Antiquity in the Life and Contributions of Chavara
Abstract
This article explores Chavara’s ecclesiastical, spiritual, literary and socio-cultural contributions and see how valuable they have been in the formative years of the autonomous Malabar Church. It further expounds how St Chavara fulfils the requirement of ‘antiquity’, which is one of the characteristic features of the Fathers of the universal Church. Though according to the western definition of Antiquity, Chavara of the 19th century cannot be a contender for the title of the Father of the Church. However, Syro Malabar Church need not be governed by this western parameter. Moreover, being a Church sui iuris, Syro Malabar Church does not have to be governed by the norms that were historically evolved in the western Church. Moreover, the Church in the East has not set such a limit since it did not have a candidate to think about.
