Saturday Evening Post
Making of the Encyclopaedia
From the Horse’s own Mouth
George Menachery
Nine
Before proceeding further let me reproduce the
Introduction I wrote for the first volume of the Indian Church History Classics i.e. The Nazranies. It will be
of course divulging many occurrences which took place much later. But as the
reviews quoted earlier this Introduction entitled “Editor’s Jottings” it is
hoped will provide the reader with an overall picture of my historical
publications and the roads I tread to reach my destination. The first two
paragraphs have been reproduced more or less as such at the beginning of this
narrative and hence may be skipped. Also I have not deleted two or three
extracts from the reviewers although they have been given earlier.
“Editor’s
Jottings
“Early during the
fortnight-long All-India Seminar on ‘The Church in India Today,’ Bangalore, May
1969, the present writer was approached by two well-known scholars of Kottayam
with the request that he introduce a resolution on the need for permitting
pastors of different Indian rites to attend to the spiritual needs of their own
fold scattered throughout the country and even abroad. The necessary
two-hundred-odd participants’ signatures for eligibility to move the resolution
had already been obtained. (There were 485 participants eligible to vote,
including 2 cardinals, 14 archbishops, 47 bishops, 3 prefects apostolic, 4
exarchs ...) This writer introduced the resolution at 7 p.m. on the 24th of
May. The discussion “did go through a period of apprehension” is how the
official printed report Ever Ancient Ever New describes what then took place.
In fact the debate boisterously proceeded past midnight till 2. a. m. the next
day—with tiny breaks for supper, ice cream (11.50 p. m.), and black coffee (1
a. m.)—overrunning by six hours the allotted time. [At 1.20 a.m. Dr. Dickinson
who pioneered the survey of Indian Christian colleges under the ISS-FERES and
was one of the few foreign delegates at the Seminar treated me to black coffee
at the coffee shop when he profusely congratulated me on my interventions at
the Seminar. My meeting with him there was a pleasant and welcome surprise.] Finally
a compromise resolution had to be moved by one of the seminar secretaries, Fr.
Jonas Thaliath (afterwards bishop of Rajkot), which was accepted. “In the
debate which preceded this, important people had said that the acceptance of
the resolution would be an event of Pentecostal importance for the future of
the Catholic Church in India. Great thanksgiving and rejoicing followed the
acceptance of the resolution with a unanimous vote,” My Impressions of the
All-India Seminar, N.C. Sargant, Anglican bishop of Mysore.
“In
the course of the tense hours of argumentation and controversy this writer
needed some clarifications on certain aspects of Indian church history.
Unfortunately, it transpired to one’s disappointment and surprise that many
august persons present did not have any clear idea about even the major
developments in the history of Christianity in India. Then and there was
conceived the idea of putting together a booklet on the subject for the use of
individuals in the same plight.
“These lines are penned here in deference to
the persistent and specific requests made by a large number of important
persons curious to know something of the inspiration, methods, and developments
which led to the publication of the two companion series viz. the T En. and the
Classics and to the commencement of related projects, especially because no
introductions had appeared in the second and first volumes of the T. En., and
the editor had appended his own name to no article therein. In those days the
(former) Cochin State archaeological museum was surviving in an upstairs
verandah of the Trichur town hall, which edifice also housed the town library.
Loitering there one day soon after the seminar the writer came upon a dozen or
so annual administration reports of the royal Cochin archaeologist which were
still on sale for annas two and three apiece. The reports made a deep
impression on this writer and influenced him to visit the churches in and
around Kanjur. The art, architecture, and artifacts come across launched the
writer on a voyage of discovery into the realms and beauties of Kerala’s own
art and architecture which he is still enjoying with unabated enthusiasm. These
incessant wanderings convinced the writer that the envisaged work must surely
contain lots and lots of photographs, maps, and other graphics, sadly lacking
in the works even of the best writers till that date. By this time the original
intention to write a mere booklet had grown into the decision to produce a
full-fledged book. The Thomas story had always fascinated this writer as it had
fascinated every other young Christian of Kerala. Many hours of thought had
been spent by one on the various and vexatious aspects of the Thomas question,
and solutions which appeared original and even brilliant had been arrived at.
But often when perusing some old masters it was found that the same or similar
solutions and conclusions had occurred to their authors travelling more or less
the same routes. This convinced the compiler that if the work done by earlier
writers were better known, and readily available, much scholarly energy, time,
and money could be saved to better purpose and scholars beginning to research
on related problems could build on the work of those who had gone before,
instead of doing the same work over and over again in fact, greater heights of
scholarship and knowledge could be scaled standing as it were on the shoulders
of the pioneers. (This was one of the considerations that prompted the
inclusion of an item reproductions from the classics in the scheme published in
early 1970 of the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India.) It was further
observed that even doctoral scholars often could not find the complete books
from which they frequently quoted depending generally only on the very same
passages quoted repeatedly by earlier writers. Such hackneyed quotations in
many cases had, in passing from author to author and printer to printer, lost
much in accuracy. Also it was noticed that English-speaking students even when
working at Rome or Louvain or Lisbon were mostly making use of material from
English books only. And for students in India even such books were practically
out of reach because not even the three or four best libraries in the country
own more than a handful of the thirty seven titles here included/represented.
These and other considerations went into the decision to reproduce as many
classics as possible wholly or partially as part of the T. En., specially for
the use of readers in India. Before long it became apparent that one could not
at all by oneself do justice to the innumerable and varied topics which had to
be covered in depth in a work of the kind now planned. Hence it was decided to
seek the cooperation of the best scholars in each area to contribute their
special knowledge in their respective fields of specialisation. Thus gradually
the concept of the Thomas Encyclopaedia evolved and matured.
“To
help and encourage further studies on various topics connected with the history
and development of Christianity in India it was also decided to add, at least
to each major article, detailed bibliographies and exhaustive end-notes. And
instead of the usual dictionary type entries the, perhaps, more appropriate
chronological or other such arrangement of Major Articles was resorted to.
There were also Minor Articles, alphabetically arranged, for quick reference.
This Macropaedia-Micropaedia arrangement was soon found to be more useful by
other encyclopaedists also. The articles and illustrations for all the volumes
of the T. En. were ready more or less by Easter 197.1 But the work could not be
produced as scheduled chiefly owing to lack of finances. To enable as many
publications as possible to come out for the 19th Thomas Shleeva Death
Centenary celebrations the collected materials were given wide publicity
through handouts, magazines, and offprints; and the ‘Panorama of Indian
Christianity’ Exhibitions that were organised by the T. En. at Ernakulam,
Kottayam, Bangalore, Madras, and in a few cities abroad in 1971 and ‘72.
“Leaving
aside the already printed portions of the first volume of the T. En. the second
volume was published in April, 1973. The printing of the first volume could be
completed only in February 1982. The unbearable financial position had
compelled the organisers to detach the ‘Reproductions from the Classics’ section
from the scheme of the T. En. The attempt is made in this volume through the
fifteen classics wholly reproduced, to trace back to their sources the
traditions, customs, cultural trends, and historical insights relating to the
Nazranies (or the St. Thomas Christians as they are more popularly known in the
west) of Malabar in India. Here the origins of those sources, and development
from the first crude expression of the idea to its streamlined researched modern
form may be seen.
“In
order to make the book more complete, many extracts have been added from
twenty-two other works, either because they shed light on some particular
aspect, or because they contain a well-known expression of some line of
thought, or because they relate to the development of some special group, sect,
or denomination. Both the complete Classics and the Extracts have been
generally arranged in the chronological order of their publication, except in
the case of two works where the date of the original publication was in
dispute. In a few instances the selections lead back to the 17th and 18th
centuries; although many quotations, foot-notes, and references obtain from the
very days of Christ and even earlier. In its original conception, as a part of
the St. Thomas Christian Encyclopaedia of India it was intended to include all
Classics which recur frequently as sources of notes and references, and are in
the constant quotidian use, of scholars and researchers. It has been already
intimated that, as the work proceeded, its scope expanded somewhat, and the
temptation was there to introduce sundry subjects which may appear hardly to
fall within the original scope of such a work. Hence this companion series of
the T. En. includes a vast quantity of material not properly gradable and to
quote a librarian, ‘ difficult if not impossible to come across elsewhere’.
“Just
what is and what is not a Classic is often the subject of learned controversy.
We have Twain’s “A classic - something that everybody wants to have read and
nobody wants to read” at one end, and at the other end the definition given by
the youngest dictionary two years old from the oldest publisher, “A classic is
a piece of writing which is well-known and of a high standard and lasting
value”. But this compiler has not concerned himself with finely drawn
distinctions. He has permitted himself the widest latitude of inclusion, and
has not disdained the lowest sources, as every user of the volume will quickly
discover.
“For
various reasons of time, bulk, price, general utility especially in India and
certain other countries, &c. works in languages other than English have
been excluded. Again while some of the books chosen are quite irreplaceable one
could have perhaps chosen in a few cases certain other books equally suitable
instead of the books that have actually been printed. But these selections were
finally decided upon as fulfilling the purpose as admirably as any other
combination or permutation of books.
“The
classics have been faithfully reproduced, retaining even the mistakes in the
original works in the interests of authenticity. It should not at all be
inferred from what has been said above that it was from the abundance of the
editor’s scholarship that the T. En. and the Indian Church History Classics
were conceived, compiled, and produced. On the other hand it was because,
endeavouring to study and understand the history and culture of Christianity in
India for their own sake, in their various phases and aspects, in a non-formal
ambience, without any academic assistance, the editor could fully understand
and appreciate the difficulties faced and the requirements felt by fresh
scholars entering the field, that he could attempt to place before them what
they would most need.
“However
it is a matter of satisfaction that having collected, translated, corrected,
edited, researched, and proof-read hundreds of articles spanning more than a
million words and a half already printed, and having visited scores of
libraries and archives and museums all over the country and all over the world,
and having spent hundreds of hours in conversation with the greatest scholars,
in related spheres, and having stayed in innumerable key sites in his
photography expeditions, the editor was perhaps in an advantageous position to
undertake the tasks that he did undertake. The months and years spent in the
company of artists, archaeologists, cartographers, designers, printers, camera
and scanner technicians, block-makers, engravers, computer addicts, etc. also
stood him in good stead in the performance of the various jobs. That is the
most that could be claimed in this regard. In so far as the two sets of books
are meant to be of assistance to those who were not fortunate enough to afford
to spend as much time as the compiler on the study of the subject, no effort
has been spared to include as much material as possible within the limits
prescribed by the budget - inviting many reviewers’, often just, ire for the
inequality of the quality of the contributions, tautology, reiteration,
overlapping ... in their various guises and names. A certain amount of
overlapping was inevitable to ensure the ecumenical nature of the work in
intent and content and to cover the same subject area from various angles for
better comprehension and greater thoroughness.
“The
organisers’, the publisher’s, and the editor’s hearts swell with gratitude for
the great encouragement received from ecclesiastical dignitaries, the clergy
and the laity; from the S. Oriental Congregation, the Missio, the S.
Congregation Propaganda Fide, and the Archdiocese of Köln in the form of
supportive gestures, and from many generous hosts in far away lands and other
climes; and from many many others in the work of the T. En. from the very time
its publication was announced more than a quarter century ago.
“Thoughts
of the respect, regard, and recognition shown by librarians, the press and
other media, governments, universities, research institutions and
organisations, and our subscribers and readers and especially by the CBCI, the
KCBC, the SMBC, and the CRI, and the friendly nuncios truly make us humble. Our
thanks are due in a large measure also to the patron, vice-patron, members of
the board of editorial consultants, contributors, printers, and a vast number
of others connected with the T En. which could not be expressed in just a few
words. As we have expressed our indebtedness to our well-wishers in greater
detail in the printed and widely circulated speech of the editor delivered on
the occasion of the preparatory gathering ‘ To Thank and to Remember’ held in
connection with the commencement of the silver jubilee celebrations of the T.
En. on 1 April, 1997 we may be allowed to terminate that matter here.
“A
word of special thanks however to friends of the older and younger generations
who have contributed the special introductions. Each except one has at least
one doctoral degree, and they together represent not less than three centuries
of Church History teaching in the best institutions and have between them
authored at least a hundred books and have a thousand scholarly papers to their
credit.
Some
of the nearest and dearest at home whose sacrifices were great all along may
prefer to go unmentioned. We acknowledge our thanks to those who permitted us
to use copyright material for the Classics. Where we could not obtain such
clearance in time for some reason or other, we acknowledge the legal rights of
such copyright holders and crave their indulgence for any unintentional
infringement of their rights. It will not be necessary for the editor to dwell
on the many difficulties he has had to encounter in pursuing his largely
solitary labours, practically unsupported by various assistants who usually
lighten the toil of encyclopaedists and lexicographers. Those who understand
what it is to be a pioneer in any such area, to be as it were the first to
break and clear the ground over a meagerly trodden field will doubtless, in
their candour, appreciate at its full value the labour undergone in carrying
these volumes to completion. They will also be prepared to expect inequality in
execution, and many defects and inconsistencies throughout the whole body of
the works. No apology need, therefore, be made for these imperfections.
““Our
Church and State are greatly indebted, I should say, to Prof. Menachery, under
whose initiative and persevering hard work a number of pioneering
research-based publications and projects have seen the light of day. like
Veda-Vyasa he had brought together almost all the information that existed as
legend, story, fact, philosophy or whatever about Indian Christianity into an
ordered whole for the first time in his much acclaimed Christian Encyclopaedia
of India” —Cardinal Padiyara, the first Major Archbishop. “Where Universities
and Governments have failed, the loving labour of a few has triumphed.”—M. G.
S. Narayanan in the Mathrubhoomi Weekly. “This Encyclopaedia is a tool worth
having for any library, for any scholar interested in the history of
Christianity for anyone interested in understanding India and its religious
heritage. Prof. George Menachery has really achieved a tour de force in
bringing all this material together and putting out a well printed
Eacyclopaedia which is both ecumenical and reliable. I commend it to you
unhesitatingly.”—Metropolitan Dr Paul Verghese, sometime president of the WCC.
“Such
words perhaps are sufficient reward for the trials and tribulations endured for
three decades. Now that a major portion of the heavy financial liabilities
incurred has been settled through a number of drastic steps—at one time there
were more than half a dozen suits filed by our not so patient creditors—our
thoughts went back to the Classics. A sort of blind optimism or foolhardy trust
in our celestial and also terrestrial well-wishers, which has developed in us
down the three decades, alone gives us the courage to go forward with the
Classics and the remaining volumes of the Thomas Encyclopaedia. Here we are.”
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