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→Jacobite Era (1653-1912)
===Jacobite Era (1653-1912)===
*1653 January 3, '''[[w:Coonan Cross Oath|Coonan Cross Oath]] ''' at [[w:Mattancherry|Mattancherry]], Cochin, by which all connections with the Portuguese Roman Catholics and Jesuits (Roman Catholic supremacy) was rejected by the St Thomas Christians; about 25,000 Saint Thomas Christians and 633 clergy led by Archdeacon Thomas declared independence against the foreign aggression, by holding on to a rope which was tied around the stone cross in front of the church in Mattancherry, and taking an oath rejecting and pubicly avowing the supremacy of the Roman Catholic Church over them; Archdeacon Thomas was consecrated by 12 priest elders as [[w:Mar Thoma I|Mar Thoma I]], the first bishop of the Malankara Church.<ref group="note">Before that the [[w:Malankara Church|Malankara Church]] was ruled by Malankara Mooppens (elders).</ref>
*1665-1681 In India, Oriental Orthodox Metr. of Jerusalem [[w:Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel|Mar Gregorios Abdul Jaleel]] played a crucial role in the defense of the Oriental Orthodox faith and [[w:Church of Antioch (Syriac)|Suryani]] tradition following the [[w:Coonan Cross Oath|Koonan Kurishu Sathyam]]; ''(glorifed April 4, 2000 by His Holiness Patriarch [[w:Ignatius Zakka I Iwas|Ignatius Zakka I]] of the Syrian Orthodox Church).''
*1772 '''Schism:''' West Syrians under the leadership of Abraham Mar Koorilose, Metropolitan of Malankara, formed the '''[[w:Malabar Independent Syrian Church|Malabar Independent Syrian Church]]''', splitting from the main body of India's [[w:Malankara Church|Malankara Church]] over concerns about the authority of the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch.<ref group="note">At the close of the 19th century, some of them fell under the influence of Anglican missionaries and established the [[w:[[w:Mar Thoma Church|Mar Thomite Church]], which introduced many doctrinal and liturgical changes of a Western Protestant character.</ref>
*1772-1858 The [[w:British East India Company| British East India Company]] [[w:Company rule in India|rule in India]], establishing a capital in Calcutta, appointing its first Governor-General, Warren Hastings, and becoming directly involved in governance.
*1795 The British captured Malabar, Kerala.
'''Arrival of the Protestants - Further Splits (1813-1912)'''
*1813 The [[w:Church Mission Society|Church Missionary Society]]'s (CMS) work in India is begun.
*1814 '''Schism:''' The '''[[w:Chaldean Syrian Church|Chaldean Syrian Church]] ''' separated from what later became known as the [[w:Syro-Malabar Catholic Church|Syro-Malabar Catholic Church]], claiming to continue the pre-Portuguese east-Syrian [[Assyrian Church of the East|Nestorian tradition]], as an Independent Orthodox Church.
*1815 [[w:Orthodox Pazhaya Seminary|Orthodox Pazhaya Seminary]] (Old Syrian Seminary, Kottayam) is founded, the first Syrian Orthodox Christian school of theology in Asia.
*1817 The CMS began the [[w:CMS College Kottayam|CMS College Kottayam]], to teach English.
*1825 The Church of England's Bp. of Calcutta [[w:Reginald Heber|Reginald Heber]] performed the first ordination of an Indian, Abdul Masih ''(Servant of Christ)'', for mission work in India.<ref group="note">The very first Anglican ordination was a native of [[w:Sri Lanka|Ceylon]], ordained for work in Ceylon (Sri Lanka); the second, Abdul Masih, was therefore the first Indian ordained for work in India.</ref>
*1875-1877 Apostolic visit to India by Patriarch Moran Mor [[w:Ignatius Peter IV|Ignatius Ignatius Peter IV]].[[Image:Juliusthirumeni.jpg|right|thumb|Metr. [[w:Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares|Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares]], the first (Latin-rite) [[Brahmavar (Goan) Orthodox Church|Orthodox Metropolitan of Goa-Ceylon]] (1889-1923).]][[Image:ParumalaThirumeni.jpg|right|thumb|[[w:Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala|Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala]], the first Saint of both Oriental Orthodox Churches in India.]]
*1876 The '''[[w:Mulanthuruthy_marthoman_church#Synod_of_Mulanthuruthy|Council of Mulanthuruthy]] ''' (of the Malankara Church) is convened at the historic [[w:Mulanthuruthy marthoman church|Mulanthuruthy Marthoman church]], presided over by Patriarch [[w:Ignatius Peter IV|Ignatius Peter IV]] (who had been summoned to assist in efforts against the inroads of Protestantism that were supported by the British), declaring that the [[w:Malankara Church|Malankara Church]] accepted the supremacy of the Patriarch and that it would keep the Jacobite faith of the Antiochians; this synod thus represented the inauguration of an official relationship of a section of the Indian Orthodox Church with the Patriarch of the [[Church of Antioch (Syriac)|West Syrian Church]]; another section however representing several churches did not participate, saying that this was against the historical status of the Malankara Church.<ref group="note">Two strong groups were in the church at this time: the one owed allegiance to Metropolitan [[w:Thomas Mar Athanasius|Thomas Mar Athanasius]] (1877-1893), and supported independence and purification of the church (the ''Metran Kakshi'' faction); the other under the control of [[w:Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II|Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II]] (1865-1909), spearheaded Orthodoxy and subservience to the Patriarch of Antioch (the ''Bava Kakshi.'' faction).<br>In 1877 Metropolitan [[w:Thomas Mar Athanasius|Thomas Mar Athanasius]] thus became the first Metropolitan of the new [[w:Mar Thoma Church|Mar Thoma Church]] (1877-1893), a group that split from the Malankara Church and was originally known as "Reformed Jacobites", of the West Syrian Rite (i.e. Protestant Oriental, in communion with the Anglican Church).</ref>*1876 '''Schism:''' the '''[[w:Mar Thoma Church|Mar Thoma Church]]'''<ref group="note">Mar Thoma or Marthoma is Aramaic, meaning Saint Thomas. Members of this church are often referred to as Marthomites.</ref> (Anglican Communion) came into being under [[w:Thomas Mar Athanasius|Thomas Mar Athanasious]], who was excommunicated by the Jacobite Patriarch; they were known as Reformed Jacobites before the group took the name of Mar Thoma Church, introducing many changes based on Protestant doctrine.
*1888 Significant transfer movement from the Catholic to the Oriental Orthodox church: the Latin rite [[Brahmavar (Goan) Orthodox Church|Independent Catholic Church of Ceylon, Goa, and India]] was formed, consisting of about 5000 Catholics under [[w:Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares|Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares]] (Mar Julius I), who was consecrated in 1889 by St. [[w:Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala|Gregorios of Parumala]], Metr. Athanasius Paulos of Aluva, and Malankara Metr. [[w:Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II|Dionysius Joseph II]]; this church maintained relations with the Syrian Orthodox Patr. of Antioch Mar [[w:Ignatius Peter IV|Ignatius Peter III]], and was permitted to continue its Latin or Western rite liturgical practices.<ref group="note"> The reasons for this break with the papacy were political rather then religious. From the sixteenth century there had existed a concordat between the Holy See and the King of Portugal which allowed the latter to nominate Bishops to the diocese of Latin Rite India, as well as other colonies which had formally been Portuguese colonies. The arrangement was known as the [[w:Padroado|Patrondo]] (Patronage). By the second half of the nineteenth century it had become obvious that it was high time for Patrondo to be abolished.</ref><ref group="note">"On January 2, 1887, [[w:Pope Leo XIII|Pope Leo XIII]] set up a new Latin hierarchy for India and Ceylon, with the bishops (except for the province of (Goa) directly dependent on the [[w:Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples|Congregation of Propaganda]]. This change aroused considerable indignation because there still existed strong sentimental link between Indian Catholics and Portugal. Many native priests were indignant at being transferred to jurisdictions of French or Italian bishops.<br>Thus came into being what was called the '[[w:Padroado|Patrando]] Association'. Its leaders petitioned King Luis I of Portugal, to use his influence at Rome to have [[w:Padroado|the royal patronage]] restored. On February 10, 1888, a Goan priest, who had been a Brahmin, [[w:Antonio Francisco Xavier Alvares|Antonio Francisco-Xavier Alvarez]], was elected by the Association as first bishop of the schismatic church. He applied to [[w:Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious II|Mar Dionysios V]], Jacobite Metropolitan of Malankara since 1865, to consecrate him, but with no result. His appeal to Mar [[w:Ignatius Peter IV|Ignatius Peter III]], Jacobite Patriarch of Antioch was more successful." (Old Catholic Church of the United States. ''[http://books.google.ca/books?id=RzWpW9eoID8C&source=gbs_navlinks_s Credo: The Catechism of the Old Catholic Church].'' iUniverse, 2004. p.391.)</ref>
*1902 Death of [[w:Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala|Gheevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala]], later canonized by both the [[Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church|Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church]] and [[Church of India|Indian Orthodox Church]] (1947), being the first Saint of both Oriental Orthodox Churches in India.
