Mar Yohannan, also known (prior to episcopal consecration) as a monk Yoseph of Awgin, was

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

( 1490–1503), a

metropolitan province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of Ecclesiastical jurisdiction, jurisdiction in Christianity, Christian churches, including those of both Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity, that have traditional hierarchical struc ...

of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( ) or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church, the Chaldean Church or the Nestorian Church, is one of three major branches o ...

. In 1490, envoys of

Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an Ethnoreligious group, ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Ker ...

from the

Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast () is the southwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. It generally refers to the West Coast of India, western coastline of India stretching from Konkan to Kanyakumari. Geographically, it comprises one of the wettest regio ...

traveled to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

and arrived in Gazarta, bringing appeals to the hierarchy of the

, and asking for new bishops. Patriarch Shemon IV responded positively to their request and arranged the selection of two monks from the Awgin Monastery, both of them called Yoseph, appointing them as bishops, under new names: Mar Yohannan and Mar Thoma, and dispatching them to India. Mar Yohannan stayed in India, while Mar Thomas returned to Mesopotamia. In 1503, three new bishops were sent to India, by new Patriarch Eliya V: Mar Yahballaha, Mar Dinkha and Mar

Yaqob Yaqob I (; c. 1590 – 10 March 1607), throne name Malak Sagad II (Ge'ez: መለክ ሰገድ), was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1597 to 1607, and a member of the Solomonic dynasty. He was the eldest surviving son of Sarsa Dengel. According to E. A ...

. Upon arrival, they met with Mar Yohannan. Activities of Mar Yohannan and other bishops reaffirmed traditional ties between Christians of India and the

. By that time, local Christians of the

were also facing some additional challenges, caused by the establishment of Portuguese presence in India.

Bishop in India

In 1490, three delegates of

from the

traveled to

to meet Patriarch Shemon IV of the

. One delegate died on the way, but the remaining two, named George and Joseph, arrived there safely, and met with Patriarch in Gazarta. Both of them were ordained priests, by Mar Shemon IV, at the Church of St George in Gazerta. They were then sent to the Awgin Monastery, where two able monks, both named Yoseph, were selected to go with them to India. Patriarch consecrated both Awgin monks as Bishops, under new names: Mar Thomas and Mar Yohannan. After that, both bishops, and both of newly consecrated priests from India, traveled together to the

, where they arrived safely. Their activity in India was successful. They were well received by the faithful. Upon arrival, bishops were welcomed by many Christians who were singing psalms and hymns, carrying before them the cross, the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

and candles. During their activity, bishops ordained many new priests and consecrated altars. Some researchers have suggested that these events did not take place around 1490, but few years later, around 1499–1500. Mar Yohannan stayed in India, while Mar Thomas returned to Mesopotamia, to bring the offerings, sent by Christians of India to the Patriarch. This second journey is mentioned in the narrations of priest Joseph from India, who traveled to Europe. Joseph's narrations to Venetians tell us that: “The said Joseph related that he had departed from the said town of Cranganore with a Bishop, his superior. Ascending a ship, he went towards the island of Ormus. From there he proceeded to the mainland where he stayed for three months and with the said Bishop, he went as far as Armenia to meet his Pontiff. By Him, this Bishop was consecrated and the said Joseph was ordained a Priest”. As Bishop of India, Mar Yohannan later welcomed three new bishops (Mar Yahballaha, Mar Dinkha, and Mar

), who were sent to India in 1503, by new Patriarch Eliya V. Upon arrival, they met with Mar Yohannan. That is the last known information about his activities.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yohannan 15th-century bishops of the Church of the East Church of the East in India

Bishop in India

See also

References

Sources