'When St Peter Was Residing At Antioch, There Happened A Great
Schism, Occasioned By Simon Magus, On Which Peter Was
Called to Rome to
assist the Christians in overthrowing that heresy; and, that he might not
leave the eastern church
Without a shepherd, he appointed a vicar to
govern at Antioch, who should become pope after the death of Peter, and
should always assist the pope of Armenia. But, after the Moors entered
into Syria and Asia Minor, as Armenia remained always in the Christian
faith, they came to be governed by twelve cardinals. Marco Polo, in
writing concerning Armenia, mentions this pope or Catholicos, and says
there are two sects of Christians, the Nestorians and Jacobites, their
pope being named Jacobus, whom this Joseph named their Catholicos. The
priests of Cranganore are not shaven in the same manner with ours, but
shave the whole head, leaving a few hairs on the crown and they have both
deacons and subdeacons. In consecrating the elements, they use leavened
bread and wine made of raisins, having no other in the country. Their
children are not baptized till they are eleven days old, unless they
happen to be sickly. They confess as we do, and bury their dead after a
similar manner. They do not use the holy oil to the dying, but only bless
them; and when any one dies, they gather a large company and feast for
eight days, after which the obsequies are celebrated. If any person dies
without making a testament, their lands and goods go to the nearest heir;
but the widow is entitled to her dower if she remain a year unmarried.
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