- Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Mar Thoma X)
Infobox Marthoma Bishop
honorific-prefix = Most Rev.
name = Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I (Mar Thoma X )
honorific-suffix =
bishop_of = Malankara Church.
caption =
diocese =
ordination =
consecration =March 22 ,1816
enthroned =March 22 ,1816
ended = November1816
predecessor =Mar Thoma IX
successor =Punnathara Mar Dionysious (Mar Thoma XI)
birth_name = Joseph Ittoop
birth_date =January 15 ,1742
birthplace =Kunnamkulam
death_date =November 24 ,1816
deathplace =Kottayam
buried =Kottayam Pazhaya Seminary.
nationality =
Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious I was the Metropolitan only for nine months, but he made lasting contributions to the Malankara church. He was able to keep up the traditions, to improve the knowledge of the people and to decree that the assets of the Metropolitan would be assets of the Church. During his life time, he renovated and managed one of the oldest churches in
Kerala . was the mastermind in opening of the first formal educational institution, inKerala Kottayam Suryani Seminary, and was able to do a lot for the Malankara church. [Chacko, T.C. (1936) "Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charithra Samgraham’’. (Concise History of Marthoma Church). Page 62.]His nephew Tharu Kurien's son Joseph was later consecrated by the Patriarch of Antioch. He was also given the same episcopal title Pulikkottil Joseph Mar Dionysious and was known as Dionysious II. (1833-1909).
Malankara church
On the South Western coast of
India lies a small state known asKerala It was here in the first century,Thomas the Apostle arrived to preach thegospel to the Jewish community. Some of the Jews and locals including the wise men who saw Jesus as a baby atBethlehem , became followers of Jesus ofNazareth . They were known asMalabar Nasrani people and their church as Malankara Church. They followed a uniqueHebrew -Syriac Christian tradition which included several Jewish elements and Indian customs.Kunnamkulam
Kunnamkulam is a city and amunicipality inThrissur district in theIndia n state ofKerala . It is around 23 km fromThrissur town and 10 km fromGuruvayur . TheArabian s,Greeks , and Persians left their foot prints on this land years ago. The archaeologists unearthed a collection of old Roman coins which was buried around BC123 and AD117 . These coins are exhibited at archaeological museum ofThrissur . [Mathew, Adv.P.C., Aarthattu pallipattum charitra rekhakalum. Page 40.] [ Induchudan, V.T. "Keralathile Sthalanama Charithram" inMathrubhumi Annual 1970.]It is believed that Saint Thomas the disciple of Jesus Christ arrived here and a Christian congregation was formed in the first century. Now majority of the population are Syrian Christians.
Early days
Joseph Ittoop was born on January 15, 1742 in Pulikkottil an ancient family which moved from Aarthattu to
Kunnamkulam . He was ordained as a priest byMar Thoma VI and was known as Pulikkottil Joseph Ittoop Kathanar. He was the vicar of his parish, Chattukulangara Aarthattu church.Invasion of Tippu Sultan
Mysore ruler
Tippu Sultan invadedGuruvayur and adjacent areas, in AD 1740. The people ofKunnamkulam defended the attack with all their effort. The soldiers of Tippu Sultan set fire on Aarthattu church and murdered a number of people. One of them was killed inside thesanctuary . Witnessing all these atrocities Pulikkottil Joseph Kathanar was hiding inside this church. A large number of refugees left Aarthattu and settled inKunnamkulam under the leadership of Joseph Kathanar. After Tippu Sultan left, Joseph Kathanar returned to the parish and renovated the church, removing that area of thesanctuary where the man was killed.Consecration
Introduction
After the great swearing in 1653 it became necessary to appoint a bishop. For this purpose a special chair was made and the first bishop of Malankara church was enthroned. This was the throne used for the consecration of Mar Thoma X, Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius .
As ramban
As per the decision of the meeting of the representatives from parishes at
Kandanad , on September 14, 1809, Pulikkottil Joseph Ittoop Kathanar was ordained as a Ramban. [Mathew, N.M. ‘’Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charitram’’, (History of the Marthoma Church), Volume 1. P.232-236.] . [Ittoop Writer, ‘’Malayalathulla Suryani Chistianikauleday Charitram’’. (History of Syrain Christians in the land of Malayalam) Page 155-157.] .Consecration
Mar Thoma VIII died on January 26, 1816. Before his death, he consecratedMar Thoma IX . He was not accepted by the people and clergy. They met together and selected Pulikottil Joseph Ittoop Ramban as the next Metropolitan. But there were no bishops to consecrate him. So members of Malankara church invited Geevarghese Mar Philexenos (Kidangan) (1811-1829) of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church. Even though the first bishop of his church was driven out of Malankara church, without a grudge Mar Philexenos accepted the invitation.Pulikottil Joseph Ittoop Ramban was consecrated on March 22, 1816 as Mar Thoma X. Because he was consecrated by Geevarghese Mar Philexenos of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church, a bishop of another church, he was given the episcopal title Dionysius a Graeco-Roman name. He was the second bishop in the Malankara Church to get this title Dionysius.
yrian seminary
From the very beginning Pulikottil Joseph Ittoop Ramban took active interest in the establishment of the Syrian Seminary at
Kottayam . Government ofTravancore provided tax free land and the foundation stone was laid in February 1813. The work went on very fast and classes began in March 1815.Qualified teachers to teach various subjects were also appointed. They were
Maramon PalakunnathuAbraham Malpan (Syriac), Konattu Varghese Malpan (Syriac),Kozhikode Kunjan Assan (Sanskrit), Poet Laureate Chekottu Kuruvilla Assan (Malayalam) and fromKochi Mose Esarphathi (Hebrew & Greek) were the first teachers of this first education institution inKerala . By AD 2000Kerala became the most literate state in India. [Mathew, N.M. ‘’Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charitram’’, (History of the Marthoma Church), Volume 1. P.241.]English missionaries
Rev.Dr.
Claudius Buchanan (1766-1815) who visitedKerala in1806, and met Mar Thoma VI. After his return to England, missionaries who were members of theChurch Missionary Society (CMS) began to arrive inKerala . Rev.Thomas Norton arrived in Kochi on May 8, 1816 and began to open schools in and aroundAlappuzha . Rev. Benjamin Baily arrived in October 1816 and established a printing press atKottayam . He also began to translate the Bible intoMalayalam . [Juhanon Mar Thoma Metropolitan, The Most Rev. Dr. (1952). "Christianity inIndia and a Brief History of the Marthoma Syrian Church." Page 36.]Last days
At the age of 74, and only nine months as Metropolitan, Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius passed away on
November 24 ,1816 . He was entombed atKottayam Syrian Seminary chapel.After his death Geevarghese Mar Philexenos (Kidangan) (1811-1829) of the Malabar Independent Syrian Church took over the duties of the Metropolitan till a successor was enthroned. succession
office= Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Church
years=1816
preceded=Mar Thoma IX
succeeded=Punnathara Mar Dionysious (Mar Thoma XI) ee also
*
Mar Thoma Church
*Syrian Malabar Nasrani
*Saint Thomas Christians
*Christianity in India
*List of Catholicoi of the East and Malankara Metropolitans
*List of Syrian Malabar Nasranis
*Mar Thoma VII
*Mar Thoma VIII
*Mar Thoma IX
*Punnathara Mar Dionysious (Mar Thoma XI)
*Kunnamkulam References
For further reading
*#Juhanon Marthoma Metropolitan, The Most Rev. Dr. (1952). "Christianity in
India and a Brief History of the Marthoma Syrian Church.". Pub: K.M. Cherian.
*#Zac Varghese Dr. & Mathew A. Kallumpram. (2003). ‘’Glimpses of Mar Thoma Church History’’. London, England. ISBN 81/900854/4/1
*#Chacko, T.C. (1936) "Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charithra Samgraham’’. (Concise History of Marthoma Church), Pub: E.J. Institute, Kompady, Tiruvalla.
*#Eapen, Prof. Dr. K.V. (2001). ‘’Malankara Marthoma Suryani Sabha Charitram’’. (History of Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church). Pub: Kallettu, Muttambalam,Kottayam .
*#Ittoop Writer, (1906). ‘’Malayalathulla Suryani Chistianikauleday Charitram’’. (History of Syrain Christians in the land of Malayalam)
*#Mathew, N.M. ‘’Malankara Marthoma Sabha Charitram’’, (History of the Marthoma Church), Volume 1.(2006), Volume II (2007). Volume III (2008) Pub. E.J.Institute, Thiruvalla
*#Mathew, Adv.P.C.,(1994). Aarthattu Pallipattum Charitra Rekhakalum. (Historical records and Aathattu church songs).External links
* [http://marthomasyrianchurch.org http://marthomasyrianchurch.org]
* [http://www.syrianchurch.org/bio/Pulikottil_I.htm http://www.syrianchurch.org/bio/Pulikottil_I.htm - Biography of Pulikottil Joseph Mar Dionysius I]
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