THOMÆANS, THOMISTS, or Christians of St Thomas, a people of the East-Indies, who, according to the tradition, received the Gospel from St Thomas. Upon the arrival of the Portuguese at Calicut, in their first voyage to the Indies, they met with ancient Christians, who pretended to be descended from those converted by St Thomas. The Thomæans being informed of a new people arrived among them, who bore a particular veneration for the
cross, sent ambassadors to them, to make an alliance with them, and to solicit their assistance against the Gentile princes, by whom they were greatly oppressed. A mixture of opinions, with a total interruption of pastors, sometimes for several years together, occasioned that horrible chaos their religion was in at the arrival of the Portuguese; for a specimen whereof we shall add their manner of celebrating the eucharist: Over their altar was a kind of gallery; and while the priest was saying the beginning of the office below, a cake of flour of rice was trying in oil, or butter, above; when enough, the cake was let down in a basket upon the altar, where the priest consecrated it: as to the other species, for wine they used a kind of brandy or arrack, variously prepared in that country. Nor was their ordination much more regular; the archdeacon, who was sometimes more respected than the bishop himself, frequently ordained priests: their other abuses were infinite. The Portuguese, for these two last centuries, have laboured the reformation of this church, and have employed both the ecclesiastical and secular power therein: for this end they have called the Thomæan bishops to the council at Goa, have instructed, charged them, &c. and even sent them for instruction to Portugal and Rome; but finding that they were still apt to relapse at their return, and that no good was like to be done with them, they resolved to exclude them once for all, and to appoint an European bishop in their room. These proceedings have rendered the Portuguese infinitely odious to the Thomæans.