurobo]] at [[St. Mary's Cathedral, Kundara]]
| image2      = 
}}

=== Liturgy ===
{{See also|Liturgy of Saint James|Malankara Rite|West Syriac Rite}}
{{multiple image| perrow = 2|total_width=350
| image1 = Baptismal font at Akaparamp Church.jpg|caption1=Traditional baptismal font with indigenous sculptural elements at Akaparamb Mor Sapor Mor Prod Church.
| image2 = Kozhukatta Nasrani food.jpg|caption2=Nasrani Cross with the traditional food of [[Saint Thomas Christians]]
}}

The [[Mass (liturgy)|liturgical service]] is called [[Holy Qurobo|Holy Qurbono]] in the [[Syriac language]]. The Liturgy of Saint James is celebrated on Sundays and special occasions. The Holy Eucharist consists of [[Gospel]] reading, [[Bible reading]]s, prayers, and songs. Apart from certain readings, prayers are sung in the form of [[chant]]s and [[melody|melodies]]. Hundreds of melodies remain preserved in the book known as [[Beth Gazo]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Patrologia syriaca: complectens opera omnia ss. patrum, doctorum scriptorumque catholicorum, quibus accedunt aliorum acatholicorum auctorum scripta quae ad res ecclesiasticas pertinent, quotquot syriace supersunt, secundum codices praesertim, londinenses, parisienses, vaticanos accurante R. Graffin ... |date=1926 |publisher=Firmin-Didot et socii. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ay4vAAAAMAAJ&q=%DC%92%DC%B6%DC%9D%DC%AC%CC%A5+%DC%93%DC%B0%DC%99%DC%B3%DC%90%E2%80%8E}}</ref> Liturgy is done every Sunday and on feast days, traditionally done every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday (which only some churches follow nowadays).<ref>{{Cite web |title=General History – Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch |url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org |quote=Traditionally, the Holy Qurbono, i.e. Eucharist, is celebrated every Sunday, Wednesday and Friday. Presently, only monasteries observe the Wednesday and Friday Holy Qurbono. Monasteries, and some churches, observe daily prayers known as shhimo ‘simple [prayers]’.}}</ref>

=== Holy Bible ===
{{Main|Peshitta}}
The official Bible of the church is the [[Peshitta]] or its Malayalam translation, ''Vishudhagrandham''(വിശുദ്ധ ഗ്രന്ഥം).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Online |first=Jacobite |title=97th Birthday of Malankara Malpan Korooso Desroro Very Rev Dr. Kurien Cor Episcopa Kaniamparambil on 27 February 2010 – Jacobite Online |url=http://www.jacobiteonline.com/kaniyamparampil-achen/ |access-date=2024-09-25 |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Prayers ===
There are 7 hours of prayers in the Syriac Orthodox Church, in accordance with [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%20119%3A164&version=KJV Psalms 119:164]. The Hours are: Vespers (''Ramsho'' - 6pm), Compline (''Sootoro'' - 9pm), Midnight (''Lilyo'' - 12am), Matins (''Saphro''-6am), Third Hour (''Tloth sho''' - 9am), Sixth Hour (''Sheth sho'' - 12pm), and Ninth Hour (''tsha' sho'' - 3pm).<ref>{{Cite web |title=General History – Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch |url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org |quote=In accordance with Psalm 119, verse 164, “Seven times in the day have I praised thee for thy judgments, O Righteous One,” the Syriac Orthodox Church set the times for prayer to seven: Evening or ramsho prayer (Vespers), Drawing of the Veil or Sootoro prayer (Compline), Midnight or lilyoprayer, Morning or saphro prayer (Matins), the Third Hour or tloth sho`in prayer (Prime, 9 a.m.), the Sixth Hour or sheth sho`in prayer (Sext, noon) and the Ninth Hour or tsha` sho`in prayer (Nones, 3 p.m.). The midnight prayer consists of three qawme ‘watches’ (literally ‘standing’).}}</ref>

The Jacobite Syrian Christians pray from the [[Shehimo]] during [[canonical hours]] in accordance with [[Psalm 119]]. In 1910, Reverend Konattu Mathen Malpan translated the prayer book of the Syrian orthodox church into Malayalam, known as Pampakuda Namaskaram, with permission from [[Ignatius Abded Aloho II]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pampakudavaliyapally.com/details.php?page=1&id=4 | title=St. John's Orthodox Syrian Church Pampakuda }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.syriacchristianity.info/bio/KonattCorepiscopa.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509042151/http://www.syriacchristianity.info/bio/KonattCorepiscopa.htm|url-status=usurped|archive-date=9 May 2015|title=Konatt Mathen Corepiscopo}}</ref> It is the common prayer book of Syrian Orthodox Christians in India.

Prayers are done facing the East, and churches are normally built facing the East, in accordance with [https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2024%3A27&version=NIV Matthew 24:27].

=== Theology ===
{{Main|Trinitarianism|Miaphysitism}}
The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church, as a part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, rejects the [[Council of Chalcedon]] along with the rest of the Oriental Orthodox Churches.<ref>[https://www.csun.edu/~hcfll004/nicaea.html#:~:text=CANON%206,the%20Churches%20retain%20their%20privileges. Nicea Synod Canon 6]</ref> The church believes in the faith as proclaimed by the three Ecumenical [[First Council of Nicaea|Councils of Nicaea]], [[First Council of Constantinople|Constantinople]], and [[Council of Ephesus|Ephesus]]. The church confesses Trinitarianism, that God, who is one in essence, subsists in three [[Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]], the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Father is Unbegotten, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father. The Trinity is one Godhead, having one will, one word, and one lordship.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General History – Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch |url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org |quote=The faith of the Syriac Orthodox Church is in accordance with the Nicene Creed. It believes in the Trinity, that is one God, subsisting in three separate persons called the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three being of one Essence, of one Godhead, have one Will, one Work and one Lordship. The special aspect of the First Person is His Fatherhood, that of the Second Person His Sonship, and that of the Third Person His Procession.}}</ref>

The church believes in the incarnation of God the Son, who is Jesus Christ, of the Virgin Mary, who they teach was cleansed by the Holy Spirit of all natural impurity, filling her with the Father's grace. The church confesses that Christ has one incarnate nature, that is fully human and fully God ([[miaphysitism]]). This union is natural, free of all separateness, intermixture, confusion mingling, change, and transformation. The church maintains that at the time of Christs death, his body separated from his soul, and his divinity did not depart from either.<ref>{{Cite web |title=General History – Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch |url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org}}</ref>

The Malankara Church has accepted miaphysitism since early on, per pictorial evidence in St. Mary's Knanaya Church of Kottayam, [[Piravom Church]], and [[Mulanthuruthy Church]] dating to the first millennium.<ref>[https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-mural-paintings-in-northern-altar-in-st-marys-knanaya-church-valiyapally-43163357.html Kottayam Valiyapally Mural Painting]</ref>

{{blockquote|In punishment by the cross (was) the suffering on this one; He who is true Christ and God above, and Guide ever Pure|Inscription of St. Mary's Knanaya Church, Kottayam<ref>{{cite book|title=On some Pahlavī inscriptions in South India|first=Arthur Coke|last=Burnell|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t3IIAAAAQAAJ&q=314&pg=PA18|year=1874|page=314}}</ref>}}

=== Apostolic succession ===
[[File:Thomas of Cana and the Knanaya Depart for India.jpg|thumb|[[Thomas of Cana]] and the [[Knanaya]] depart for India]]The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church of India established by [[Thomas the Apostle|Saint Thomas the Apostle]] believes in [[apostolic succession]] within the hierarchy of the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], within the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodox Communion]].

It is under the [[Syriac Orthodox patriarch of Antioch and All the East|Holy See of Antioch]], established by [[Saint Peter]], which was confirmed as a patriarchate in the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]], along with the [[Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church|Holy See of Alexandria]], and the Holy See of Rome. All bishops of the East must be in communion with the patriarch of Antioch. A bishop in the East who is not in communion with the Holy See of Antioch is considered invalid by the church.

The highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy is the [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|patriarch of Antioch]], head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, who became the [[first among equals]] of the [[Diocese of the East]] as stated by the [[First Council of Nicaea|Council of Nicaea]] (Canon 6). The second among equals is the [[maphrian]], known nowadays as the [[Catholicos of India]], and is the head of the Jacobite Syrian Church in India, and first among the Syriac Orthodox bishops in India. There are also archbishops, and bishops.

'''''Three ranks of hierarchy'''''

There are three ranks of priesthood in the Syriac Orthodox Church:

*Episcopate: [[Patriarch]], [[Catholicos]], [[Archbishop]] and [[Bishop]].
*Vicariate: [[Archpriest]] (Corepiscopos) and [[Priest]](Kashisho).
*Deaconate: [[Archdeacon]], [[Deacon]], [[Subdeacon]], [[Lector]] (Qoruyo) and [[Acolyte]] (mzamrono).<ref>{{Cite web |title=General History – Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch |url=https://syrianorthodoxchurch.org/general-history/ |access-date=2024-09-07 |website=syrianorthodoxchurch.org |quote=Episcopate: Within it there are the ranks of Patriarch, Catholicos, archbishop, and bishop.<br />Vicarate: Within it there are the ranks of chor-episcopos and priest or qasheesho.<br />Deaconate: Within it there are the ranks of archdeacon, evangelical-deacon, subdeacon, lector or qoruyoand singer or mzamrono.}}</ref>

=== Intercession of saints ===
[[File:Vilangu Holy relics.jpg|thumb|The prayer room of Vilangu St. Mary's Church kept the Holy relics of [[Gregorios of Parumala]] and Mor [[Athanasius Paulose]]]]
The church believes in the intercessions of the St. Mary and all the Saints. The church holds the place of the Virgin Mary as the Mother of God as affirmed by the Council of Ephesus, with the title of ''Theotokos''(Θεοτόκος) in Greek, ''Yoldath Aloho''(ܝܠܕܬ ܐܠܗܐ) in Syriac, or ''Daiva Mathavu (ദൈവമാതാവ്)'' in Malayalam. The church also considers St. Thomas the Apostle as its patron saint, the Apostle of India (ܫܠܝܚܐ ܕܗܢܕܘܐ S''hleehe d'Hendo''). Its most venerated relics include the [[Holy Girdle]] of the [[Theotokos]] and the relics of [[Thomas the Apostle|Saint Thomas the Apostle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=St.Mary's Jacobite Syrian Cathedral, Manarcad |url=http://manarcadstmaryschurch.org/about-st-marys-cathedral/the-holy-sunero/ |access-date=2021-09-01 |language=en-US}}</ref> The church of India also venerates other saints, local saints, church fathers, martyrs, aligned with the practices of the entire [[Syriac Orthodox Church]].

==Contemporary disputes==

=== Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church ===
The JSC and MOSC regularly engage in disputes over the position of the [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|Patriarch of Antioch]] of the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], and his authority over the Malankara Church. The conflict with MOSC started in 1912, when the Malankara Metropolitan [[Dionysius of Vattasseril|Dionysius Vattesseril]] was suspended by the [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East|Patriarch of Antioch]], [[Ignatius Abded Aloho II]]. This caused Vattesseril to go to the deposed Patriarch, [[Ignatius Abded Mshiho II]], to get an autocephalous Catholicate established in Malankara. After years of conflict the church reunited in 1955, under the Patriarchate of Antioch, with an autonomous Maphrianate, leading to the subsequent enthronement of [[Baselios Augen I]] as [[Catholicos of India|Catholicos of the East]]. However, in 1974, the Catholicate sought to remove the Patriarch from his authority over Malankara, leading to Augen I being suspended by the Syriac Orthodox Synod of 1975 from his position, and the enthronement of [[Baselios Paulose II]] as [[Catholicos of India|Catholicos of the East]], causing a second split into the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church (who supported the Synod) and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (who rejected the Synod).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Brief History of The Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch in India, Baselios Church Digital Library |url=http://www.malankaraworld.com/library/History/Resources_history-jacobite-church.htm |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=www.malankaraworld.com}}</ref>

The MOSC proclaims the general agreement of territorial jurisdictions integral to the Orthodox churches around the world and alleges that the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate illegally interferes in the temporal matters of the Malankara Church. The JSC lost many of its prominent churches to the Malankara Orthodox after the Supreme Court of India's verdict, despite having absolute majority in many of those churches.<ref>[https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/explained-the-piravom-church-stand-off-and-the-century-old-rivalry-among-two-christian-factions-in-kerala/article29521667.ece Explained {{!}} The Piravom church stand-off and the century-old rivalry among two Christian factions in Kerala]</ref> After the long struggle for talks on churches that were dismissed by Malankara Orthodox, the Jacobite Syrian Church decided to end their sacramental relationship with them in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/jacobite-church-ends-sacramental-relationship-with-orthodox-church-1.5166179 |title=Sacramental Relationship |access-date=29 March 2021 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101015000/https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/jacobite-church-ends-sacramental-relationship-with-orthodox-church-1.5166179 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Ecumenical relationships==
{{multiple image
| perrow = 1
| total_width = 290
| image1 = Leaders Of SOC and RC.jpg
| caption1 = Catholicos [[Baselios Thomas I]] with [[Ignatius Aphrem II]] of the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] and [[Pope Francis]] of [[Catholic Church|Holy Catholic Church]]
| image2 = Most. Revd. Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma and Dr. Philipose Mar Chrysostom with Moran Mor Ignatius Aphrem II.jpg
| caption2 = [[Joseph Mar Thoma]], [[Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma]] with [[Ignatius Aphrem II]]
}}
Aside from the ecumenical agreements by the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], and the larger communion being the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]], the JSC also has begun ecumenical partnerships between the Roman Catholics. According to the agreement of [[Ignatius Zakka I|Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I]] and [[Pope John Paul II]], the Syriac Orthodox Church and [[Catholic Church]] have a relationship between sacraments of penance, Eucharist and anointing of the sick for a grave spiritual need. There are also set rules and guidelines, within this agreement specifically for interfaith marriages between the Malankara Syriac Orthodox and the [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church|Syro-Malankara Catholic]] churches.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/dialoghi/sezione-orientale/chiese-ortodosse-orientali/relazioni-bilaterali/chiesa-ortodossa-sira-del-malankar/declarations-of-agreement/en.html |title=Agreement Between the Catholic Church and the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church on Inter-Church Marriages |date=25 January 1994 |access-date=3 April 2021 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021030403/http://www.christianunity.va/content/unitacristiani/en/dialoghi/sezione-orientale/chiese-ortodosse-orientali/relazioni-bilaterali/chiesa-ortodossa-sira-del-malankar/declarations-of-agreement/en.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>[http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/speeches/1984/june/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19840623_jp-ii-zakka-i.html Common Declaration]</ref>

==Catholicate==
{{main|Maphrian|List of maphrians}}
By the fourth century, the bishops of Antioch, Alexandria and Rome became the heads of the regional churches, and were known as patriarchs. In the seventh century, the Syriac Orthodox Christians who lived outside the Roman Empire began using the title of "maphrian", for their head. This office ranked right below the Patriarch of Antioch in Syriac Orthodox church hierarchy, until it was abolished in 1860 and reinstated in 1964 in India.

===Catholicos of India===
{{main|Catholicos of India}}
The [[Maphrian|Maphrian of India]] (Catholicos) is an ecclesiastical office of the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] and the local head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church. He is the head of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, which is a part of the Syriac Orthodox Church. The jurisdiction of Catholicos is limited to India so to avoid disambiguation and avoid legal issues. The Syriac Orthodox Church uses the title Catholicos of India, distinct from [[Catholicos of the East]].<ref name="Catholicate of the East">{{cite web|title=Catholicate of the East|url=http://catholicose.org/PauloseII/Catholicate.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714011344/http://catholicose.org/PauloseII/Catholicate.htm|archive-date=14 July 2014|website=catholicose.org}}</ref>{{multiple image| perrow = 3|total_width=350
| image1 = Egnatius third.jpg|caption1=[[Ignatius Elias III]]
| image2 = Tomb of Beselios Yeldo.jpg|caption2=Tomb of [[Baselios Yeldo]]
| image3 = Raja Ravi Varma, Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala (1905).jpg|caption3=[[Geevarghese Gregorios of Parumala|Geevarghese Gregorios]]
| image4 = Mor Athanasius Paulose Valiya Thirumeni.jpg|caption4=[[Athanasius Paulose|Paulose Athanasius]]
| image6 = MarGregorios.jpg|caption6=[[Gregorios Abdal Jaleel|Abdal Jaleel Gregorios]]
}}

==Dioceses==
{{div col}}
*Kollam Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kollamdiocese.org/|title=Kollam Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Church|access-date=5 March 2015|archive-date=25 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190325090309/http://www.kollamdiocese.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Thumpamon Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thumpamondiocese.org/|title=Official site of Thumpamon Diocese|publisher=Thumpamon Diocese|access-date=5 March 2015|archive-date=12 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150312053324/http://www.thumpamondiocese.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*[[Niranam Diocese (Syriac Orthodox Church)|Niranam Diocese]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niranamdiocese.org/index.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225191648/http://www.niranamdiocese.org/index.php|url-status=usurped|archive-date=25 December 2007|title=Niranam Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church|publisher=Niranam Diocese|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref>
*Kottayam Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kottayamad.org/|title=Kottayam Diocese|publisher=Kottayam Diocese|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref>
*Idukki Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.idukkidiocese.com|title=Official website of Idukki Dioces|access-date=26 September 2017}}</ref>
* Kandanad Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kandanaddiocese.org/|title=Kandanad Diocese - Jacobite Syrian Christian Church|publisher=Kandanad Diocese|access-date=26 September 2017|archive-date=22 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222031241/http://kandanaddiocese.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Kochi Diocese<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080701234416/http://www.kochidiocese.org/ Kochi Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Church] Retrieved 26 September 2017.</ref>
*[[Angamaly Jacobite Orthodox Diocese|Angamaly Diocese]]
** Angamaly
** Perumbavoor
** Muvattupuzha
** Kothamangalam
** Highrange
* Thrissur Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thrissurdiocese.org/|title=Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church|publisher=Thrissur Diocese|access-date=26 September 2017|archive-date=10 August 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810071820/http://thrissurdiocese.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Kozhikode Diocese<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kozhikodediocese.org/|title=Kozhikode Diocese - Jacobite Syrian Christian Church|publisher=Kozhikode Diocese|access-date=26 September 2017|archive-date=26 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926121555/http://www.kozhikodediocese.org/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*Malabar Diocese<ref>{{cite web |title=Official Website of Malabar Diocese, Jacobite Syrian Christian Church |url=http://www.malabardiocese.org/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180330100314/http://malabardiocese.org/ |archive-date=30 March 2018 |access-date=26 September 2017 |publisher=Malabar Diocese}}</ref>
*Mangalore Diocese
*Bangalore Diocese
*Mylapore Diocese<ref>{{cite web |title=Mylapore Diocese - Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Christian Church |url=http://www.mylaporediocese.org/ |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215010808/http://mylaporediocese.org/ |archive-date=15 February 2015 |access-date=26 September 2017 |publisher=Mylapore Diocese}}</ref> (formerly Chennai Diocese)
*Mumbai Diocese
*Delhi Diocese<ref>{{cite web |title=Delhi Diocese of Jacobite Syrian Church |url=http://www.delhidiocese.net/delhi/ |access-date=26 September 2017 |publisher=Delhi Diocese |archive-date=26 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170926235946/http://www.delhidiocese.net/delhi/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{{div col end}}

=== Autonomous dioceses ===
{{div col}}
* [[Malankara Syriac Knanaya Archdiocese]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Knayanaya suvisesha samajam |url=http://www.knanayasuvisheshasamajam.com/samudhayahistory.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=www.knanayasuvisheshasamajam.com}}</ref>
** Ranni
** Kallisserry
** America, Canada and Europe
* Malankara Simhasana Churches<ref>{{Cite web |title=Simhasana Churches - Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church 2023 |url=https://www.unionbetweenchristians.com/2023/09/simhasana-churches-malankara-jacobite.html |access-date=2024-09-09}}</ref>
** South Kerala
** North Kerala
** Kottayam and environs
* [[The Evangelistic Association of the East|EAE Archdiocese]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Arch Diocese |url=https://www.eae1924.org/arch-diocese/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=The Evangelistic Association of the East |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Honovar Mission Archdiocese
* [[Malankara Archdiocese of North America]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-12-11 |title=Archdiocese - Brief History |url=https://www.malankara.com/about.html |access-date=2024-09-09 |website=www.malankara.com |language=en}}</ref>
* Malankara Archdiocese of Australia<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malankara Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church in Australia |url=https://masoca.org.au/ |access-date=2024-09-09 |language=en-US}}</ref>
* Patriarchal Vicarates outside India
** Kuwait
** Qatar
** Bahrain
** UAE
** Oman
** Saudi Arabia
** Yemen
** New Zealand
** United Kingdom
** Germany
** Canada
** Singapore
** Malaysia
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
* [[Syriac Orthodox Church]]
* [[Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East]]
** [[List of Patriarchs of Antioch]] – to 518
** [[List of Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch]] – list from 518
* [[Catholicos of India]]
**[[Maphrian of the East]]
**[[List of maphrians|List of Maphrians]]
* [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]]
* [[Saint Thomas Christians]]
** [[Malankara Church]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite encyclopedia |first=Sebastian P. |last=Brock|author-link=Sebastian Brock |title=Thomas Christians |encyclopedia=Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition |editor1=Sebastian P. Brock |editor2=Aaron M. Butts |editor3=George A. Kiraz |editor4=Lucas Van Rompay |url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/Thomas-Christians |publisher=Gorgias Press|year=2011|access-date=22 September 2016}}
* {{Cite book|last=Frykenberg|first=Robert E.|title=Christianity in India: From Beginnings to the Present|year=2008|location=Oxford|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780198263777|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mXgSDAAAQBAJ}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Seleznyov |first=Nikolai N. |title=Nestorius of Constantinople: Condemnation, Suppression, Veneration: With special reference to the role of his name in East-Syriac Christianity |journal=Journal of Eastern Christian Studies |year=2010 |volume=62 |issue=3–4 |pages=165–190 |url=http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=2061116&journal_code=JECS&download=yes2}}
* {{Cite book|last=Wilmshurst|first=David|title=The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913|year=2000|location=Louvain|publisher=Peeters Publishers|isbn=9789042908765|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jB8ir0ek8bgC}}

{{Commons category|Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church}}
{{Jacobite Syrian Christian Metropolitans}}
{{Churches in India}}
{{Christianity in Kerala}}
{{Oriental Orthodoxy footer}}
{{Syriac Christianity}}
{{Dioceses of the Syriac Orthodox Church}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Jacobite Syrian Christian Church]]
[[Category:1665 establishments in India]]
[[Category:Oriental Orthodox organizations established in the 20th century]]
[[Category:Affiliated institutions of the National Council of Churches in India]]