Devapriyaji - True History Analaysed

End Notes

1 R.E. Brown, The Gospel of John, Vol 1, Geoffrey Chapman,

London, 1966, P.424

2 E. Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha, Vol 1., SCM Press,

London, 1975, P. 307-308; J.D. Turner, Book of Thomas the

Contender, in D.N.Friedman (ed), Anchor Bible Dictionary,

Doubleday, NY 1992 Vol. 6., P. 529-530

3 Marvyn Meyer, The Gospel of Thomas (Interpretation by Harold

Blood), HarperSanFrancisco, NY., 1992 contains a critical edition of

the Coptic text.

4 E. Hennecke, The Infancy Story of Thomas, in New Testament

Apocrypha, Vol 1, SCM Press, London 1975, p. 388-401; Heart,

W.J., The Infancy Gospel of Thomas, in Anchor Bible Dictionary,

cit., p. 540-44

5 Thompson, D.A., The Apocalypse of Thomas, in Anchor Bible

Dicionary, cit., p. 534; for the text see E. Hennecke, Apocalypse

of Thomas, in New Testament Apocrypha, cit., p. 798-803

6 Attridge, H.W., Acts of Thomas, in Anchor Bible Dictionary, cit.,

p. 531-534; for the text, E. Hennecke, New Testament Apocrypha,

Vol 2., cit., p. 426-531.

7 For details about the historic dimensions of Gudnaphar, I depend

on the writings of J.N.Fraquhar, The Apostle Thomas in India, in

Jacob Vellian (ed., Syrian Church Series, vol 1., Kottayam, 1972

p.34-35; see also, A.C.Perumalil, The Apostles in India, Patna,

1971, p. 67-69.

8 V.C.George, Apostolate and Martrydom of St. Thomas,

Ernakulam. 1964, P. 49, gives elaborate descriptions as to the

closeness of Mazdai or Mahaveva to Vasudeva a South Indian king.

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He quotes the French scholar M. Sylvin Levi to support his

assertion. He is sure that behind some Syrian or Iranian names we

should see many a South Indian personality in the second part of

Thomas’ apostolate in the Acts of Thomas.

9 J. Kolangaden, The Historicity of Apostle Thomas, Trichur, 1993,

p.2O

10 There are also scholars and archeologists who take a more

skeptical view as to the reliability of the Acts of Thomas, in spite

of the popularity that the books of this type enjoyed in the early

Church. And this particular book had been translated into various

languages like Greek, Latin, Armenian, and Ethiopic. Cf.

L.M.Pylee, St. Thomas Christians and the Archdiocese of

Verapoly, Ernakulam, 1977, p.3off.

11 A.C.Perumalil, cit., p. 172-179 discuses this aspect and the

refusal of a few British scholars to accept that Thomas ever went

to Punjab, or to the north western parts of India.

12 V.C.George,cit., p. 49-50; also, Zaleski, The Apostle St. Thomas

in India, Mangalore, 1912, p. 141ff.

13 Ibidem, p. 51

14 I do not claim to have gone into primary sources while compiling

this section. I have relied much on scholars like A.C. Perumalil,

cit.,p 55-62, who has extensively quoted the primary sources; and

R. Arulappa, who as parish priest of St. Thomas’ Cathedral and

later as Archbishop of Madras-Mylapore wrote several pamphlets in

Tamil and English with a pastoral content to make the apostolate of

St. Thomas known.

15 V.C.George, Apostolate and Martyrdom of St.Thomas,

‘Ernakulam, 1964, p. 6

16R. Arulappa, Did Thomas Come to India?, a pamphlet published

in 1985

179

17H. Hosten, Antiquities form Santhome and Mylapore,

Diocese of Mylapore, 1936, p. 305-314 contains a detailed

discussion on the name’Calamina’.

18J. Kolangaden, cit., p. 37

19J. Kolangaden, cit., p. 12:

20A.C.Perumalil, cit., p.78. This traveler from Venice who could

have been a merchant as well as a missionary could have been

a constant visitor to the East and would have called up at the

Indian ports more than once.

21A.C. Perumalil, cit., p. 74 22 Ibidem, p. 87

23 Ibidem, p. 72

24 Ibidem p.72

25 L.M.Pylee, cit., p. 23-24

26 The Catholic Directory of India, 1998, p. 29.

27 A.C. Perumalil, cit., p. 90, 92

28 J.Kurikilamkatt, “The First Port of Disembarkation of the

Apostle Thomas in India According to the Acts of Thomas”, in

Ephrem’s Theological Journal, March 2004, p. 3-20, where the

author discusses Barygaza in the Gujarat, in the West Coast of

India as a great trade centre; he is of the opinion that Sandruch-

Andrapolis of the Acts of Thomas may be the ancient port city

of Barygaza.

29 Ibidem, p. 26-27.

30 L.M.Pylee, cit, p. 34-35.

31 Ibidem, p. 36-37 asserts that these songs were regularly used

on various religious and social occasions. And we may generally

180

believe that as in most oral traditions they could have gathered

fresh impetus and new ideas with the enthusiasm which they

normally generate; see also, A.C.Perumalil, cit., p. 94.

32 Ibidem, p. 96

33 Ibidem, p. 97 34 V.C.George, cit, p.55-56

35 A.M.Mundaden, “Traditions of St. Thomas and the Tomb of

Mylapore” in K.J.John, Christian Heritage of Kerala, Cochin,

1981, p. 22

36 B.A.Figredo, Voices from the Dust, Madras, 1953, p. 4. He

suggests that the Siva temple could have been near the sea

shore close to where the tomb of Thomas is.

37 Ibidem, p.

38 M. Gielan, St. Thomas the Apostle of India, Kottayam, 1990,

p. 169. This scholar even refers to a letter of Pope John XXII

dated March 31, 1330 from Avignon referring to a city called

Molephatam, alluding apparently to St. Thomas the Apostle in

India.

39 P.J.Podipara, The Thomas Christians, Darton, Longman &

Todd, London, 1970, p.27

40 Ibdiem, p. 27

41 Ibidem, p. 24

41 A.M.Mundanden, cit., p. 24 discusses this issue raised by on

T.K.Joseph and disproves it.

43 A.C.Perumalil, ci., p. 90-91 states, “Was the body (bones)

taken to Edessa in the first century as hinted by the Acts? We

are not sure. For, the Acts are a mere fiction; and as a fiction

the statement of the Acts cannot be taken seriously unless

corroborated by other evidence. There is no other evidence to

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assert or to deny that the bones were taken to Edessa in the first

century”

44 See the Appendix on historical sketches on the existing

churches in Little Mount and St. Thomas Mount

45 See the Appendix for a longer note on the ‘Bleeding Cross’

46 M. Gielan, cit., p. 182. This Dutch author seems to have spent

nearly 10 years in visiting various libraries in Europe researching

on St. Thomas.

47 A.C.Perumalil, cit., conveys to us a graphic description of this

process which is worth quoting for our readers. The author has

taken the account from some earlier text of N. Figueiredo, St.

Thomas the Apostle in Mylapore: Three Documents: His

tomb, His Relics and Stone Cross, Mylapore (?)

48 M. Gielan, cit., p. 188. The author says that it was from

Edessa that many of the Apostle’s missionary journeys started,

and that St. Thomas was continuously linked with the Christian

community at Edessa and hence this singular privilege for that

place. The author also gives a Syrian tradition that it was the

merchant khaban (or Habban) who took the relics to Edessa.

49 A.C.Perumalil, cit., p. 86-87

50 M. Gielan, cit., p.189

51 A.C.Perumalil, cit., p.87

52 Ibidem, p.87

53 M. Gielan, cit., p. 190; also V.C.George, cit., p. 90-91, ho

keeps to the idea that the relics were actually stolen from

Mylapore to Edessa by ‘one of the brethren’. But he also feels

that it was not done by a single individual but by a well-meaning

group knowing the links the saint had with Edessa.

182

54 Ibidem, p. 190

55 For a detailed list see R. Arulappa, An Outline of- the

History of the Archdiocese of Madras and Mylapore, San

Thome, Madras, 1986., p. 3 - 15.

56 Ibidem, p. 8-9

57 Ibidem, p 131-136 gives a graphic description of the Cathedral.

58 Ibidem, p. 135-136.

59 The account I have presented is a recasting of the ones from

M. Gielan, cit., p. 190ff., and R. Arulappa, cit., p.159ff

60 For more details see R. Arulappa, cit., p. 162

61 M. Gielan, cif., p. 192

61 Ibidem, p.193-195

63 R. Arulappa, cit., p. 126-132 gives a longer write up on Our

Lady of Mylapore. He also gives the various sworn depositions

on the devotion of St. Francis Xavier to Our Lady near the tomb

of St. Thomas.

64 M. Gielan, cit., p. 196-208 has a long discussion on the

portrait. He is concerned not so much by the painting which has

very little historic probability, bur rather on the fact that the

Apostle Thomas has been credited with the possession of such

a picture. He also discusses the issue of the character of Luke

which gave a content to the beginnings of Christian art.

65 This write up on the Cathedral museum and the various

exhibits there, are all taken from the research conducted by Fr.

Hosten, S.J., in 1923, and later published in detail in his book

Antiquities from San Thome and Mylapore in 1936. Many of

these photographs have also been exhibited in the Vatican

Museum in 1925.