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The Assyrian Churchhad landed down in Indonesia since 7th Century
The
Assyrian Church had landed down in Indonesia since 7th Century. A fact that the
Assyrian Church had landed down at Barus (645 C.E). This history had been
recorded by a moslem scholar Syaikh Abu Salih al-Armini in his book under
title “Tadhakur fiba Akhbar min al-Kana’is wa al-Adyar min Nawabin Mishri wa
al-Iqta’aih” ( The list of the news on the churches and the monastries in
the Egypt provinces and surrounded). [1] The list of the churches and monastries
of the original manuscripts in Arabic with 114 pages, which contain the news
about 707 churches and 181 the Christian monastries which spread out around
Egypt, Nubia, Abysina, West Africa, Spain, Arabic and Indian. Within his book
(Abu Salih), the land of Indonesia still was put in the “al-Hindah (Indian)”
territory. Absolutely at the times, the country of the farthest sea was called
Hindia too and the Ocean was put into the South of Indian until to the East was
called Indian sea.[2] After that Abu Salih wrote down about the churches at
Kullam (Quilon) and the churches at Fansur (Barus). Thus we read Abu Salih
explanation in the Arabic text: “Fansur, fiha ‘ idda biya’ wa jami’ min biha min
an-Nashara Nashatorah, wa hal fiha kadzalika. Wa hiya allatiy yasala minha
al-Kafur, wa hadza al-Sinfu yanbuka min al-khasah. Wa hadzihi al-Madinat biha
bi’at wahidat ‘ala ismi Sittna al-Saydat al-Adzra’ mar’at Maryam. [3] Fansur,
overthere there was many churches and all the Christians and they were the
Eastern Syrian [4] and so this is the condition of the churches. At the town
there was established the church with the name : Sayidatina Siti maryam
al-Adzra ( our Lady, the Pure Virgin Mary). Abu Salih al-Armini who worked
at the third time of the last khulafat/the caliph of Fatimiyah in Egypt (115 –
1171 C.E) who write down the books based on the Arabic sources beyond the time,
such as : Abu al-Hussain ‘Ali bin Muhammad al-Shabushti, Kitab al-Adyar
(990 C.E) and Abu Ja’far Ath Thabariy, Tarikh ar-Rasul wa al-Muluk (923 C.E). At
the center of Christianity knowledgement in the past time such as, Nisibis,
Harran, Yundi Shapur and Bagdad, the Christian scholars work together with
moslem scholars. The top achievement of the relationship between
Christians-Moslems was in the science development at the Arabic land was
happened when the time of the caliph al-Ma’mun 833 C.E that had opened “Bait
al-hikmah” (House of Wisdom), which was led by two Christian monks: Yusuf
bin ‘Adi and Hunayn bin Ishaq. The Christians side had opened the treasure of
the Syrian/Aramaic culture and had translated the Philosophy and the Art of the
Greek into Arabic.[5] There is another story on Chritianity in Indonesia
according to the history of Indonesia before and after 645 C.E such as Mar
Abdhi’sho (Arab: ‘Abdi ‘Isa) had been ordained as Metropolitan of Chaldean
Church (Rules of Ecclesiastical Judments 1318 C.E had mentioned that “Metropolitan
of the isles of the Sea…Dabag, Sin and Masin” [6] His writing was recognized
in the theology and in the canonic of law of the church in Aramaic/Syriac and
Arabic. Dabag, sometimes it was spelled as Dabag and Jabag it is an Arabic word
for Java and Sumatera at one time since 10th centuries. Patriarkh Elias V
in 1503 C.E had sent 3 Metropolitan in Indian and the isles of the sea between
Dabag, Sin and Masin. [7] They are Mar Jab ‘Alaha, Mar Denha and Mar Ya’qub. [8]
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Copyright © 2002
Institute For Syriac Christian Studies
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