Mar Sabor and Mar Proth - Revision history

UpdateBot at 11:00, 4 June 2022

2022-06-04T11:00:19Z

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
 ''{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}''
-[[File:Mar Sabor and Mar Proth East Syriac Persian Saints of the Malabar Church.jpg|thumb|Mar Sabor and Mar Proth]]
+{{Infobox saint
-{{Christianity in India sidebar}}
+That the historicity of this mission cannot be verified does not dispute the epigraphical evidence that Christians were on the Malabar Coast in 9th century AD. [[Quilon Syrian copper plates|Kollam Syrian copper plates]], a 9th-century royal grant from Kerala, mentions that certain Maruvan Sapir Iso built a church at Kollam with the blessing of the then [[Chera/Perumals of Makotai|Emperor of Kerala]]. It is likely that Mar Sapir had a companion named Mar Prot.<ref name=":0">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 343-45.</ref> A stone cross, one of the five Persian Crosses, with [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid]] Pahlavi inscription recovered also mentions certain "Afras the Syrian" as "the son of Chaharabukht".<ref>C. P . T. Winckworth, 'A New Interpretation of the Pahlavi Cross Inscriptions', ''Kerala Society Papers,'' no. 3. p. 159-163.</ref>
-'''Mar Sapir and Mar Prot,''' according to [[Saint Thomas Christians|Syrian Malabar Christian]] tradition, were two Chaldean Assyrian bishops who landed in the port of [[Kollam]] (in present-day [[Kerala]]) by the help of a Nestorian merchant, Sabr Iso in 823 AD. The mission is said to have received permission from the then king of Kerala to build a church in Kollam.<ref>Land, 'Brief History of the Syrians of Malabar'. ''Anedocta Syriaca'', I, pp. 27.</ref><ref>Menon, K. P. P. ''Kerala''. I. pp. 273.</ref><ref>Joseph, T. K., 'Mar Sapir and Mar Prodh', ''I. A.,'' 1928, III,  p. 311.</ref>
-That the historicity of this mission cannot be verified does not dispute the epigraphical evidence that Christians were on the Malabar Coast in 9th century AD. [[Quilon Syrian copper plates|Kollam Syrian copper plates]], an 9th century a royal grant from Kerala, mentions that certain Mar Sapir built a church at Kollam with the blessing of the then king of Kerala. It is likely that Mar Sapir had a companion named Mar Prot.<ref name=":0">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 343-45.</ref> A stone cross, one of the five Persian Crosses, with [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid]] Pahlavi inscription recovered also mentions certain "Afras the Syrian" as "the son of Chaharabukht".<ref>C. P . T. Winckworth, 'A New Interpretation of the Pahlavi Cross Inscriptions', ''Kerala Society Papers,'' no. 3. p. 159-163.</ref>
+==Veneration==
-The two bishops are said to have died in Kerala and have been considered as saints by the Saint Thomas Christians.<ref name=":1">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 358.</ref>
+MS Vatican Syriac N. iv., which is dated to 1556 and written in the [[Kottakkavu Mar Thoma Syro-Malabar Church, North Paravur|Kottakkavu Kandīshā Church]], has the following colophon in folio 278:
 == Variations of the names ==
@@ Line 35: / Line 74: @@
 * Land, 'Brief History of the Syrians of Malabar'. ''Anedocta Syriaca'', I.
 * Joseph, T. K., 'Mar Sapir and Mar Prodh', ''Indian Antiquary,'' 1928, III.
-*A. Mingana, “The Early Spread of Christianity in India”, Bulletin of John Ryland’s Library 10:2 (1926).
+*A. Mingana, “The Early Spread of Christianity in India”, Bulletin of John Ryland's Library 10:2 (1926).
 * W. Logan, ''Malabar Manual,'' (ed. P. Cherian (2000).
 * A. C. Burnell, ''Indian Antiquary,'' III.
@@ Line 44: / Line 83: @@
 When they arrived on the Malabar Coast, the Portuguese noted at least 78 extant church communities closely interwoven with the local community in different parts of Kerala. [[Quilon]], [[Angamaly]], [[Kaduthuruthy]] and Cranganore (now known as [[Kodungallur]]) had the largest population of [[Saint Thomas Christians]] in Kerala. Giovanni Empoli, who came to [[Quilon]] in 1503, estimated that there were more than three thousand St. Thomas Christians in [[Quilon]] alone.<ref name="MathewSouza2001">{{cite book|author1=K. S. Mathew|author2=Teotónio R. de Souza|author3=Pius Malekandathil|title=The Portuguese And The Socio-Cultural Changes In India, 1500-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCVuAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, MESHAR|isbn=978-81-900166-6-7|page=128|chapter=The Portuguese and the St.Thomas Christians : 1500-1570}}</ref>
-After 1561, Thomas Christians were branded heretics by the [[Goa Inquisition]]. The infamous [[Synod of Diamper]] (1599) anathematized all Christians of India who did not submit to Rome. The synod even branded Mar Sapir and Mar Prot as "Nestorian heretics" at the instance of the Portuguese.<ref>Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 358.</ref>
+After 1561, Thomas Christians were branded heretics by the [[Goa Inquisition]]. The infamous [[Synod of Diamper]] (1599) anathematized all Christians of India who did not submit to Rome. The synod even branded Mar Sabor and Mar Prot as "Nestorian heretics" at the instance of the Portuguese.<ref name=":1" />
 == Notes ==

imported>Br Ibrahim john at 11:34, 17 August 2021

2021-08-17T11:34:28Z

New page

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
''{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}''
[[File:Mar Sabor and Mar Proth East Syriac Persian Saints of the Malabar Church.jpg|thumb|Mar Sabor and Mar Proth]]

{{Christianity in India sidebar}}
'''Mar Sapir and Mar Prot,''' according to [[Saint Thomas Christians|Syrian Malabar Christian]] tradition, were two Chaldean Assyrian bishops who landed in the port of [[Kollam]] (in present-day [[Kerala]]) by the help of a Nestorian merchant, Sabr Iso in 823 AD. The mission is said to have received permission from the then king of Kerala to build a church in Kollam.<ref>Land, 'Brief History of the Syrians of Malabar'. ''Anedocta Syriaca'', I, pp. 27.</ref><ref>Menon, K. P. P. ''Kerala''. I. pp. 273.</ref><ref>Joseph, T. K., 'Mar Sapir and Mar Prodh', ''I. A.,'' 1928, III, p. 311.</ref>

That the historicity of this mission cannot be verified does not dispute the epigraphical evidence that Christians were on the Malabar Coast in 9th century AD. [[Quilon Syrian copper plates|Kollam Syrian copper plates]], an 9th century a royal grant from Kerala, mentions that certain Mar Sapir built a church at Kollam with the blessing of the then king of Kerala. It is likely that Mar Sapir had a companion named Mar Prot.<ref name=":0">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 343-45.</ref> A stone cross, one of the five Persian Crosses, with [[Sasanian Empire|Sassanid]] Pahlavi inscription recovered also mentions certain "Afras the Syrian" as "the son of Chaharabukht".<ref>C. P . T. Winckworth, 'A New Interpretation of the Pahlavi Cross Inscriptions', ''Kerala Society Papers,'' no. 3. p. 159-163.</ref>

The two bishops are said to have died in Kerala and have been considered as saints by the Saint Thomas Christians.<ref name=":1">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 358.</ref>

== Variations of the names ==
''Mar'' is a Syriac term meaning 'Saint'

*Mar Sapir (T. K. Joseph)<ref name=":1" /> - Sabor
* Mar Prot (Land) - Prodh (T. K. Joseph and Gouva)/Proth - Firous (La Croz) - Aphrottu (Burnell)/Aphroth - Ambrose (Swanston)<ref name=":1" />

==Major studies==
[[File:Nasrani cross.jpg|thumb|The Persian cross founded by Sabor and Proth at [[Kadamattom Church]]]]
[[File:Mar Sabor Grab.JPG|thumb|right|Tomb of Mar Abo (often identified as Mar Sabor among some [[Puthenkoor]] denominations) at Marthamariam church, [[Thevalakkara]]]]

=== Recent ===

* ''The Kollam Plates in the World of the Ninth Century Indian Ocean''. Delhi: Primus Books (upcoming).
* M. R. Raghava Varier and K. Veluthat, 2013. ''Tarissāppaḷḷippaṭṭayam'', Trivandrum: National Book Stall
* C. G. Cereti, 'The Pahlavi Signatures on the Quilon Copper Plates', in ''Exegisti Monument'' (Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 2009).
* C. G. Cereti, L. M. Olivieri, and J. Vazhuthanapally, 'The Problem of the Saint Thomas Crosses and Related Questions', East and West 52:1/ 4 (2002).
* M. G. S. Narayanan, ''Cultural Symbiosis in Kerala'' (Trivandrum: Kerala Historical Society, 1972).
*W. Baum and R. Senoner (eds. and trans.), Indien und Europa im Mittelalter: Die Eingliederung des Kontinents in das europäische Bewußtsein bis ins 15. Jahrhundert (Klagenfurt: Kitab, 2000).

=== Others ===

* ''Travancore Archaeological Series,'' Volume II, no. 9 (I and II).
* C. P . T. Winckworth, 'A New Interpretation of the Pahlavi Cross Inscriptions', ''Kerala Society Papers,'' no. 3.
* Land, 'Brief History of the Syrians of Malabar'. ''Anedocta Syriaca'', I.
* Joseph, T. K., 'Mar Sapir and Mar Prodh', ''Indian Antiquary,'' 1928, III.
*A. Mingana, “The Early Spread of Christianity in India”, Bulletin of John Ryland’s Library 10:2 (1926).
* W. Logan, ''Malabar Manual,'' (ed. P. Cherian (2000).
* A. C. Burnell, ''Indian Antiquary,'' III.
*Gundert, ''Madras Journal of Literature and Science,'' XIII, I.
* Rev. J. Monteiro D'Aguir, 'The Magna Carta of St. Thomas Christians', ''Kerala Society Papers,'' no. 4.

== Synod of Diamper ==
When they arrived on the Malabar Coast, the Portuguese noted at least 78 extant church communities closely interwoven with the local community in different parts of Kerala. [[Quilon]], [[Angamaly]], [[Kaduthuruthy]] and Cranganore (now known as [[Kodungallur]]) had the largest population of [[Saint Thomas Christians]] in Kerala. Giovanni Empoli, who came to [[Quilon]] in 1503, estimated that there were more than three thousand St. Thomas Christians in [[Quilon]] alone.<ref name="MathewSouza2001">{{cite book|author1=K. S. Mathew|author2=Teotónio R. de Souza|author3=Pius Malekandathil|title=The Portuguese And The Socio-Cultural Changes In India, 1500-1800|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aCVuAAAAMAAJ|year=2001|publisher=Institute for Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, MESHAR|isbn=978-81-900166-6-7|page=128|chapter=The Portuguese and the St.Thomas Christians : 1500-1570}}</ref>

After 1561, Thomas Christians were branded heretics by the [[Goa Inquisition]]. The infamous [[Synod of Diamper]] (1599) anathematized all Christians of India who did not submit to Rome. The synod even branded Mar Sapir and Mar Prot as "Nestorian heretics" at the instance of the Portuguese.<ref>Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Perumāḷs of Kerala.'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 358.</ref>

== Notes ==
{{Cnote2 Begin}}
{{Cnote2|A|"Mar" ([[Syriac language|Syriac]]: "lord") is an espiscopal title used in the [[Malabar region|Malabar]] churches and in West Asia, while "Sapor" (Syriac: Shapur) and "Prodh" (Syriac: Firuz) are alternative names used in the [[Sasanian Empire]] in the 4-5th centuries AD. A Christian grant made by the [[Kollam]] ruler dating to about 824 AD bears the name "Maruvan Sapir Iso", which is believed to be an amalgamation of "Mar Sapor" and "Mar Prodh".<ref name="Bayly2004">{{cite book|author=Susan Bayly|title=Saints, Goddesses and Kings: Muslims and Christians in South Indian Society, 1700-1900|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Fxqtx8SflEsC|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89103-5|page=264}}</ref>}}
{{Cnote2 End}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}<br />{{Kollam}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:History of Kollam]]
[[Category:9th-century bishops of the Church of the East]]
[[Category:Saints duos]]