Apostolate of St. Thomas in India VOL.1 Author: Edited by Pius Malekandathil

 Apostolate of St. Thomas in India traces the history of the missionary works of St. Thomas and the origins of Christianity in the subcontinent. It delves into the genesis of the St. Thomas Christians, a community whose various works including their historical documents in Syriac and Malayalam were destroyed by the Portuguese colonizers at the Synod of Diamper (1599) fearing their heretical contents. The chapters here revisit these themes from different perspectives, examining a variety of archaeological and literary sources and using tools of historical research and a multi-disciplinary methodology to question the existing overarching historical narratives about the St. Thomas Christians. This allows readers to retrieve a history that was previously erased as well as understand the alterity of the community’s past outside of the convention created by the Euro-centric ‘myth of historicity’. The volume is a reservoir for scholars working on the origin of Christianity in South Asia in general and for those looking for a nuanced understanding of the origin of St. Thomas Christians in particular. Pius Malekandathil is Former Professor at the Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University and is currently Vicar General of the Syro Malabar Diocese of Kothamangalam, Kerala, India. He has published numerous books and research articles on themes related to maritime history, trade, religion and urbanity. K.S. Mathew served as Professor and Head at Hyderabad Central University and later as Founder Head and Professor of the Department of History, Pondicherry Central University. He is the author of numerous books and a number of research articles in national and international publications. James Kurikilamkatt is Director of Thomasine Research Centre, Trichur. His publications include First Voyage of the Apostle Thomas to India: Ancient Christianity in Bharuch and Taxila (2005).