A History of Christianity in India The Beginnings to AD 1707

Christians form the third largest religious community in India. How has this come about? There are many studies of separate groups: but there has so far been no major history of the three large groups - Roman Catholic, Protestant and Thomas Christians (Syrians). This work attempts to meet the need for such a history. It goes right back to the beginning and traces the story through the ups and downs of at least fifteen centuries. It includes careful studies of the political and social background and of the non-Christian reactions to the Christian message. The narration is non-technical and should present few difficulties to the thoughtful reader; the more technical matters are dealt with in notes and appendices. This book will be of interest to all students of Church History and will also prove fascinating to many who are concerned with the development of Christianity as a world religion and in the dialogue between different forms of faith.

Preface; The spelling of Indian names; Abbreviations; Maps; Part I: 1. The Indian background; 2. Christianity comes to India; 3. From medieval to modern; 4. Christians in the Indian Middle Age; Part II: 5. Europe and Asia; contact and conflict; 6. Beginnings of mission; 7. The jesuits and the Indian church; 8. Akbar and the jesuits; 9. Rome and the Thomas Christians; 10. Lights and shadows; Part III: 11. India in the Seventeenty Century; 12. The mission of Mathurai; 13. The Thomas Christians again; 14. Other Roman Catholic missions; 15. Non-Roman Catholic Christianity in India; Appendices; Notes; Select bibliographies; Index.