The Assyrian Church had 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]

Footnote:

1. Abu Salih The Armenian, The Churches and Monastries of Egypt and Some Neighbouring Countries. Edited by B.T.E. Evvets (Oxford:At the Clarendon Press, 1969), p.16
2. Ibid, p.299.
3. Y.W.M. Bakker,”Umat Katolik Perintis Indonesia” (The Catholic religion is the pioner of Indonesian), dalam M.P.M Muskens Pr, Sejarah Gereja Katolik Indonesia (Jakarta: Bagian Dokumentasi Penerangan MAWI, 1976), p.38.
4. Prof. Sutjipto Wiryosaputro, “Agama Kristen telah meluas di Indonesia sejak abad ke 7” (The Christian had widely spread out in Indonesia since 7th Century), dalam Majalah Manusia Indonesia, No.4/1970, p. 151-156.
5. Y.W.M. Bakker, Op.Cit, pp.30-31.
6. John C. England, The Hidden History of Christianity in Asia: The Churches of the East before 1500 (New Delhi-Hongkong: ISPCK and CCA, 1996), p.98.
7. Ibid.
8. Y.W.M. Bakker, SJ. Op.Cit, p.34

Source:
Noorsena, Bambang, The Flash Back of The Indonesian History, Syriac Christian in India and in Indonesia, March 10th, 2000.

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