Mission Help from CMS
Towards the end of the 18th century the power of the Dutch in India declined and
the British became powerful. When Tippoo Sultan began to invade the small states
in Kerala the Rajas (Kings) of Travancore and Cochin sought the help of the
British and entered into treaty relations. British residents were put in charge
of the states and they gave protection to the states. Colonel Macauly was the
first British resident in Travancore State, till 1810. Claudius Buchanan, a
Chaplain of the East India Company, visited Travancore and Cochin in 1806. He
was very much interested in the ancient Church of Malabar and published a book
in England entitled 'Christian Researches in Asia. He took the initiative to
translate the four gospels into Malayalam. These were printed in Bombay in 1811.
Colonel Macauly was succeeded by Colonel Munro. He was the Resident from 1810 to
1819. He was a very devout Christian.He took a very keen interest in the welfare
of the Syrian Christians. A Seminary was established at Kottayam in 1813, on a
property given to the Church by the rulers through the influence of Colonel
Munro, for the education of those who were to be ordained in the Church. He made
an endowment of $ 3000 (Rs. 10300), the interest of which was to be used for
training the clergy. This amount was deposited in a bank in Madras and was known
as 'Vattipanam'. Later on there arose a prolonged litigation as to who had the
right to receive the interest on this endowment.
The Malankara Church at this time was at a very low spiritual level. Public
worship was conducted in the Syria language. People understood very little of
it. The clergy had very little training. Even young boys in early teens were
ordained at the behest of interested parties. Some of the vestiges of the Roman
connections remained even though independence was established. Celibacy of the
priests was insisted upon, prayers to the saints and masses for the departed
continued. Compulsory fees levied on the occasion for rites and ceremonies like
baptism, marriages and masses for the departed, were the main sources of income
for the clergy. There was no regular stipulated salary for them. The Bible was a
closed book. So there was no exposition of the word of God during the services
and the people continued in their superstitions. Religious life consisted of
certain ceremonies, rituals and festivals. People were steeped in ignorance and
superstitions. Offerings were made to the saints to avoid calamities and to gain
personal advantages. Special festivals were held on the feasts of certain saints
when the images of the Saints were taken in procession to please them and to win
their favor.
Colonel Munro was deeply interested in bringing the light of the gospel to such
a situation. He wrote to the Church Missionary Society (C.M.S.) in London to
send a mission of help and the Society readily responded. The C.M.S had come to
know of the ancient church through Claudius Buchanan. Thus in 1816 they sent
Rev. Thomas Norton, as the first C.M.S. Missionary. The purpose of the mission
of help was only to bring the light of the gospel to the ancient church and not
to create a new denomination in Kerala. Norton was a very able person and his
wise conduct earned the respect of the Metran (Bishop). He lived and worked at
Alleppey. Three more missionaries came in the following years and they stayed at
Kottayam. Rev. Benjamin Baily was active in literary work. He got the New
Testament translated into Malayalam. He established the first printing press,
making it with his own hands, for printing the Bible. The New Testament was
published in Malayalam and later the whole Bible was published in 1841. Rev.
Joseph Fenn was the Principal of the Seminary and was engaged in the training of
the clergy. Rev.Henry Baker was active in educational work starting primary
schools in villages. An English school for higher education was started at
Kottayam. The Metropolitans Pulicote Mar Dionysius and Punnathara Mar Dionysius
were highly pleased with the services rendered by the Mission of Help.
Between the years 1826 and 1833 these Missionaries had to return to England and
two younger Missionaries Rev. Joseph Peet and Rev. W. J Woodcock arrived in
their place. They were rather impatient about the slow progress being made and
were sometimes rash in their actions. This caused friction in the relationship
with Cheppat Mar Dionysius who was the Metropolitan at that time.
There were also some people who did not favor change. For example, the
missionaries had insisted that only those who had received theological training
in the Seminary and got certificate should be ordained. They also wished to
bring more order into the financial matters of the parishes and so arranged that
the accounts should be submitted to the British Resident. Some interested
parties began to play a double game. They went and told Rev. Peet that the
Metropolitan as about to take away the documents of the Seminary (now known as
Old Seminary) to keep them in his custody. So Rev. Peet went to the Seminary and
rashly took away the documents and kept them in the custody of the Resident.
Immediately these persons went and told the Metropolitan that the documents had
been removed by the missionary. Such duplicity continued and it strained the
relationship which came to a breaking point very soon.
Even from the beginning Cheppat Mar Dionysius did not take kindly to the reforms
suggested by the Missionaries. Now the situation reached a climax. A
reconciliation effort was made by Bishop Wilson, who came down from Calcutta in
1835 for the purpose. But this did not yield the desired result. Following this
the Metropolitan called a Synod of the Church at Mavelikara in 1836, in which
they resolved not to accept the reforms suggested by the Missionaries. In the
resolution they reiterated their allegiance to the Patriarch of Antioch. Thus
the relationship between the Metropolitan and the Missionaries was sundered.
It was decided to settle the claims on the properties between the Metropolitan
and Missionaries by arbitration. According to the award of the arbitration, the
Seminary with its compound and the endowment fund for the education of the
clergy 'Vattipanam were allotted to the Metropolitan. The Missionaries received
the Manro island, the education fund and the school for higher education at
Kottayam. Thus the Missionaries and the Malankara Church parted company.
The Church Society had to decide what to do next. Their intention was not to
form a new denomination, but the Malankara Church rejected their help. So they
decided to work among the non Christians. There were some members of the
Malankara Church who were strongly drawn to the Missionaries because of the new
light that they received through the gospel preached by the Missionaries. The
Missionaries could not refuse them help. So a Church was built at Mallappally
for those who preferred to use the Anglican prayer book in their worship, and to
adopt rituals according to the Anglican rites. Other Churches were subsequently
built at Mavelikara and other places where similar congregations of the Anglican
Communion were formed and the Anglican Diocese of Travancore, and Cochin was
formed in 1878. The headquarters of the Diocese Was at Kottayam.
The Missionaries started educational institutions and hospitals. Those who
joined the church from non-Christians were mostly from the. backward classes, as
they saw in Jesus Christ the way of liberation from the social bondages of the
caste-ridden society of Kerala. At that time the backward classes did not have
the opportunity for education or even the freedom to walk on the public roads
near the Temples. Untouchability was observed by the higher castes. Bonded labor
was in force. In accepting Jesus Christ a new life was found by these people.
Abraham Malpan who was a Professor of Syriac in the Old Seminary in 1836, and
others desired that changes must take place in the Church according to the light
of the Gospel. They decided to work for the changes while remaining within the
Malankara Church instead of joining the Anglican Communion. This is what led to
the reformation under the leadership of Abraham Malpan (Professor) and others.
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