Mathews Athanasius
Mathews Mar Athanasius Mar Thoma XIII was the undisputed Malankara Metropolitan of the Malankara Church from 1852 until 1865, and the Reformist claimant to the Metropolitanate from 1865 until his death in 1877. As a reformist, he spent most of his reign attempting to reform and heal rifts within the church. However, in 1865, he was deposed by the traditionalist faction of the Malankara Church and Pulikkottil Joseph Dionysius became their leader.
Mathews started his career in the church in childhood, and was influenced by the Church Mission Society and his uncle Abraham Malpan, a priest who instituted reforms in Maramon parish in 1840. When Abraham's reforms led to conflict with the reigning Malankara Metropolitan Dionysius IV, Deacon Mathews traveled to the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, who consecrated him as Bishop Mathews Athanasius in 1841. After years of dispute over the church's leadership between Mathews and Dionysius, the issue was settled by the Travancore government in 1852, with Mathews being recognized as Metropolitan since he got the Royal decree from the Maharaja of Travancore. He worked to repair the rift in the church, but continuing unrest ultimately led to a permanent split. After the Synod of Mulanthurathy and the death of Athanasious the rift in Malankara Church became more visible. Following the Royal Court Verdict against Metropolitan Thomas Athanasius and the reform party, the independent Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church was formed in 1889 as the Independent Malankara Syrian Church.
Early life
Pakalomattom Palakunnathu family
In the 17th century, a member of the Panamkuzhy family came and settled in Kozhencherry on the banks of river Pampa. Later they moved to Maramon, and lived at Chackkalyil, on the other side of the river. The second son in that family, Mathen moved to a nearby house at Palakunnathu. He had six sons and a daughter. The daughter was married to Pavoothikunnel family and the first four sons moved to Themoottil, Neduvelil, Periyilel, and Punamadom. The fifth son was a hermit priest. As was the custom, the youngest son Mathew lived at Palakunnathu family house.Being members of the ancient Malankara Church, many leaders were born in this family. Leader of the reformation in Malankara Church, Abraham Malpan, Mathews Mar Athanasius Metropolitan ; Thomas Mar Athanasius Metropolitan ; Titus I Mar Thoma Metropolitan ; Titus II Mar Thoma Metropolitan ; Dr. Joseph Mar Thoma Metropolitan, were also from this family.
Parents
Mathen, the eldest son of Palakunnathu Mathew and Maraimma, was born on 25 April 1818. After 90 days he was baptized at the Maramon palli.Education
Early education was at Maramon and his teacher was the poet laureate Chekottassan. At the age of eleven, he joined the Syrian Seminary at Kottayam. When he was thirteen, he was ordained as a deacon by Thoma XII.. After completing his education in Kerala, Deacon Mathen joined Rev. John Anderson's School, at Chennai. His friend Deacon George Mathen also joined him. By 1839, they had completed their education in Madras and returned home.Future plan
At that time condition of Malankara Church was in disarray and at times deplorable.Before leaving Madras, the two friends, Deacon Mathen and Deacon George Mathen would often spend time together talking about their future plans. Both of them being deacons, and by scholarly insight, felt the condition of the Malankara Church to be deplorable. Saying, "It is impossible to restore the Malankara Church," Deacon George decided to join the Anglican C.M.S. Church. But for Deacon Mathen it was about being faithful to his family's cause and that of Abraham Malpan. It is said that, in the pride of youth, he often said, "As long as I am alive, I shall work only in my mother Church and will live to pull out the weeds in my Church and bring it back to its original glory of pure undiluted faith."
Beginning of reformation
By this time, Deacon Mathen's uncle Abraham Malpan had already begun reformation in the church and made the following changes:- On Sunday 27 August 1837, Qurbana was conducted in Malayalam, the language of the people.
- Every year on 5 October, there was a church festival at Maramon, connected with a saint of the church. A wooden image of Muthappan was taken around in procession; people would offer prayers and offerings to it. In 1837, 22 years after his ordination of the parish, Abraham Malpan took the image and threw it into a well saying, "Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?". Thus the prayers to the saints and prayers for the dead were removed from the reformed liturgy
- Changes were made to certain prayers in the prayer books, incorporating reformation theologies and insights received through the study of the Holy Bible.
Decision to go to Antioch
It was at this time Deacon Mathen returned from Madras. He realized the problems that faced him, his friends, his uncle Abraham Malpan, and the clergy who wanted a reformation in the Church. Deacon Mathen stood with his decision, "I shall live to pull out the weeds in my Church and bring it back to its original glory of pure undiluted faith."The synod convened by the Dionysius at Mavelikkara on 16 January 1836 accepted the supremacy of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. They also stated that only bishops permitted by the Patriarch had authority over the Church. This led Deacon Mathen to the conviction that he must visit the Patriarch of the Bishopric without permission. Abraham Malpan was willing to sacrifice anything for a new order in the Church ; he prepared letters, spurred on by his determination Because of the difficulties of traveling from Kerala to Antioch, no one from the Malankara Church had ever attempted to go to Antioch before. Deacon Mathen was the first one to attempt this tedious journey.
Metropolitan
Deacon Mathen was ordained, by Moran Mor Elias II, Patriarch under the Episcopal title, Mathews Athanasius Metropolitan, at Mardin on 17 February 1842 only because he believed that he held the same Orthodox faith since it would be impossible to ordain him otherwise. He was appointed as the Metropolitan of Mosul and was given charge of the diocese. He continued on as Orthodox in practice.Back in Kerala
Mathews Athanasius Metropolitan returned to Kerala on 17 May 1843 and was received by a number of parish priests and laymen. While he was at Cochin, his teacher, Konattu Varghese Malpan, arrived there with his followers. He advised the Metropolitan that the people of Malankara Church would accept him as their Metropolitan, and if he began reformation, the people would not follow. He realized that he could not make reforms easily.Reformation
The Malankara Church was following the teachings of Jesus as told to them by St. Thomas & St. Bartholomew and had copies of the original Peshittha Bible and were following the practices of the East Syriac church which was founded by St. Thomas and his disciples. St. Addai and St. Mari, and which practiced prayers to and for the dead, veneration of icons, believed in the seven sacraments and the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. But things changed with the arrival of Vasco Da Gama on Sunday 20 May 1498. The teachings of the Roman Catholic Church were inculcated into the original teachings: prayers to and for the dead, Veneration of icons, Celibacy of priests, and so on with only Celibacy of priests being something new and even the Roman Catholics had adopted it late. Many other practices of the Malankara Church become deplorable in his view. So he and his friends stood at the helm of a reformation movement that was already there in the church pioneered by Abraham Malpan, a practice of bringing the church to its radix form as Bible Principles.His whole time he spent in bringing his Church to the Bible and to its "original purity" as evoked by Abraham Malpan.
In 1856 inspired by the Anglican missionaries cooperated in the Old Syrian Seminary at Kottayam, he printed and distributed prayer books in Malayalam, leaving out a prayer to Saint Mary.
Holy Communion services were conducted in Malayalam the language of the people of Malabar, abandoning Syriac Aramaic the language of the Peshitta, and the linguistic link that both West Syriac and East Syriac churches had to the Aramaic speaking Jesus Christ.
While with the Patriarch at Antioch, he was asked to preach at worship services. He continued this new practice after coming to Kerala. He encouraged clergy to read the Bible and interpret it to the common people of parishes.
Allowed Tamil missionaries to preach at various churches.
He was against honoring icons and statues, so he removed the statue of Saint Mary from Manarcaud Church, and at Puthupally church, near Kottayam.