Certain parts of India received permanent
Christian settlements, such as along the Salem-Madurai
-Tiruchirapalli axis
in Tamilnadu, between
Bangalore and
Mysore in
Karnataka, in the Southern districts
of Andra Pradesh. In North India, the Christian communities are found in Dacca,
at Bettiah and in Agra etc.
The priests who had helped to make
the Indian Christians, numerous and more wide spread came from Portugal,
Spain, German, Italian and French. Together with other Christian ministers
of various national origins they had identified themselves thoroughly with the
ethos of India. Some of them acquired great proficiency in several languages
and made their own works on linguistics and literature. One example is the
great Tamil epic called 'Thembavani' composed by the Italian Jesuit, Constant
Joseph Beschi.
From the first year of the 18th century
onwards, other Christian clergymen stated coming from Europe. They translated the whole
Bible into the Indian languages. From then on India has nurtured the three main
branches of Christianity namely the catholic, the orthodox and the Protestant.
The Nineteenth Century and
after:
Protestant Christianity started forming
Christian groups in India by about 1810. Those societies were made up of dedicated
men and women who communicated their experience
and love of Christ. Such societies depended on several Protestant Churches.
Old Christians of
St. Thomas, both Catholic and orthodox, began
building up their own educational and socio-charitable works in the middle of the 19th
century. A large number
of young men and young women were called for Christian services.
Indian Christians became some of
the earliest advocates of the 'Ecumenial' movement which developed
since about 1920. 'Ecumenial' means world - wide, but as used by divided Christians
it indicates the universal desire and action growing among Christians to
fulfill
Christ's own wish 'that all may be one'.