Mar Yohannan, also known (prior to episcopal consecration) as a monk Yoseph of Awgin, was

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

( 1490-1503), a

metropolitan province An ecclesiastical province is one of the basic forms of jurisdiction in Christian Churches with traditional hierarchical structure, including Western Christianity and Eastern Christianity. In general, an ecclesiastical province consists of severa ...

of the

Church of the East The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...

. In 1490, envoys of

Saint Thomas Christians The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...

from the

Malabar Coast The Malabar Coast is the southwestern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing ...

traveled to

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

and arrived in Gazarta, bringing appeals to the hierarchy of the

, and asking for new bishops. Patriarch Shemon IV responded positively to their request and arranged the selection of two monks from the Awgin Monastery, both of them called Yoseph, appointing them as bishops, under new names: Mar Yohannan and Mar Thoma, and dispatching them to India. Mar Yohannan stayed in India, while Mar Thomas returned to Mesopotamia. In 1503, three new bishops were sent to India, by new Patriarch

Eliya V Mar V (sometimes written Elia V) was the patriarch of the Church of the East from September 1502 until his death in 1504. In April 1503 or 1504, in the monastery of Mar Yohannan the Egyptian near Gazarta, Eliya consecrated three monks from the ...

: Mar Yahballaha, Mar Dinkha and Mar Yaqob. Upon arrival, they met with Mar Yohannan. Activities of Mar Yohannan and other bishops reaffirmed traditional ties between Christians of India and the

. By that time, local Christians of the

were also facing some additional challenges, caused by the establishment of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

presence in India.

Bishop in India

In 1490, three delegates of

from the

traveled to

to meet Patriarch Shemon IV of the

. One delegate died on the way, but the remaining two, named George and Joseph, arrived there safely, and met with Patriarch in Gazarta. Both of them were ordained priests, by Mar Shemon IV, at the Church of St George in Gazerta. They were then sent to the Awgin Monastery, where two able monks, both named Yoseph, were selected to go with them to India. Patriarch consecrated both Awgin monks as Bishops, under new names: Mar Thomas and Mar Yohannan. After that, both bishops, and both of newly consecrated priests from India, traveled together to the

, where they arrived safely. Their activity in India was successful. They were well received by the faithful. Upon arrival, bishops were welcomed by many Christians who were singing psalms and hymns, carrying before them the cross, the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

and candles. During their activity, bishops ordained many new priests and consecrated altars. Some researchers have suggested that these events did not take place around 1490, but few years later, around 1499-1500. Mar Yohannan stayed in India, while Mar Thomas returned to Mesopotamia, to bring the offerings, sent by Christians of India to the Patriarch. This second journey is mentioned in the narrations of priest Joseph from India, who traveled to Europe. Joseph’s narrations to Venetians tell us that: “The said Joseph related that he had departed from the said town of

Cranganore Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in ...

with a Bishop, his superior. Ascending a ship, he went towards the island of Ormus. From there he proceeded to the mainland where he stayed for three months and with the said Bishop, he went as far as Armenia to meet his Pontiff. By Him, this Bishop was consecrated and the said Joseph was ordained a Priest”. As Bishop of India, Mar Yohannan later welcomed three new bishops (Mar Yahballaha, Mar Dinkha, and Mar Yaqob), who were sent to India in 1503, by new Patriarch

. Upon arrival, they met with Mar Yohannan. That is the last known information about his activities.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * * * {{authority control 15th-century bishops of the Church of the East Church of the East in India

Bishop in India

See also

References

Sources