India's First Christians

Quilon, in present-day Kerala, became India’s first diocese on 9th August, 1329. In response to Marco Polo's accounts about an extant Christian community there, Pope John XXII had dispatched missionary Jordan Catalani to oversee the region.  According to local legend, St. Thomas the apostle reached India around A.D. 50, where he established several churches. The story is not implausible, since the area enjoyed a long history of Middle Eastern migrations, due to its ideal conditions for spice trading. In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly explore why Westerners were perplexed by the disparate practices of the Quilons; discover what NOT to say when you’re deposed by a medieval Muslim ruler; and uncover ‘the Goa Inquisition’... Further Reading: ‘The Surprisingly Early History of Christianity in India’ (Smithsonian Magazine, 2016): https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-christianity-came-to-india-kerala-180958117/ ‘Tried and True Traditions of Kerala’s Christians’ (CNEWA): https://cnewa.org/magazine/tried-and-true-traditions-of-keralas-christians-30926/ ‘When did Christianity come to India?’ (Storytrails, 2021): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9M0wx5N24k #India #Medieval #Christian #Religion #Jewish Love the show? Join 🌴CLUB RETROSPECTORS 🌴 to DITCH THE ADS and get an additional full-length episode every SUNDAY! Plus, get weekly bonus bits, unlock over 70 bits of extra content and support our independent podcast. Join now via Apple Podcasts or Patreon. Thanks!   We'll be back tomorrow! Follow us wherever you get your podcasts: podfollow.com/Retrospectors   The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill. Theme Music: Pass The Peas. Announcer: Bob Ravelli. Graphic Design: Terry Saunders. Edit Producer: Sophie King. Copyright: Rethink Audio / Olly Mann 2023. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices