Abraham Malpan and his Mar Thoma Church

STYLE: MAR THOMA SYRIAN CHURCH OF MALABAR
(MALANKARA MARTHOMA SYRIAN CHURCH) APOSTOLIC SEE OF
ST.THOMAS POOLATHEEN, THIRUVALLA-689101, KERALA STATE, REP.BY
DR.JOSEPH MAR THOMA, METROPOLITAN, MAR THOMA SYRIAN CHURCH OF MALABAR

OR

MALANKARA MARTHOMA SYRIAN CHURCH
HAVING ITS HEADQUARTERS AT SCS COMPLEX,
THIRUVALLA PO., PATHANAMTHITTA PIN-689101,
REPRESENTED BY METROPOLITAN, DR. JOSEPH MARTHOMA

Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar OR Marthoma Church has been founded by Abraham Pan (30 May 1796 – 9 September 1845) in Kerala on 1898 under the influence of Anglican Missionaries(CMS). They are 90% Anglican and 10% Syrian in the sense in their Malayalam Liturgy they use 10% Syriac words and for the celebration of the liturgy (Kurbana) they use modified Syriac Vestment. They have taken certain things from the Malankara Church which was formed in India in the 17th-century in 1912 [the Malankara Church split into the Malankara Orthodox Church and the Jacobite Syrian Church on the question of the supreme head] and made communion with The patriarch of Antioch. Thus Syriac thread was distributed amongst all the ‘Syriac’ named churches in Kerala. The members of the Malabar Church( Malankara Nasranis) consisted of a group of Persian Nestorian Christians (who arrived in Kerala due to Roman Catholic persecution in 450-520 CE from Edessa) who denied to submit themselves before the newly arrived Partugees Catholic Missionaries in 1653(Coonan Cross Oath).

The peculiarity of the Church of Abraham Malpan is that all church leaders of ranks are chosen from his family. The head of the Church is selected from the Malpan family (Palakunnathu family). The church is autonomous in the sense that the Church properties belong to the Malpan family. Abraham`s father was an Eastern Syrian Christian and Abraham Malpan married after becoming a priest(Ordained by Mar Thoma VIII) while he was teaching in Malankara Old Seminary in Kottayam.

Abraham Malpan was diabetic. At the age of 50, he became very sick and died on 9 September 1845. He was buried the next day in the Maramon Church. The funeral service was conducted by his nephew Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan. Abraham never wrote his Will or any other documents.

The question of transparency for Rank selections has been a dominating problem in the church. Mandalam members have very little say before the Malpan family.

Pattern of faith

The Holy Bible consists of sixty-six (66) books of the old and new testaments, accepted by the Marthoma Church as the basis of its belief relating to faith and doctrine, and the Nicene Creed. The three-fold ministry of the Deacon, Minister, and Bishop, the rites of church dedication, church consecration, holy baptism, Holy Communion, holy matrimony, unction of the sick, funeral, as well as the observance of Sundays, Lents, and dominical feasts.

Mar Thoma Church has its headquarters in Thiruvalla, Kerala, India.