Nasrani Hagbah

Nasrani Hagbah is a religious tradition of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani people from Kerala, South India that involves the opening of the red curtain and unveiling of the holy of holies and the raising of the Bible by the priest to the congregation gathered for the Kurbana (derived from the Hebrew Korban (קרבן), meaning "Sacrifice").

Background

The Nasrani hagbah shown in conjunction with the Jewish Hagbah and the Rembrandt painting of the lifting of Gods Commands. The Nasrani Hagbah is a tradition of the Syrian Malabar Nasrani people where in the holy of holies is unveiled by the opening of the red curtain and the Syriac Peshitta is raised in front of the entire congregation during Kurbana.

The Malabar Nasranis are a people from Kerala, South India who are the descendants of the natives and the Jewish diaspora in Kerala who became Christians in the Malabar coast in the earliest days of Christianity. ^{[1] [2] [3][4][5][6][7][8]} The Nasranis follow a unique Syriac Christian tradition which includes several Jewish elements although they have absorbed some Hindu customs. Their heritage is Syriac-Keralite, their culture South Indian, their faith St. Thomas Christian, and their language Malayalam.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} As an ethnic community they refer to themselves as Nasranis referring to the common cultural heritage and cultural tradition. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]} However the Nasranis have various denominations as a result of Portuguese persecution. ^[9] As a religious group they refer to themselves as the Mar Thoma Khristianis or in English as Saint Thomas Christians referring to their religious tradition, despite a common ancestry of being the descendants of the early Mar Thoma church or Saint Thomas tradition of Christianity. ^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

Nasrani Hagbah

According to Hermann Gundert (who wrote the first Malayalam dictionary), the term 'mapilla' was an "honorary title given to the colonists from the West, probaqbly only to their representatives. Nazrani Mappila, Jewish Mappila and Jonaka Mapplia. In Palaghat this is for Nazranis only and in Travancore, and honorary to Syrians."^[10]

A Syro-Malabar Catholic Church in Kerala, with the Holy of Holies containing Mar Thoma Sliba (St. Thomas Cross) veiled by a red curtain.

The tradition

The Nasrani Hagbah is one of the main parts of the sacrificial ritual offering of Kurbana of the Malabar Nasrani people. In the Nasrani Kurbana, the Bible is brought down from the madbaha (holy of holies veiled by red curtain) to the Bimah (raised platform at which it is read).^{[1] [11] [12]} First the red curtain separating the Holy of Holies is unveiled and then the priest lifts the bible at the inner altar of the holy of holies and climbs down the steps from the inner alter to the outer altar at hykala where it is held high covering the priests face while it is incensed by myrrh^[12]. This is done in the tradition of the holy of holies being veiled by a curtain in the ancient temple of Jerusalem. The unveiling of the red curtain and the lifting of the words of God and bringing it down to the outer altar symbolizes Moses bringing down the first words of God written by the hands of god. Thus raising the hagbah is, in fact, symbolic of revealing God to the people. The Nasrani Hagbah is the point at which the red curtain veiling the holy of holies is unveiled depicting the handing of the ten commandments by God through Moses to the Hebrews. (Deut 4:44) ^{[13] [12]}

Symbolism

It is derived from the idea that the first time the Hebrews saw God was at Mount Sinai when for the first time the laws were given on the tablets. So the only true way of seeing God is to see the word. Hence the tradition of revealing God by raising the bible as it was done by Moses by lifting the tablets in front of the entire Hebrew community the first time the laws were given. (Deut 4:44) ^[13]

Cognate traditions

The Nasrani Hagbah is similar to the Jewish Hagbah and more so to the samaritan hagbah of lifting the torah and unveiling the curtain covering the holy of holies in the synagogue. ^[14]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Menachery G (1973) The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, Ed. George Menachery, B.N.K. Press, vol. 2, ISBN 81-87132-06-X, Lib. Cong. Cat. Card. No. 73-905568; B.N.K. Press  – (has some 70 lengthy articles by different experts on the origins, development, history, culture... of these Christians, with about 300 photographs).
2. ^ ^{a b c d} Menachery G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol. I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. [ISBN 81-87133-05-8].
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Mundadan, A. Mathias. (1984) History of Christianity in India, vol.1, Bangalore, India: Church History Association of India.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} Podipara, Placid J. (1970) "The Thomas Christians". London: Darton, Longman and Tidd, 1970. (is a readable and exhaustive study of the St. Thomas Christians.)
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Leslie Brown, (1956) The Indian Christians of St. Thomas. An Account of the Ancient Syrian Church of Malabar, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 1956, 1982 (repr.)
6. ^ ^{a b c d} Thomas Puthiakunnel, (1973) "Jewish colonies of India paved the way for St. Thomas", The Saint Thomas Christian Encyclopedia of India, ed. George Menachery, Vol. II., Trichur.
7. ^ ^{a b c d} Koder S. 'History of the Jews of Kerala".The St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India, Ed. G. Menachery,1973.
8. ^ T.K Velu Pillai, (1940) "The Travancore State Manual"; 4 volumes; Trivandrum)
9. ^ Claudius Buchanan (1811). Christian Researches in Asia: With Notices of the Translation of the Scriptures into the Oriental Languages. 2nd ed. Boston: Armstron, Cornhill
10. ^ Malayalam-English Dictionary (in Malayalam) by Dr. Herman Gundert, first published in 1872. Pub. by Sahythya Pravarthaka Sahakara Sangham in 1972, Kottayam, Kerala. Page 739
11. ^ Menachery G (ed); (1998) "The Indian Church History Classics", Vol. I, The Nazranies, Ollur, 1998. [ISBN 81-87133-05-8].
12. ^ ^{a b c} Jenner, H. (1912). East Syrian Rite. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
13. ^ ^{a b} The Holy Bible (King James Version): 1611 Edition (Thos. Nelson, 1993) ISBN 0-8407-0028-8)
14. ^ Glossary of Hebrew Terms