The Silk Road ran from China through Persia and into Europe. After Pentecost, the Apostle Thomas took the Good News to Persia, modern day Iran, where he established churches before moving farther east.
India was also a part of the Southern Silk Road. (Peninsula Foundation) Some historians refer to this as the Spice Route.
Kerala is located on the southwest side of India, reached via the Silk Road from China and further abroad to Bactria, connecting the East with the West. (UNESCO)
The Apostle Thomas arrived in the area of modern day Kerala, India in 52 AD.
Muziris was a major Silk Road port on India’s Malabar Coast, located in Kerala, accessible via the Indian Ocean. Tradition holds that this is where Thomas first landed.
In Kerala, Thomas planted seven churches. Tradition maintains that some of the newly baptized believers were Jewish. (TRC) Together, the natives of India with Jewish believers became the “Thomas” Christians.
Christian Indians have written their oral history, in which they have recorded their earliest meetings with Christ via the Apostle Thomas. This includes Thomas’ trip to China with the Gospel and then his return to India. (Fr. Dr. THOMSON ROBI, “HISTORICAL STUDY OF THE ARRIVAL OF APOSTLE ST. THOMAS IN KERALA AND ITS INFLUENCE ON THE LIFE OF THE ST.THOMAS CHRISTIANS,” BASELIUS COLLEGE, India, 2013.)
Oral history is a type of linguistic evidence, or a proof, that Thomas did indeed travel to India.
Many of the Christians of India carry the surname “Thomas,” this too is linguistic evidence of the apostle’s presence in their land 2,000 years ago. (UNESCO)
These Indian believers are truly an apostolic church, originating in 52 AD with the Apostle Thomas. They are both physical and spiritual descendants of the early Indian church. What they say has deep meaning and their knowledge has been doggedly preserved for 2,000 years.
It was kept in remembrance because it was important.
When Christ comes to a people, especially through one who had been with Jesus, placed his hand in His wounds after resurrection and saw Him later ascend to heaven—this is very very important.
Even the travels and the death of Thomas were remembered. Approximately 20 years after his arrival, Thomas was martyred in India, probably by an enemy with a spear.
Another major Indian port on the Silk Road included Cochin. A fairly large Jewish community existed in the city. Arabs had made their home here as well. (Smithsonian) The Apostle Thomas also visited this area.
God sent the Gospel to city centers where there were a variety of languages spoken and where the knowledge of Christ could be taken elsewhere.
To get to these port cities, a country must grant access. Trade was the catalyst which opened the doors. Spices and silk went east. Gold was paid by the west. Strangers were admitted and even welcomed.
The Silk Road trade with India began between 100-200 BC. (PBS) God went ahead of Thomas and prepared the way for him to reach India. God began this move about 250 years prior to Thomas’ arrival.
The Scripture also states that “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3) The opening of the Silk Road trade between continents was created by God for the sake of carrying the light of the Gospel to the nations.
The Scripture states that Jesus is our forerunner. (Hebrews 6:20) He goes before us and prepares the way. This move of God, included Jesus, because Thomas would go in “Jesus’ Name” and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Before Jesus ascended, He commanded that the Gospel be taken into all the world. (Mark 16:15) When God gives a command, He makes its fulfillment possible. Obedience is what is necessary.
After Thomas came missionaries from the Church of the East to India. (Harald Suermann, “The Mission of the Church of the East to South India and Sri Lanka,” 2021)
The Church of the East had come out of Persia via the Silk Road, to India. Early church believers and their descendants from the time of Thomas became joined to this branch of believers.
Natives became church leaders and there was unity across Asia through this branch of the faith.
Church unity is essential. In His prayer just before going to the cross, the Lord prayed for unity among believers. This was one of the reasons He gave up His life.
“I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one.” (John 17:11)
Unity of the church demonstrates love and is a witness to the world.
Jesus stated, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35)
The Church of the East used the Syriac (Aramaic) liturgy for their church services and this continued in India.
The Church of the East remained united in India for hundreds of years until division arrived with the Portuguese. There was a movement to force the Church of the East to implement the liturgical Latin language of the Catholic Church. A split occurred in the body.
This should not have happened. Both Syriac (Aramaic) and Latin are early church languages.
The Scriptures show the faithful singing about the worthiness of the Lord, the Lamb, in heaven:
“…for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” (Revelation 5:9b)
The language one speaks is not important. What is key is that these people are covered with the blood of Jesus and they use their words to praise Him.
This diplomatic issue between the Catholic Church and the Church of the East was partially resolved in 1994 in a meeting between Pope John Paul II and Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV. (Vatican News)
The result was a written document titled Common Christological Declaration. A common ground in Jesus Christ was formally stated. This is biblical.
It is the responsibility of popes, patriarchs, and Protestant leadership to respond to God’s call to Christian unity and to retain this unity. Division should not enter. Pride and sin create division.
God is at work. Just as He prepared the Silk Road, Roman roads, and the spread of the Greek language across many lands, so too is He preparing the way for the unity of the church in this time.
While in jail, Paul told his jailer:
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31)
That jailer was a Philippian, a Gentile.
The church body has many different parts and various purposes, and it is formed from people of all types, tongues and races. Each part is necessary.
There should be no separation of unity within the church across the globe. The Church of the East, the Catholic Church, the Protestants, the Oriental Church and the Orthodox Church essentially all believe that Jesus, the Son of God is the Christ.
The Head of the global church is Jesus. He is the High Priest who continues to intercede for His people. God placed Him in this position by oath and He will not change His mind. (Hebrews 7:20-28)
Today the Indian church is divided into several denominations; though varying liturgical languages are used, each calls Jesus “Lord.” Many speak Hindi.
There are approximately 26 million Christians in India, 3 million in Pakistan (once part of India), and close to 500,000 in Bangladesh (also once part of India).
It is God who has kept His church for 2,000 years. To honor Him and the church in India, वह मैं हूँ। (That’s me) from John 18:5, the words of Jesus, have been included in this artwork.
Above, see the photo from the embroidery of “I AM,” declaring that Jesus is the Great I AM in many languages.
Listen to the Lord’s Prayer in the original Hindi: