The Covenant of Water & St. Thomas Christians

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the Lord had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper...

And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.

                                         2 Kings 5:1, 10 King James Version 

 I ministered in Sudbury, Ontario for eleven years and all during that time the pastor with a small United Church congregation not far away was the same person. He was originally from India and on several occasions through the years he reminded me that he came from the St. Thomas tradition of Christianity in his homeland. He would say that the journey by the disciple Thomas, who is often unfairly labelled at Doubting Thomas, was one of the first evangelist ventures of the early church. It's claimed that Thomas died in Madras, India, in 53 CE. 

I've just finished the novel The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, a 715 page magnum opus set in India. Verghese is a physician and a professor at Stanford Medical School who weaves his medical knowledge throughout the three generations of the story of a family, beginning at the turn of the 20th century. Verghese was born in Ethiopia to Indian parents who were teachers and Christians from the Syriac tradition which traces its origins to the 1st century and Thomas. In India they are known as St. Thomas Christians and while they are a relatively tiny entity in a country whose population exceeds 1.4 billion souls there are still roughly 6 million of them.

                                                                    Mar Thoma/ St. Thomas Cross 

The family tradition in The Covenant of Water is St. Thomas Christian and in some respects this is a remarkably Christian book. It does not set out to proselytise, nor does it overlook the inconsistencies and hypocrises of this "brand" of Christian, yet it is also a loving and nuanced representation of a sustaining faith. 

From the outset I was quite taken by the references to scripture and the importance of prayer along the way, some of them subtle and evidence of a ready awareness of biblical stories (all taken from the KJV), as well as blessings for important occasions. In his notes at the end of the novel Verghese mentions that he drew upont the liturgies and prayer books of the St. Thomas tradition. The scourge of leprosy is a recurring theme in the saga and Verghese makes passing reference to the dramatic story of Naaman, a Syrian commander, and the timid prophet Elisha. 

I'll confess that I'm pleased with myself for completing the novel given the "monkey mind"realities of our social media, "four minute read" society. I just don't focus the way I once did but this is a compelling, inventive, satisfying story. 

                                                    The Incredulity of Saint Thomas -- Caravaggio