A. N. Sattampillai

Arumai Nayakam Sattampillai(1823-1918), known popularly as Arumainayagam Sattampillai, a Tamilian convert of Anglican church, was a catechist and the founder of first indigeneous and independent Hindu Church of Lord Jesus, rejecting Western missionaries domination for the first time in the history of Indian subcontinent -- This subversion paved the way - to develop a fusion model of Hindu-Christian religion, free from European missionaries interference - and also, inspired Indian national movement, largely centered around Bengal and Madras Presidency to fight against Western dominated Institutionalized church leading to separation of Christ from Church and Indianization of Christianity -- to express and interpret Christianity and Biblical text in Indian context -- socially, culturally, and religiously.

He was also the founder of indigeneous Seventh Day sect on the outskirts of town Nazareth, Tamil Nadu, and was indirectly responsible for establishing the first church of Seventh Day Adventists(SDA) in South India -- Tamilnadu.

Biography

He was educated at missionary schools run by Society for the Propagation of the Gospel(SPG), an Anglican missionary society and also known by name Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG) -- presently, its known by name United Society for the Propagation of the Gospel(USPG) from 1996. He was trained at a seminary run by SPG. He studied Hebrew and Greek languages, and was considered as a great intellect winning several prizes as a seminarian. He acquired the title Sattampillai, as a young man for being the monitor or classroom student leader, at the SPG seminary in Sawyerpuram.

He worked in missionary school and was associated with missionaries as a Catechist. He was a staunch Christian and acquired considerable knowledge of Chirsitian history and Biblical literature -- both Old Testament and New Testament.

Hindu church of Lord Jesus

The monopoly and domination of Indian churches by Western missionaries grew larger when missionaries established a cordial relationship with state --British Raj or East India Company before. The effects of this Western dominance felt not only in politics but also in religious sphere, and European missionaries gradually started portraying Indian indigeneous religious practices as inferior and targeted converts for alleged anti-white[Europeans] sentiments.

The christian missionaries started establishement of their mission stations in Tinnevelly District(colonial British East India Company named it, present Tirunelveli district) of Tamilnadu in early 19th century. They established their mission stations -- first at Mudalur, and followed by at Bethlehem and Nazareth in Tinnevelly district. By 1803, mostly Shanars(also known as Nadar) to the extent of more than 5000 Shanar's were converted into Christianity in South-Eastern Tinnevelly. In addition to this, with growing opposition to Western colonialism in Asia, especially in India and China from the mid 19th century, the indigeneous people perceived Western christianity as the surrender to Colonialism and suspected Western christianity in having de-nationalising influence.

Not being confortable with paternalistic and domineering mindset of SPG european missionaries, he looks to have had conflicts and disliked SPG missionaries like Augustus Frederick Caemmerer, a priest and author of Mission of Nazareth, in the District of Tinnevelly. Report for the Year 1845, and Robert Caldwell, an assistant bishop at Tirunelveli and evangelist. Suttampillai worked as catechist under Caemmerer, who was considered as an obnoxious missionary with a low opinion on indigeneous converts. Suttampillai had conflicts with Caemmerer and Caldwell, both in theological and on personal front; on theological side, Suttampillai objected to the placing of cross on the altar, which he considered as against the biblical injunction and interpreted as a sign of idolatry;on personal side, anti-Western missionary feeling further fueled when Robert Caldwell published The Tinnevelly Shanars, a quasi-ethnographical study of Shanar community to which Sattampillai belongs to; The study included some passages that deliberately disparaged Shanar community -- like in Caldwell's view, they are the 'least intellectual people found in India', the majority of the community were marked by apathy, indifference, ignorance, and vice -- in Caldwell's view, the religion followed by Shanar community, who were not yet converted, was a 'school of immorality'.

Under these circumstances and context with domineering mentality of Western missionaries against heathens, a desire arose in Arumainayagam Sattampillai to re-cast Christianity into a native and national social and cultural framework, to be interpreted as Hindu. It is also beleived that, as Sattam Pillai was not willing to go by the British custom way of worship service, started to garner like minded beleivers and worship the Trinity in an Indian traditional way; accordingly, Sattampillai revolted against the Western superior mindset over Indian christians, broke out from SPG, and established "Hindu church of Lord Jesus", also known as "Indian church of the only Savior," in 1857 at Prakasapuram(present Pragasapuram), Tirunelveli district. He established his new church Hindu church of Lord Jesus, with Hindu-Christian religion as its faith, to subvert the missionary authority and denounced Western christianity as corrupt and inauthentic-- he interepreted Hindu as a geographical term[living across Indus river and/or in social and cultural context], rather than in religious context;furthermore, he looks to have interpreted the Hindu customs as Indian customs -- Over the period, the converted Christians in India started to interpret and express Christianity by employing their innate social, religious, and cultural categories. The year[1857] is significant, as uprising against British Raj was already rising in Northern India -- Indian Rebellion of 1857. Suttampillai revolted against Western dominance in Indian churches using a two-fold strategy; one, by separating Christ from Church and accommodating native traditions and customs into Christianity, he succeeded in undermining the authority of Western missionaries; two, he appropriated Hebrew scriptures and Judaism customs into the Church supporting Old Testament than New Testament as an antidote against the Western missionaries who were moving towards New Testament with British Raj support.

The church rejected from their system everything that they perceived as savour of a European origin. They cut completely from all European help in money and influence, as if there were no longer any Europeans in the country. Sattampillai also seems to have claimed that Hindu cultural practices are similar to the Jewish cultural practices. His interpretrations and inclusive approach, made him to incorporate[accommodate] "presumed Indian cultures as Hindu culture" into his movement such as prostration, sacrifice, use of frankincense, folding their hands while praying dieties, using unfermented grape-juice instead of wine, and sitting on the floor. In the rituals of the Church, Old Testament ritualistic practices such as "ritual impurities attributed to women" were also practiced in this church, as similar practices were also found in Indian[Hindu] religious rituals. A trumpet blast from the church tower summoned the faithful to worship, and followers washed their hands and feet before entering the sanctuary, where they punctuated the service with bodily prostration. The worship usually held on Sabbath day, saturday. People belonging to this church don't work on saturday. Food for saturday is made before 6PM on Friday. Unlike Anglican church using bell, they use trumpet. They use Jewish calendar to celebrate feast days as followed in Old Testament days.He denied the efficacy of infant baptism and abandoned the idea of an ordained ministry, declaring that "anyone might become a minister of the Gospel."

Seventh Day Adventists Church

Sattampillai, founder of the indigeneous Seventh Day sect at the Nazareth town in Tamilnadu, received a copy of the booklet containing lecture delivered by the Seventh Day Baptist representative at the World's Parliament of Religions, that brought representatives from different religious background together for bringing forth truths and commonalities across various religions, held in 1893 at Chicago, United States. Sattampillai, having beleived that it was only the Jews who observed the Seventh Day as Sabbath, sent a letter to New York with a curiosity to know more about Sabbath. However, the letter reached Seventh Day Adventist(SDA) office in Battle Creek, Michigan; hence, F. M. Woolcox sent him a few books and magazines in a reply.

In 1906, J.S. James from Minnesotta was chosen to work in South India; accordingly, he was sent as SDA missionary to Bangalore with his wife and two sons. James, having learnt Tamil language translated few pamphlets into Tamil -- such as, Is the end of the world near?, Which day is Sabbath?, The signs of Christ's second coming, and New Testament Sabbath. Sattampillai, having received and studied them, sought more explanation about them.

In 1908, James along with G. F. Enoch and J. L. Shaw visited Tirunelveli by train and reached Nazareth by bullock-cart;they were received with awesome ceremonial celebrations participated by people in hundreds, including women and children from Hindu Yeka Ratchahar church. They were accommodated for ten days in a local school and on 2 July 1908, the Church donated two acres of land worth of then-1000 rupees to James -- marking the beginning of Seventh Day Adventists as James decided to quit Bangalore and stay in Prakasapuram(also spelt Pragasapuram), an adjoining village to Mukuperi.

The first church of Seventh Day Adventists in South India was formally organized with 50 members on 30 January 1915 in Prakasapuram, although, it was functioning from 1908 itself; James and C.G. Lowry conducted the religious service. Later, SDA church also started an educational institution with name James Memorial School in Prakasapuram.

External links

• Mission and Ecclesiology - Sattampillai, a man of high intellectual calibre and extraordinary qualities, founded the Hindu-Christian Church of Lord Jesus at Prakasapuram near Tirunelveli in 1857.
• A convert named Sattampillai who founded the schismatic Hindu Christian Church of Lord Jesus in 1857 in Prakasapuram, Tirunelveli district.