The document discusses the terminology used in studies of the Knanaya people, beginning with summaries of important biblical figures from Cain to Ezra and Nehemiah. It then discusses the Knanaya's belief that they descend from endogamous ancestors and keep the 10 commandments and 7 sacraments without adulteration, as well as their role in the church according to Acts. The document ends by mentioning some early Christian figures associated with the Knanaya tradition.

1. Terminology for Knanaya
Studies
By Jimmi Cherian
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2. Cain –
father of “daughters of men”
02/11/2018
 An Oriental tribe- kenite
 A first child name and a place name in
palestine
 Daughters of men …(Gen:6:1-4)
 ”that the sons of God saw the
daughters of men that they were
fair, and they took them wives of all
which they chose” (Gen 6:2)
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3. Seth –
father of God’s own people
 3rd Son of Adam instead of
Abel…(Gen-4:25)
 Covenent people…(Gen-4:26)
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4. Abraham –Monotheism
(father of faithful to Yahweh )
 Friend of Lord God (Jah/Yah)
 Father of a multitude (of many nation have
I made thee…Gen-17:5)
 Married to his step sister Sara (daughter of
his step mother)
 Lived in Aram established monotheism
(where polytheism and pantheism
condemned)
 Speaks Aramaic
….Hebrew…(syriac/suriyani) 4

5. Isaac -
first lamb of god
 Circumcised when 8 days old as God
had commanded to Abraham ( Gen-
21:4)
 Married to his cousin sister Rebekah,
the daughter of Abraham's brother
Nahor.
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6. Jacob
 Heel catcher(Esau’s twin brother
gen:25:26)
 Israel (he will rule as a prince of
God..Gen:32:28)
 Israelites patriarch
 Married to Leah and Rachel the
daughters of uncle Laban at Paden
Aram. And their handmaids wife of
jacob are zilpah and Bilhah
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7. Our forfaters
 Begin our story from the beginning, with
Abraham the Patriarch, or better yet with his
grandson Jacob. Jacob was renamed Israel
when God appeared to him when he was
leaving Paden-Aram and blessed him.
 Jacob produced twelve sons, each of whom
became the father of one of the twelve tribes
of Israel. Reuven, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda,
Issachar, Zevulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher,
Joseph, Benjamin. In the Land of Canaan,
each of the twelve Israelite tribes settled a
different region on either side of the Jordan
River. (Genesis 12:1-3, 17:4-5)
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8. Judah (Southists) &
Israel (Northists)
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9. Polygamy & Monogamy
 Polygamy – the practice or custom of
having more than one wife or husband
at the same time.
 Monogamy – the practice of
marrying or state of being married to
one person at a time. (Judaism – from
polygamy to strict monogamy)
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10. Exogamy & Endogamy
 Exogamy – the custom of marrying
outside a community, clan or a tribe.
 Endogamy – the custom of marrying
only within the limits of a particular
community, clan or tribe.
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11. 11
Patern lineal
Ancestors (Y
DNA)(23)
Father's+23 unknown
Father's+23 ,,
Father‘s+23 ,,
………….
Father + 23 ,,
David
--------------------
Heli + (known)
Joseph+Mary
Jesus
Matrilineal
Ancestors (Mt DNA 23)
Mother’s+23 unknown
Mother’s+ 23 ,,
Mother’s+ 23 ,,
…………..
Mother + 23 ,,
David
------------------------
ann+ joachim
Mary + joseph
Jesus
Endogamies
Ancestors (46 DNA)
David
………..
Father + Mother
Father + Mother
……………………..
(zealots)/Ezra
Knanaya
Father + Mother
Joseph + Mary
Jesus
…….. Knanaya
Christian

12. Systemic & Systematic
 Systemic - change that pervades all
parts of a system, taking into account
the interrelationships and
interdependencies among those parts
 Systematic - done or acting
according to a fixed plan or system
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13. Church & Holy Spirit
Knanaya-problem or solution?
 “Keep watch over yourselves and all
the flock of which the Holy Spirit has
made you overseers. Be shepherds of
the church of God, which he bought
with his own blood” (Acts 20:28)
 Knanaya – zealots keeps the 10
commandments and 7 sacraments
without any adulteration as a flock
“chosen by God” of our forefathers.02/11/2018 13

14. Systemic Change- Lesson from the New Testament
Luke 5:17-26
In this Gospel reading we see Jesus
completely transforming the life of
the paralytic. Notice the part that
the man plays in his own
transformation. Other people are
enlisted to help. At the same time
the questioning of the officials is
overturned.

15. Moses – the beginning of
Abrahamic religion B.C.1300
 Moses –Drawing out from water
 The lawgiver, leader and prophet
 Hebrews freedom from slavery
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16. Joshua – Jehovah saved
 Jewish leader to the way to Israel
(Exodus 17:10)
 Commander, Minister & Servant of
Moses, son of Nun, Keeper of the
Tabernacle (Exodus 33:11)
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17. David – “loving” - The king
after Saul for Israelite
 Son of Jesse is grand son of Ruth from
the Moab tribe
 The great king and symbol of judaism
 Jesus born from the tribe of king
David
 “Christ is David’s son”? (Luke 20:41)
 Kingship came down to shepherd.
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18. Solomon – peaceful- David's
son and king
 The wisdom and power came to earth
 Built the first Jerusalem temple
 Lost because of “daughters of men”
(Gen 6:1-4)
 Problems due to polygamy and
exogamy
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19. Ezra, Nehamiah & Haggai
 Recapture faith from polygamy and
exogamy
 Building up new Jerusalem temple
 Reunion of diaspora community with-
out adulteration
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20. Tamar, Rahab & Ruth
 Tamar- Canaanite woman and wife of
Er (son of Jude) and gave birth pharez
from Jude the father in law (Gen
46:12)
 Rahab- Canaanite woman the harlot
lived in Jericho and she helped
Israelite (josh 6:17)
 Ruth-Moab woman but faithful to God.
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21. Simon the Zealot, Mari, Adhai,
Haggai & Knai Thoma
 St.Simon- zealot among 12 disciples
 St. Mari, St. Adai, St. Knai Thoma etc..are
Chaldean church leader from
Edessa(Iraq/East Syrian land) received
Christ and Christian faith through St.
Thomas the disciple.
 Originally they are Jewish people and left
their home land after the destruction of
Jerusalem temple by Romans..
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22. THANK YOU
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