Indian Antiquary Vol 56

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, Krishnaswami Aiyangar
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 53

MAROH, 1927)
LAND'S ANECDOTA SYRIACA ON THE SYRIANS OF MALABAR
41
STEPHEN MEREDYTH EDWARDES, C.S.I., C.V.O.
BY THE EDITORS. WITH this number we publish a photograph of our late colleague, Mr. S. M. Edwardes, and take the opportunity of adding to the obituary notice in last month's issue, a few lines sent us by an old friend of his and fellow official in the Indian Civil Service. He writes: "I would draw attention to his amazing powers of work. When doing his very difficult Census of Bombay Town and Island in 1901, he managed to write the whole of the Rise of Bombay in his gpare time It was published as one of the volumes of the Census, and was later re-issued in book form with illustrations. I would also like to mention his specially valuable work in connection with the Muharram. By putting a stop to the tabut procession he brought to an end the regrettable disturbances that usually accompanied that celebration in Bombay City." LAND'S ANECDOTA SYRIACA ON THE SYRIANS OF MALABAR.
TRANSLATED FROM THE LATIN DY THE REVD. H. HOSTEN, S.J. [From Anecdota Syriaca. Collegit, edidit, explicavit J. P. N. Land, theologiae doctor. Tomus primus, Lugduni Batavorum, E. J. Brill, MCCCCLXII (sic for MDCCCLXII).]
Our document, a short history of the Syrians of the Malabar Coast, comes irom the Leyden Academy Library, and was published by Land, not only for the style, but also for the sake of the names and of the subject, as a specimen of the work done in this line by Indians, none of which had yet appeared. Cf. p. ix.
The MS., numbered 1213, consists of two leaves of European paper, measuring 120 x 28.30 centimetres, written on both pages, and containing a "Summary of the history of the Syrians on the Malabar Coast." Written by Matthew, a Jacobito pricst, it deals with the history of the Syrians from the time of the Apostle St. Thomas up to the beginning of the 18th century.
The title of the Syriac MS. is : Al Gedes'e Dagerlās' Lę Suriyoye U Tasę Isahūn Dehölēn, which means : "Of what happened to the Syrians and their history."
Nestorian writing, resembling that of MS. No. 1212. cf. p. 7.
Land did not publish the Syriac text of MS. 1213, for want of proper type. Cf. p. 179. In Plate B, No. 12, he gives a specimen of the writing by reproducing the title above. At pp. 123-127, we have a Latin translation of the text, which we translato into English below. I take it that the Latin translation is by Land, although his correcting some mistakes of spelling and translation at pp. 180-184 would make ono concludo the contrary. But see his note about San Pablo at p. 184.
The Syriac toxt contains about 120 lines, and from Land's marginal references to vs. 11, 21, eto., one must conclude that they are verses. The date of tho document must be earlier than 1737, since Mar Gabriel, who died in 1737, is mentioned as alive.
At pp. 179-184 we find a number of notes by Land. Omitting & short initial discussion on the peculiaritics of the Syriac writing, we translate the remainder from the Latin as closely as possible.
(Page 123.) of the things which happened to the Syrians (on the Malabar Coast) and their history. (MS. vol., Lugd. Batav. Or. 1213.)
(vs. 1.) In the year 521 of Our Lord Jesus Christ the lord Thomas: came into India and Landed at Mailopur 3 Here he proached the Gospel to many, whom he made his disciples and baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Next he set out and went to Malabar, where he arrived at Moljokare. He preached also to the people of this country and set up to the Lord an altar, for the service of which he added two presbyters. From there he went to Kutkajel, where he built a church, as he also did at Ira peli,
The parts in Syriac type have been kindly transliterated for mo by Mr. T. K. Jotoph of Trivandrum.
Weyers' Orientalium, T. I. (Layden, 1840, p. 322 sqq.), has a carefal description of Codex 1212. Of. Land's Anecdota Syriara, I, p. 1, n. 1.