St. Thomas Christians
Eastern icon of Thomas the Apostle
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| Regions with significant populations | |
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| India (Kerala, Bangalore, Mumbai); UAE (Dubai); Oman; Kuwait; USA (New York City metropolitan area, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Tampa, Detroit, Atlanta, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Los Angeles); Canada (Toronto, Edmonton) | |
| Languages | |
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Vernacular: Malayalam Liturgical: Syriac (Aramaic) |
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| Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Cochin Jews,Malayalis, Knanaya |
{{redirect|Nasrani}
Vernacular: Malayalam
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Orthodox Christians or Nasrani, are a community of Syriac Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.
Historically, the Saint Thomas Christian community was part of the Church of the East, centered in Persia. They were organised as the Province of India in the 8th century, served by Nestorian bishops and a local dynastic Archdeacon. In the 16th century the overtures of the Portuguese padroado to bring the Saint Thomas Christians or Malankara Nasranis into the Catholic Church led to the first of several rifts in the community and the establishment of Catholic (Syro-Malabar Church) and Malankara Church factions. Since that time further splits have occurred, and the Saint Thomas Christians are now divided into several different Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and independent bodies, each with their own liturgies and traditions.
The Eastern Catholic faction includes the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (which is the largest) and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (who were a minority faction defected from the Malankara (Real name of the St Thomas Christian church) Church and joined in communion with Rome in 1930). The Oriental Orthodox faction includes the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Jacobite Orthodox Church (colloquially known as "Jacobite"). Independent include the Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church.
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Wikipedia