20 
THE LEGEND OF ST. THOMAS. 
Persians, who were Manicliseans."^^ It is hardly contended 
that Manes himself ever preached in India, but he wrote a 
Greater Epistle to the Indians, and, after his execution about 
272 A.D., his numerous and influential followers were much 
persecuted in their native country, and it is not unreasonable, 
therefore, to suppose that many emigrated to India and 
Ceylon ; especially, as Abu Zaid (916 A.D.) says: " There 
is a numerous colony of Jews in Sarandib, and people of 
other religions, especially Mauichseans." But, supposing that 
there was an influential disciple of Manes, named Thomas, 
who preached successfully in India at the end of the third 
century^ it is impossible to regard him as the founder of 
the historical church of this country — the church found by 
Cosmas in the first quarter of the sixth century. It is hardly 
reasonable to expect a Nestorian stream to flow from a 
Maniehsean fountain, and the early heroes of Nestorianism 
would not be likely to favour commemoration of a Mani- 
chsean saint in their church. Bat apart from that, this 
theory, advocated by La Croze, Tillemont, and others, does 
not account for the far-reaching tradition which was afloat in 
other parts of Asia before Manes was born and extended to 
regions which Maniehteism never penetrated. And the same 
remark appKes also to the supposed original connection of 
the tradition with Thomas Caua, an Ai'menian ( Aram^an ?) 
merchant, who came with a large and influential following 
to the coast of Malabar about the end of the eighth centiuy. 
Whatever account we give of the origin of the tradition 
in this countr}' must not leave entii'ely unexplained the far 
wider ecclesiastical tradition. 
My own belief is that we have here an example of the 
migration of a tradition, that the existence of the tradition in 
India is as old as the foundation of the chm-ch of Malabar, 
and that its Persian foimders brought the tradition with 
Soo Iinliaii Antiquary, vol. Ill, p. 309. 
