Malankara Syriac Knanaya Community are part of the larger

Knanaya The K'nānāya , (from Syriac: ''K'nā'nāya'' (Canaanite)) also known as the Southists or Tekkumbhagar, are an endogamous ethnic group found among the Saint Thomas Christian community of Kerala, India. They are differentiated from another part ...

community who are descendants of an endogamous ethnic migrant group of Syriac-Jewish Christians who arrived and settled in

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

in the 4th or 8th century. In the year 345 according to the Malayalam calendar (Kollavarsham), Knai Thoma, a merchant, and 72 families from Edessa (or modern Urfa) immigrated to Malankara (present-day Kerala) and established a community there. Among the group were priests, deacons and a bishop, Uraha Mar Ouseph (Bishop Joseph of Uraha/Urfa). Knai Thoma and his people were welcomed by Cheraman Perumal, the Chera Emperor of Kerala, and were given permission to settle down in Kodungalloor. After the Coonen Cross Revolt. (Oath of the Bent Cross)a part of the Knanaya Community joined

Archdeacon Thomas Mar Thoma I, also known as Valiya Mar Thoma (Mar Thoma the Great) and Arkkadiyakkon Thoma (Archdeacon Thomas) in Malayalam, and referred to as Thomas de Campo in Portuguese language, Portuguese, was the first native-born Malankara Metropolitan, ...

. They later returned to West Syriac liturgical traditions brought to Malankara by them. This group remained under the

Patriarch of Antioch The Patriarch of Antioch is a traditional title held by the bishop of Antioch (modern-day Antakya, Turkey). As the traditional "overseer" (, , from which the word ''bishop'' is derived) of the first gentile Christian community, the position has ...

. Today they form part of the Knanaya Archdiocese of the

Syriac Orthodox Church The Syriac Orthodox Church (), also informally known as the Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox Christian denomination, denomination that originates from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 4-5 million followers. The ch ...

List of Knanaya Syrian Church

The Knanaya Syrians claim that they are Jewish migrants who believed in

primacy. They have communities in

Alappuzha Alappuzha (, आलप्पुळ) or Alleppey is a municipality and town on the Laccadive Sea in the southern Indian state of Kerala. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvana ...

Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...

and

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

and abroad. * Total 129 Churches under Malankara Syriac Knanaya Archdiocese. ** Chingavanam - 21 ** Kallisserry - 26 ** Ranni - 20 ** Bhagya Keralam - 6 ** Gulf Region - 7 ** UAE - 15 ** America, Canada, Australia, UK, Ireland and Europe - 34

References

External links

Knanaya ResourcesKnanayadiocese.orgKnanaya Jacobites fight for the control of Ranni Valiapally church
{{coord missing, Kerala Christianity in Kerala Syriac Orthodox dioceses Knanaya Community

List of Knanaya Syrian Church

See also

References

External links