In the year 40 A.D. St. Thomas made his second visit to the northern regions, now to consolidate the labours of King Denis (Bishop of Takshasila) and Princess Pelagia who had started the first religious congregation in India. Deacon Xantipus (King Gondophernes - the Magi King Melchior) and Peter (Gandhappar Raja - the Magi King Gaspar) accompanied the Apostle to partake in his labours. This visit of the Apostle gives us sufficient reason, as Herman D’Souza says, that the north Indian region was one of the fields of the Apostle’s labours.1
There was a Jewish colony in Takshasila and where Aramaic had been a common language. In fact an Aramaic inscription has been found at Takshasila in honour of a high official called ‘Priyadarsi’ (gracious), virtually as his name - Asoka. Aramaic was responsible for the development of the local Kharoshthi Character, which was current during the whole of the first century, being employed for official and non official purposes. Takshasila was celebrated as a university centre because of its geographical position as the meeting - place of the trade routes. As revealed by archaeological discoveries, Christianity flourished side by side with other religions in the Parthian Empire.2
T.K. Joseph, who was one of the ardent supporters of St. Thomas’ apostolate in the Punjab thought that he had discovered the title ‘Deva-vrata’ which Gondophernes bore as his characteristic symbol to be a sufficient indication of his profession of Christianity. T.K. Joseph writes: “King Gondophernes of the Punjab, St. Thomas’s convert, had preferred the title Deva-vrata (devoted to God) to the then usual titles Deva-putra (son of God) and Devanam priya (dear to the gods), and also adopted what historians call his “characteristic symbol” - viz., a small “v” surmounting a large “O” standing on an inverted “T” as its base. The three combined look like a big wine cup such as the Chalice used by Christ at His Last Supper with His twelve disciples, and ever after that by all Christians at the Eucharist in the Punjab as the Acts tell us. And the chalice, not the Cross, is the earliest known Christian symbol.”3
Vincent Smith, the historian says: “Unless Christian mission connected by tradition with the life of St. Thomas had visited the Indo - Parthian borderland, it is difficult to imagine how the obscure name of Gondophares can have come into the story…..if anybody chooses to believe that St. Thomas personally visited the Indo - Parthian Kingdom his belief cannot be considered unreasonable.”4Thus the visit of St. Thomas to Parthia has been confirmed by various testimonies and the monuments available are the remnants of the religious communities established by the Apostle in this region. About these St John Damascene testifies as follows: “While the hermits St. Paul and St. Antony were leading the life of prayer and perfection in the desert of Tebeitha, a great number of Indian hermits were living in the desert near the Indus River.”5
When St. Thomas arrived at Takshasila, Bishop Denis the King of Parthia had already converted the people of his Kingdom and had started a religious congregation for men in the name of St. Thomas called “The Followers of Thomas”, and for which he was the Prior General. At the same time Princess Pelagia had started a religious congregation for young virgins in the name of the Blessed Virgin Mary called: “The Slaves of Mary.” The Apostle blessed the works of Bishop Denis and traveled all over the region preaching the gospel untiringly. People of every caste and creed thronged to hear his words. All those who touched his garments were relieved of their infirmities. He took them all to the river Sindh and baptized them in great numbers. Thus for six years the Apostle was working in the Parthian Empire. In the meanwhile King Denis handed over the Kingdom to Phraotes and spent the rest of his life in the monastery.
PELAGIA THE FIRST MARTYR OF INDIA
The Church in Parthia had no time to strike root in the land. Within a few years the Parthians were overthrown by the Kushanas. The infant Church met with persecutions by the cruel heathens who worshipped the demons. Bishop Denis died. But Princess Pelagia was caught by the pagans and was brought before the king who ordered her to worship the evil spirits. She was promised all the riches of the king’s palace if she abandoned Christianity and accepted to offer incense to the idols. The heroic Pelagia did not hesitate to refuse the orders of the king. So she was sentenced to capital punishment. Joyfully did she accept the Judgment, and willingly offered her life to Jesus Christ. Thus Princess Pelagia became the first martyr of India and is venerated as one amongst the innumerable un-canonized Virgin Martyrs.6
Naturally enough, the infant Church of Parthia perished with its patrons, its scattered remnants managing to preserve a few features of Christianity - some tenets and externals. A community of Fakirs in Sindh, who are reputed to be followers of Thuma Bhagat, “The Followers of St. Thomas”, may possibly be one of these remnants. Rev. R. A. Trotter, who had some contact with this community, writes about them as follows:
“To support the contention that the Apostle St. Thomas came to Sindh, there is a Fakir Community living in Tatta Nagar, which has occasionally revealed itself. This Fakir group, to all appearances Hindu, calls its small community by an Arameic name, something like ‘Barthomai’, the sons of Thomas, and claims that it is descended from Christians baptized by St. Thomas himself and that in their secret society they own books and relics to support their position. Unfortunately no outsider, either Indian or European, has had access to the archives of this society, and individual members as hard as the Indian lion.”7
There are some evidences to show that other Apostles and Saints have visited this Fakir community immediately after St. Thomas left this region.
“According to Eusebius and other ancient writers, St. Bartholomew preached the Gospel in the most barbarous countries of the east, penetrating as far as India. Eusebius relates that when St. Panthaenus (Father of the Church), in the third century (200 to 210 A.D), went to India, he still found the knowledge of Christ in that country, and the copy of the Gospel of St. Mathew was shown to him, which they assured him, had been brought there by St. Bartholomew”.8
John Gilmary Shea LL.D. states in the life of St. Panthaenus: “The Indians who traded at Alexandria entreated him to pay their country a visit, whereupon he forsook his school and went to preach the Gospel to the eastern nations. St. Panthaenus found some seeds of the faith already sworn in the Indies, and a book of the Gospel of St. Mathew in Hebrew, which St. Bartholomew had carried thither. He brought it back with him to Alexandria wither he returned after he had zealously employed some years in instructing the Indians in the faith. St. Panthaenus continued to preach in private till about the year 216, when he closed a noble and excellent life by a happy death.”9
Now it is clear that the remnants of the Congregation established by Prince Denis were the Indian hermits (Fakir Community) who were visited by The Apostle Bartholomew (in about 75 A.D.). St. Bartholomew had left a copy of the Gospel of St. Mathew in Hebrew with these hermits. It is the same Indian hermits whom St. Panthaenus met when he came to India in 210 A.D. and found the Gospel of St. Mathew still there.
St. Thomas as he was summoned to the bed side of Our Lady, started to Jerusalem together with the two Magi Kings Gondophernes (Melchior) and Gandhappar Raja (Gaspar). This fact is narrated in the ‘Transita Mariae’, which is one of the most ancient Christian writings that from his mission at Takshasila the Apostle was summoned to be present at the bedside of the Blessed Virgin in her last moments. St. Thomas does not appear to have again returned to Takshasila. For in his farewell sermon which he preached when he took leave of his disciples, he seems to have had a presentiment that he was leaving them for good.
In one of the villages in Thakshasila while the Apostle was saying mass, (Cfr. The Passing of Mary: "Then the blessed Thomas told them how he was singing mass in India—he still had on his sacerdotal robes". Appendix II) he announced that the death of our lady was made known to him. This fact is testified by Thomas Coipuram as follows: “The apostle came to know of the death of Christ’s mother in a dream and told of the death of the Blessed Mother to a village community. From their presence the apostle disappeared and later returned to the curious group to tell them that he went up to the clouds to see the angels carrying the body to heaven. Even today, there is a village story in that part of the world, confirming the assumption of the Blessed Mother to heaven.”10
St Thomas during the celebration of Holy mass in the above mentioned village, in his sermon instructed the congregation in the following words:
“Children and brethren that have believed in the Lord, abide in this faith, preaching Jesus Who was proclaimed unto you by me, to bring you hope in Him; and forsake not Him, and He will not forsake you. While you sleep in this slumber that weigheth down the sleepers, He sleeping not, keepeth watch over you; and when you sail, and are in peril and none can help, He walking upon the waters supporteth and abideth. For I am now departing from you, and it appears not if I shall again see you according to the flesh. Be ye not therefore like unto the people of Israel, who losing sight of their pastors for an hour, stumbled.”11
