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Christianity is
said to have found its way, to Kerala by the visit of St.Thomas
in the first century AD. The first place
where Christians landed was Muzuris which was the most
flourishing centre of trade and commerce during that time.
Christian missionary activities in the Malabar coast started
from the early days of the first century AD and the relation of
the present Christians to the soil is as deep rooted as that of
any other community. The Syrian Christian church is the oldest
church in the whole of India. The Christians of Kerala lead a
very peaceful life with utmost tolerance and friendship with
other communities. There are several denominations of Christians
based on doctrinal disputes. All the different sects like
Jacobite Syrians, Orthodox Syrians, Marthoma Syrians, Latin
Catholic, Syrian Catholics differ on many minor points of their
faith and practice, but hold their allegiance to Jesus Christ
with utmost enthusiasm and devotion. The Christians form a very
rich and influential community, having very great bargaining
strength in the political and social life of the state.
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The contact of
the Jews with Kerala coast has a long history beginning as early
as the time of
Moses, the great Jewish-law giver. Their maritime and commercial
contacts steadily continued and developed. Jewish settlements
came up in many coastal centres, one in Baypur. They paid
tribute to the local rajas, who conferred on them certain
privileges and ranks. Their earliest settlement was at
Cranganore. Later they came to Cochin where they built the
famous Jew town and the Synagogue in 1567. Though they form only
a negligible minority their contact with the land is long and
marked. |
