Our Church: History
Conclusion
In all the Churches the position of the Patriarch or the Catholicos was a development of authority in their history. In Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople and in the Persian Church it achieved almost full development and recognition in the 4th century itself. Jerusalem became a Patriarchate at the council of Chalcedon in 451. The Georgian and Armenian Catholicos were also developed in the same period.
The Patriarchate was developed in Russian Orthodox Church between 1448 and 1589. In Rumania it was established in 1885. The Serbian Patriarchate was established in 1879 and the Bulgarian patriarchate was established in 1883. The patriarchate of Ethiopia was established in 1958 only. It happened in the Malankara Orthodox Church in 1912.
It should always be considered as a symbol of apostolic origin, authority and heritage as well as nationality and independence of the Malankara Orthodox Church. Throughout centuries the Metropolitan heads of the Thomas Christians were known as the apostolic successors of St. Thomas, the founder of the Indian church. The Vatican Syriac codex 22 written in 1301 at Kodungalloor refers to the Metropolitan of the church as “The Metropolitan Bishop of the See of St. Thomas, and of the whole church of Christians in India”. The church always asserted that St. Thomas had his. apostolic throne in India as St. Peter had it in Rome or Antioch. When the Catholicate was established the Catholicos as the head of the Malankara church, took the title “The successor of the Apostolic throne of St. Thomas”
As emphasised by the first Metropolitan of Delhi Diocese, the internationally reputed His Grace D Paulos Mar Gregorios: “The witness of the Orthodox Church is a quiet one, based more on worship holy life of love and service, than on preaching and proselytism.”