Thomas of Jerusalem (4th century) is plainly wrong. Germann thinks they are of the 8th century.[1] The Jews of Malabar have similar charters; both are interesting proofs of the characteristic tolerance of Hindu kings.
There is little more to say of the first period before the Portuguese came. Under the mild rule of the native Hindu kings the Nestorian missionary Church flourished and was at peace. It was ruled by the one bishop, "Metropolitan of India." He had established his see at Angamale (inland from Cranganore). The arrangement had begun that each Metropolitan was assisted by an archdeacon of the family of Palakomatta;[2] but he himself was still a foreigner, ordained and sent out by the Nestorian Katholikos. When the Metropolitan died the archdeacon sent a petition for a successor to the Katholikos; meanwhile he administered the see himself. For a short time the Christians had even succeeded in obtaining complete political independence. They had set up a line of Christian kings of their own, which line came to an end not long before the Portuguese arrived. They were then under the Rajah of Cochin.
3. Since the Portuguese Conquest
Vasco da Gama came to India first in 1498. He completed the conquest of the coast by 1502. The Portuguese report is that they found about two hundred thousand Christians, having fifteen hundred churches. The Metropolitan at the time was Mâr Joseph, at Angamale. With the Portuguese conquest begins the story of the reunion of the Malabar Church with Rome. That will be told at length in our next volume. Here it is enough to mention that at the Synod of Diamper in 1599 the Malabar Church was made to renounce Nestorianism and all connection with the Katholikos in Mesopotamia, to accept the Catholic faith and the Pope's authority. There begins a line of Uniate Metropolitans, dependent to some extent on the Portuguese Latin hierarchy. As long as the Portuguese were masters, that state of things continued.
