Knanaya

Knanaya also known as Tekkumbhagar or Southists are an ethnic group of Christians in South India who follow endogamy. Since 1910 and 1911, they form separate dioceses in Jacobite Syrian Christian Church and Syro Malabar Church. Some of them have also joined Protestant and Pentecostal churches in recent years

Etymology

The Christians in Kerala have distinguished themselves into two mutually exclusive sections, the Northists and the Southists. Members of each of these divisions identify themselves and assert their superiority in legends which downgrade the other. The Malayalam names for the Christian divisions are always Tekkumbhagar-Vadakumbhagar, but the English equivalents may be Nordhist-Suddhist or Northerner-Southerner, though Northist-Southist is most common.

History

Early history

Prior to the arrival of the Knanaya people, the early Nasrani (نزاريون) people in the Malabar coast included native Indian converts and converted Jewish people - Sephardi, Paradesi, and Cochin Jews - who had settled in Kerala during the Babylonian exile and increasing persecution in Europe. They came mostly from the Northern Kingdom of Israel. According to tradition, Kna Jews are also known as Southists (Thekkumbhagar in Malayalam) as they hailed from the southern province of Israel known in the Old Testament as the Kingdom of Judah. The distinction between the northern heavily exogamous Samaritans and the southern zealously endagamous tribes of Judea led to the difference among the non-Knanaya Nasranis as Northists and the Knanaya as Southists. The Knanaya (Kanahi people) continue to remain an endogamous group also within the Nasrani community.

In 70 CE, hundreds of Q’nanaim zealots evaded capture from the Romans and took shelter in the fortress at Masada. In 72 CE, after a two-year siege, 960 knanaya zealots unwilling to give up to the Romans killed themselves before the Romans could capture them. This act of martyrdom is still commemorated in Israel. In AD 345 a small group of K'nanaim merchants travelled to the Jewish trade posts at Kodungallur in Kerala and settled there. Their descendants are today known in Kerala as Knanaya Nasranis.

Migration

The Knanayas (קנאים)(قنانيا)(short form-"kna") are the descendants of 72 Syro-Aramaic Jewish families who migrated from Edessa (Now Şanlıurfa), Turkey) the first city state that embraced Christianity in the Roman Empire, as well as from Jerusalem, Israel, Syria, to Malabar coast in AD 345, under the leadership of a prominent merchant Knai Thomman (قناي تامن)(in English, Thomas the Zealot). They built a town in Kodungalloor with a church and 72 houses.

After Mar Joseph (מר יוסף) (مار جوسف) had a startling dream in which he saw the plight of the Christian church in Malabar (ملابار) established by St. Thomas, the Apostle, in the first Century. In addition, new trading opportunities in India and the increasing persecution the Knanaya people faced caused many of them to migrate. They consisted of 400 Christians from 72 families of various Jewish clans. Included in the group was a Syriac Orthodox Bishop (Mar Joseph of Urfa, mentioned above), Bishops and deacons. With instructions from the Patriarch of Antioch, they sailed in three ships headed by a leading ship with the flag of King David. The Knanaya people were granted permission to engage in trade and settle down in Kodungallur by the then ruler of Malabar, Cheraman Perumal. The event has been recorded on copper plates given to the community.

Pre-Colonial

Most of the Knanaya people were wealthy plantation owners, merchants and bankers. For business purposes, many Knanaya people moved from Kondungallur to large commercial areas such as Kaipuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode, and Thiruvananthapuram. The increasing Muslim influence caused problems which led to war. An assault upon Kodungallur by Muslim invaders forced the Knanaya people to flee the settlement.

Persecution by Portuguese

Main article: Portuguese Inquisition

During the Portuguese occupation, the Knanaya people were discriminated against due to their Jewish roots. The Nasranis, who were, until then, the "living fossils" of the Christian-Jewish tradition, lost their very defining ethos. The only Nasranis who managed to preserve some elements of their Jewish origin were the Knanaya people, because of their tradition of being endogamous within their own community and therefore preserving their Jewish tradition. An Imperial Order was passed to confiscate and sell under public auction the properties of those who celebrated Passover. It was perhaps because of this Order that the Knanaites celebrate Passover in a very private manner without inviting any Christian friend to share the Holy Meal.

Modern history

An unvelied tabernacle of a Kna Jewish 'palli' or Temple with 12 candlesticks in the background for the 12 tribes of ancient Israel.

Knayanites are divided into two groups, the first belonging to the Syriac Orthodox Church in India and second to the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Knanaya are conscious about their origin and up still safeguard their ethnic character by marrying people from within the community regardless of rite. The Knanaya Syriac Orthodox archdiocese, established in 1910, is administered by an archbishop and other bishops who report directly to the Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrian Orthodox Church. The Knanaya Catholics and their Jewish identity were acknowledged by the Vatican under Pope Pius X, by establishing in 1911 a separate diocese for the Jewish Christians (Syrian-catholic) of Kerala, named the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Kottayam. The first head of the Diocesean-type organization for the Catholic Knanaya was Mar Mathew Makil

The approximate population of Kna Jews as of 2001: (divided by different denominations)

• Knanaya Jacobite: 100,000
• Knanaya Catholic: 140,000
• Knanaya Pentacostal: 50,000
• Other Faiths: 10,200

In all over 260,200 Knanaya Christian Jews continue in the ancient Hebrew-Christian tradition.

Copper plate

The tradition among the community is that in 345 CE one Perumal who ruled Kodungalloor all through this period had given a Copper Plate Grant to Thomas of Canaan, by which the King had showered a set of trading as well as socio-religious prerogatives to the community.This is said to exist in Portuguese and Arabic language. No deeds of copper plates in the name of Thomas of Cana are now extant it would be rash to insist upon all the details of the story of Thomas the Merchant as history.

References

• Menachery, G. (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, ISBN 81-87132-06-X, Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568 ; B.N.K. Press
• Vellian, Jacob (2001) Knanite community: History and culture; Syrian church series; vol.XVII; Jyothi Book House, Kottayam
• "In Universi Cristiani" (Latin Text of the Papal erection of the Knanaya Diocese of Kottayam)
• Puthiakunnel, Thomas. (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.
• Koder, S. (1973) "History of the Jews of Kerala".The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India,Ed. G. Menachery.
• Vellian, J (1988) Marriage Customs of the Knanites, Christian Orient, 9, Kottayam.
• Weil, S. (1982) "Symmetry between Christians and Jews in India: The Cananite Christians and Cochin Jews in Kerala. in Contributions to Indian Sociology, 16.
• Jessay, P.M. (1986) "The Wedding Songs of the Cochin Jews and of the Knanite Christians of Kerala: A Study in Comparison." Symposium.
• James Hough (1893) "The History of Christianity in India".
• Menachery, G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol.I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. [ISBN 81-87133-05-8].
• Poomangalam, C.A. (1998) The Antiquities of the Knanaya Syrian Christians; Kottayam, Kerala.
• Podipara, Placid J. (1970) "The Thomas Christians". London: Darton, Longman and Tidd.

External links

• Arrival of Thomas of Cana ( Bishop Thomas of Cana ?), References about Southist Community (Thekkumbhagar – Knanaya )
• Knanaya finder
• Knanaya Jacobite Annual Convention
• Jews of Kerala
• Christians of Kerala
• Indian Christianity
• Archdiocese of Kottayam
• St.Johns Puthenpally Chingavanam

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original article was at Knanaya. The list of authors can be seen in the page history.