A Hebrew Christian Church
Today, there is still one Christian sect which reflects traditions of the early stage of the religion.
It is the Saint Thomas Christians in India that preserve characteristics of Judaist Christianity or Christian Judaism.
Saint Thomas ChristiansIt is unclear whether St. Thomas really traveled to India. But there must be a concrete reason that they are called Saint Thomas Christians.
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians or Nasrani, are an ancient community of Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century.[3] The community was historically united in leadership and liturgy, but since the 17th century have been split into several different church denominations and traditions.
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The Saint Thomas Christians are so called due to their reverence for Saint Thomas the Apostle, who is said to have brought Christianity to India. The name dates to the period of Portuguese colonization. They are also known, especially locally, as the Nasrani or Nasrani Mappila. "Nasrani" is a term meaning "Christian"; it appears to be derived from Nazareth, the home town of Jesus.
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The most commonly believed tradition of origin among Saint Thomas Christians relates to the evangelical activity of Thomas the Apostle, who is said to have come to India in middle of the 1st century.[8] There is no contemporary evidence for Thomas being in the subcontinent, though it was possible for a Roman Jew of the time to make such a trip. Groups such as the Cochin Jews and Bene Israel are known to have existed in India around that time.
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St. Thomas Christians are a distinct community, both in terms of culture and religion. Though their liturgy and theology remained that of East-Syrian Christians of Persia, their life-style customs and traditions were basically Indian. It is oft-quoted: "Nazranis are Indian in culture, Christian in faith and Syrian in liturgy".
The presence of Jews among the early Malabar Nasrani Christians had significant effects on the liturgy and traditions of the entire community.[2] The community maintained some of the original rituals of the early Jewish Christians, such as covering their heads while in worship. Their ritual services were and still are called the Qurbana (also spelled Kurbana), which is derived from the Aramaic and Hebrew term korban (קרבן), meaning "sacrifice".. The Nasrani Qurbana used to be held in Syriac.[
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The Saint Thomas Cross is widely perceived as the symbol of Saint Thomas Christians. It is also known as Nasrani Menorah[111] or Mar Thoma Sliba.[112] There are several interpretations for the Nasrani Symbol. The interpretation based on Christian Jewish tradition assumes that its design was based on Jewish menorah, an ancient symbol of the Hebrews, which consists of seven branched lamp stand (candelabra).[113]
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Saint Thomas Christians observe Holy Thursday with high reverence. This day is referred to as Pesaha, a Malayalam word derived from the Aramaic or Hebrew word for Passover—Pasha or Pesah—commemorating the Last Supper of Jesus Christ during Passover in Jerusalem. The tradition of consuming Pesaha Appam after the church service is observed by the entire community under the leadership of the head of the family. Special long services followed by the Holy Qurbana are conducted during the Pesaha eve in the churches.
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The ritual service (liturgy) is called the Holy Qurbana, which is derived from the Hebrew Korban (קרבן), meaning "sacrifice".
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Saint Thomas Christians use terms like "Eashoa" (Jesus' name in Aramaic[127]), "Yeshu" (Hebrew name Yeshua) to denote Jesus Christ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Thomas_Christians
It is also noteworthy that St. Thomas set his base for mission in Edessa, a kingdom later focused on by Christians because of its connection to the Holy Shroud.
The earliest known source connecting the apostle to India is the Acts of Thomas, likely written in the early 3rd century, perhaps in Edessa.[8][12][13] The text describes Thomas' adventures in bringing Christianity to India, a tradition later expanded upon in early Indian sources such as the "Thomma Parvam" ("Song of Thomas").Though Christianity, like other religions, intends to save individuals, its historical deployment is meaningful in thinking about environments and conditions each individual is inevitably bound to. So, India has not become a Christian kingdom or a Christian domain. We may doubt how effective this faction of Christianity was in past. But like Judaism, it has not been perished; it survived keeping original Hebrew traits. Probably only for this reason, we have to show respect for Saint Thomas Christians as much as for the Vatican.
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Luk 8:11 Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.