by the Rt. Rev. Leslie Brown ,
Bishop of Uganda
The Syrian Christians of India are not Syrians but Malayali members of the Jacobite Syrian Church. The Portuguese in the sixteenth century called them the Christians of St. Thomas and that name has stuck. It refers to the tradition of their origin: they believe that St. Thomas the apostle came to Malabar, converted a number of Brahmin families, and founded seven churches. The descendants of these converts, according to tradition, have formed a Christian community which for centuries has had no link with the Western Church.
Leslie Brown recorded this talk after leaving India, where he had served for many years as a missionary, prior to his appointment as Bishop of Uganda.