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Knanaya, literally meaning
"Knai people", are an endogamous Jewish people from Kerala, India.Their
heritage and culture is syriac-Keralite, origin and descent Jewish, their
language Malayalam. Their loyalties are with the Nasrani community of
Syriac Christians from Kerala. |
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Knanayas (short form-"kna") are the descendants of 72 Syro-Aramaic Jewish
families who fled from Edessa (or Urfa), the first city state that
embraced Christianity, to Malabar coast in AD 345, under the leadership of
a prominent merchant Knai Thomman (in English, Thomas the Zealot)
following increasing persecution against Desposyni by the Byzantine Empire
instituted by Constantine in 333AD. They built a town in Kodungalloor with
a church and 72 houses. The natives called it Mahadevar Pattanam meaning
"town of superiors". After Mar Joseph had a startling dream in which he
saw the plight of the Christian church in Malabar established by St.
Thomas, the Apostle, in the first Century. They consisted of 400
Christians from 72 families of various Syriac-Jewish clans. Included in
the group was a Syriac Orthodox Bishop(Mor Joseph of Urfa), Bishops and
deacons.With instructions from the Patriarch of Antioch, They sailed in
three ships headed by a leading ship with the flag of King David. The
Syriac-Jews were granted permission to engage in trade and settle down in
Kodungallur by the then ruler of Malabar, Cheraman Perumal.The event has
been recorded on copper plates given to the community.
Before the arrival of the people, the early
Nasrani people in the Malabar coast included Dravidian converts and
converted Jewish people who had settled in Kerala during the Babylonian
exile and after.They came mostly from the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
According to tradition, Kna Jews are also known as Southists (Thekkumbhagar
in Malayalam) as they hailed from the southern province of Israel known in
the Old Testament as the Kingdom of Judah. The distinction between the
northern heavily exogamous Samarians and the southern zealously endagamous
tribes of Judea led to the difference among the non-Knanaya Nasranis as
Northists and the Knanaya as Southists. The Knanaya (Kanahi people)
continue to remain an endogamous group also within the Nasrani community.
The term known as Kanai or Q'nai, (קנאי singular form of Kanahim/קנאים)
means "Jealous ones for God". The K'nai people are the biblical Aaronites
referred to as Kanahi (overly jealous and with zeal), who came to Saba
around 135AD from the southern province of Judea (whence the derives the
term southists). They were deeply against the Roman rule of Israel and
fought against the Romans for the sovereignty of the Jews. During their
struggle the K'nai'im people became followers of the Jewish sect led by
Jesus the Nazarene. Many of Jesus' followers had names typical among
freedom fighters such as Zealot (Simon Cana), Daggerman (Judas Iscariot),
Rock (Simon Peter), Thunderson (James & John) etc.. After the crucifixion
of Jesus by the Romans in 33 CE, the Knanaya intensified their struggle
against the Roman rule.
In 70 CE, hundreds of Kanahi evaded capture
from the Romans and took shelter in the fortress at Masada. In 72 CE,
after a two year siege, 960 Kanahi unwilling to give up to the Romans
killed themselves before the Romans could capture them. This act of
martyrdom is still commemorated in Israel. In 345 CE a small group of
K'nanaim merchants travelled to the Jewish trade posts at Kodungallur in
Kerala and settled there. Their descendants are today known in Kerala as
Knanaya Nasranis.
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first belonging to the Syriac Orthodox Church in India and second to the
Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Knanaya are very much conscious about their
origin and up until today safeguard their ethnic character by marrying
people from within the community regardless of rite. A Knanaya Syriac
Orthodox diocese, established in 1910, is administered by an archbishop
who reports directly to the Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrian Orthodox
Church. The Knanaya Catholics and their Jewish identity have been
acknowledged by the Vatican under Pope Pius X, by instituting in 1911 a
diocese only for the Jewish Christians (Syrian-catholic) of Kerala. This
diocese is called the Arch Diocese of Kottayam and is in the district of
Kottayam in Kerala.
The approximate population of Kna Jews as of 2001: (divided by different
denominations)
· Knanaya Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Christians: 100,000
· Knanaya Syrian Malabar Catholic Christians: 140,000
In all over 250,000 Knanaya Christian Jews continue in the ancient
Hebrew-Christian tradition.
Today Knanaya are found in all major cities of India. Large numbers of
Knanaya live in places such as Boston, Tampa, South Florida, Chicago, New
York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, Detroit,
Philadelphia, Ohio, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Toronto, Washington D.C. and
Minneapolis. Also there is a growing Knanaya community in the U.K mainly
in Greater London, Manchester, and Cardiff. Knanaya are also seen in the
countries of the Middle East, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand,
Austria, Italy, Germany and Switzerland. There are conventions they attend
to get together and plan for the future of the Knanaya community. |