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Thursday, April 25, 2024
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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'.
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