By Rev. Dr. John Kalathil

Message By Fr. Abraham Adappoor S. J.

St. Paul himself has remarked: that 'the faith that perceives Jesus Christ as the Lord and Redeemer is a discouragement to the Jews and mere folly to the Gentiles'. Just as it was then, Christ continues to be a controversial character on the global scene even today. How many ideologies and religions there are that endeavour to make human life one of great worth! Competitions among them at times turn out to be aggressive as well. Even Christianity that attributes paramount importance to 'the love of neighbours' is no exception to this destiny of abandonment Within, however, Christ's merciful and redemptive face is always visible.

In the history of human advancement of the bygone bi-millennia, Christ's bounty is definitely decisive and undoubtedly unparalleled. But books in the vernacular on this subject pertinent to the period are really rare. Perhaps it is more accurate to admit that there is none. Rev. Fr. John Kalathil is one genius who has been conducting researches for long in that zone where neither the Catholic publishing firms nor Christian publishers like C. M. S. or others have paid due attention. The accumulated harvest of that great scholastic attempt the Rev. Father has now made available to the Malayalees in the form of this book. Only through precise knowledge of the part played by religions in the socio-cultural evolutions and advancement of mankind can the divergent religious sects live with mutual respect and understanding.

The book begins defining culture as the transition - from the rough state of nature of a biped to the lofty status of a human, a being of maturity and integrity, a Man - that comes over the mind through education. The author, of course, introduces us to the intellectual world of Taylor, Mathew Arnold, Toynbee and Max Miiller. Searching for the extra-terrestrial roots of Indian culture, the Rev. Father simultaneously reaches also the works, first of Jawaharlal Nehru and later of Valmiki, Vyasa, Bhasa and Kalidasa.

When did human life emerge on the earth? How was its origin? Efficient researchers who have already proved their mettle in divergent domains of erudition are still searching for answers to these questions that have had no definite answers yet. Ever so many hypotheses and theories exist on the creation of the universe and the origin of mankind. One thing that stands apart from all these is the role of the Divine god in the evolution and development of mankind. In the perceptive of Christian faith, the author discerns and describes it.

The central spot of that search, spreading over nineteen chapters, is the eternal presence of Jesus Christ. The first chapter, 'Culture and Human Advancement' as the very title indicates, clearly manifests the place of culture in the progress of mankind. Thence 'To the Radiance of Eternal Truths', 'Christ- the Redeemer of Matrimony', 'Christian Contributions to the Abolition of Slavery and Upliftment of the Aborigines', 'Universities', 'Education', 'Progress of Science', 'Lawmaking', 'Emergence of Democracy' and such subjects are discussed. Enriching insights into the immense gains accrued to the vernacular, Malayalam, as a result of the efforts of foreign missionaries who reached our shores in the 16th century and the social renaissance consequent on the propagation of Christian ideals are also included in this. The much esteemed monogamy prevalent in the present day world is a big boon humanity achieved through Christianity because in all religions other than Christian polygamy is generally common. Even polyandry appears to have been acknowledged as per Hindu mythology. Shedding light into the historical backdrop and global range of this enigma, Fr. Kalathil writes:

"What Senecca remarked about the situations in Roman empire is that there were no women not insulted, nor dishonoured due to divorces. The way in which women of noble birth used to calculate their ages was on the basis of the number of their husbands. In Plato's renowned work, The Republic, polygamy and ownership of slaves were attributes of nobility! And polygamy is legally acknowledged in Islam even today."

These days under the Existing circumstances when some, pretending to be protective of "Hinduism", consider Christian society en masse as enemies, the tenth chapter, "Christian Culture and Hindu Enlightenment" is particularly pertinent. It is the assumption of the author that the sages who lived along the Indo-Ganges basins, "the land of ancient traditions", might have maintained an exalted standard of living. But he elucidates that Indian civilization has never remained ingenious in accomplishing advancement in every realm excelling all others and wholly prosperous sans association with alien cultures. Christian missionaries were the ones who sowed the seeds of fraternity of man based on equality among Indians who had long been through the tragic after effects of the unjust and inhuman caste system. It is upon portraying the bitter experiences and sound opinions of Hindu leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Mahathma Gandhi, Rabidranath Tagore and Kesav Chandra Sen that Fr. Kalathil maintains this fact. without deliberately obscuring this undeniable historical truth. It is evident No one can justify the anti-Christian stands of the Sankh Parivar.

Each and every subject included in this work deserves thorough studies and detailed discussions. That may perhaps be why the author has not been able to do full justice to some of the topics. It is not the perfection of the reasoning but its present pertinence that makes the book noteworthy. Before the thoughtful Malayalee readers, I modestly present this excellent book shedding dense discretionary light into the cultural crisis confronting man throughout the globe and the challenges mounting before the Indian populace. I hope and pray many more thought provoking works like this emanate from the expert pen of Fr. John Kalathil in the vernacular!

Fr. Abraham Adappoor S. J.