Saint Thomas Christians
St. Thomas Christians are found in the southern Indian state of Kerala. These Christians of Malabar trace their roots back to St. Thomas the Apostle who arrived along the Malabar Coast in the year AD 52. In their tradition, St. Thomas is referred to as Mar Thoma Sleeha which translate roughly as Lord/Saint Thomas the Apostle.
St Thomas Christians had a unique identity till the arrival of Portuguese in India, who converted St. Thomas Christians in their area of control to the Catholic Church. As a result of this foreign intervention into their culture there are several present day St. Thomas churches, primarily in the Catholic and Oriental Orthodox traditions.
Among the St. Thomas Christians, now the largest church in terms of membership is the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, a major archepiscopal church in communion with the Bishop of Rome with a membership approaching four million adherents.
Read more about this topic: History Of Eastern Christianity
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