St. Thomas Crosses and St. Thomas Tradition
By T. K. Joseph
Summary
This article addresses the historical significance of the so‑called St. Thomas crosses found on the Malabar Coast of South India and evaluates claims about their discovery and dating. Responding to earlier notes by Professor Srinivasachari, who had suggested that the Kadamattam cross represented a recent find marking a major milestone in Indian Christian history, the author argues that the cross is neither a modern discovery nor as historically pivotal as claimed. Drawing on his own monograph on the Malabar Christians and their ancient documents, he notes that several St. Thomas crosses—stone slabs incised with a distinctive motif combining the Latin cross with Pahlavi inscriptions—were known to scholars before the Kadamattam discovery. These crosses are located at ancient churches in Kadamattam, Muttuchira, Kottayam and other sites, and they reflect the presence of a flourishing Syrian Christian community in Kerala by the early second millennium. The author emphasises that the Pahlavi inscriptions, although containing grammatical errors, attest to the use of Persian as a liturgical or scholarly language among South Indian Christians and likely date to between the seventh and tenth centuries. He reviews the debates on the origin of the cross motif, noting parallels in Sassanian Persia and suggesting that the symbol may have been introduced by Persian missionaries rather than by St. Thomas himself. The article also recounts local traditions linking the crosses to miracles or to the apostle’s visit, but cautions that such legends evolved centuries after the presumed events. Epigraphical analysis and archaeological context indicate that the crosses represent the integration of Persian Christian iconography into Indian church architecture. The author concludes that while the crosses are important artefacts illustrating the antiquity of Christianity in India, they do not by themselves prove that the apostle Thomas evangelised Malabar. A critical assessment of inscriptions and church records is necessary for reconstructing early Christian history in India.
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Conclusion
The study clarifies misconceptions about the Kadamattam cross and places the St. Thomas crosses within the broader context of Persian‑Syrian Christian influence on the Malabar Coast. These stone slabs, carved with a distinctive cross and Pahlavi legends, date from the early medieval period and testify to long‑standing commercial and ecclesiastical links between South India and the Persian Gulf. Although later tradition associates them with the apostle Thomas, the evidence suggests they were introduced by Persian missionaries. Properly understood, the crosses enrich our understanding of the diverse cultural strands that shaped early Indian Christianity without serving as definitive proof of apostolic origins.