Protestant Origins in India

Tamil Evangelical Christians, 1706-1835
1. Auflage 2000
ISBN: 978-0-7007-1244-1
Verlag: Taylor & Francis

Buch, Englisch, 232 Seiten, Format (B × H): 156 mm x 234 mm, Gewicht: 503 g

Protestant Christianity was established as a religion of India when in 1706 missionaries from the the German Evangelical Church sponsored by the King of Denmark landed at the Danish factory in Tamil-speaking Tranquebar. An indigenous congregation soon developed, with worship and catechising in Tamil and Portuguese. This book explores the manner in which people of various castes and of various religions responded to the Lutheran mission and congregation. It investigates the manner in which Tamils themselves understood the Evangelical religion as they spread it beyond Tranquebar. It then turns to the early career of Vedanayagam Sastri (1774-1864). He responded vigorously to efforts by 'new missionaries' to change the language, liturgy, and social custom that had guided Tamil Protestants for over a century. His actions and writings reveal an indigenous form of faith, and a 'theology of pluralism', that countered the Reformed and Enlightenment ideas about Christian life that the 'new missionaries' expressed and sought to enforce. Reflections on the intellectual impact of colonial Europe on those early Protestant Christians of India conclude the study.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Hudson, D Dennis

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christliche Kirchen, Konfessionen, Denominationen Protestantismus, evangelische und protestantische Kirchen
• Geisteswissenschaften Christentum, Christliche Theologie Christentum/Christliche Theologie Allgemein Missionswissenschaft, Missionsgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Beginnings 2. Spreading the Word 3. Pietism in Malabarian Lives 5. ‘Pagans’, 6. ‘Pagan’ Thought in Tranquebar and Tanjore 7. Patterns in Development 8. Vedanayagam Pillai, the Sastri (1774-1864) 9. ‘New Missionaries’ and the Tanjore Congregation, 10. Final Thoughts

Über Autor(innen)

D. Dennis Hudson