INDIA, CHINA, PERSIA, ETC

[Anna]

Were you aware of this historic information:

INDIA, CHINA, PERSIA, ETC

"Widespread and enduring was the observance of the ***seventh-day Sabbath*** among the believers of the Church of the East and the St. Thomas Christians of India, who never were connected with Rome. It also was maintained among those bodies which broke off from Rome after the Council of Chalcedon namely, the Abyssinians, the Jacobites, the Maronites, and the Armenians,"
Schaff-Herzog, The New Enclopadia of Religious Knowledge," art. "Nestorians"; also Realencyclopaedie fur Protestantische Theologie und Kirche," art. "Nestorianer."

[Minister T]

What does it mean? Is it in reference to them keeping Saturday as a day of worship? Please explain the point in this statement.

[Anna]

Finding Historical Roots in Kerala, South India!

Kerala, in Southwest India, has a long standing history of Christianity. Historians say the Apostle Thomas traveled from Palestine around 52 a.d., arrived at Coromandel coast and preached in North Kerala, where he established seven churches. It is a fact that for literally centuries there were Sabbath keeping Christians in this area, long before the Portuguese Catholics came in the early 16th century, or European missionaries in the 19th century.

These Sabbath keepers were later corrupted by the traditions and persecutions of the Catholic Church of that era, thus many conformed to the precepts of the Roman Church and became Sunday keepers. The Portuguese priests confronted the St. Thomas Christians in the area of Goa and Cochin, saying, “These churches [of the St. Thomas Christians] belong to the Pope.” The native people replied, “Who is the Pope? We have never heard of him....We are of the true faith, whatever you of the West may be; for we came from the place where the followers of Christ were first called Christians [Antioch].” —Christian Researchers in Asia, p. 60 (1813).

“The title of Mother of God was offensive to their ear; and they measured with scrupulous avarice the honors of the Virgin Mary, whom the superstition of the Latins had almost exalted to the rank of a Goddess. When her image was first presented to the disciples of St. Thomas they indignantly exclaimed, ‘We are Christians, not idolaters!’”

In fact, both the St. Thomas Christians and the Syrian Christians of that area, both of whom claim St. Thomas as their founder, were all, at one time, Sabbath keepers. Their influence was spread throughout many parts of India, so Sabbath keeping and other true Bible teachings were also seen in these areas. Their faith led to them being called “Judaizers” and thousands were burned at the stake, or fled for their lives, relocating in other areas of India.
http://www.lmn.org/magazine/172/seeds.html
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The original St Thomas Christians would have kept the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship as our Messiah and His apostles did.

His Great Commission in Matt. 28, indicated that His Jewish disciples were to teach the same commandments to the world that He had taught them.