𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝, 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥: The Historical Roots and Biblical Theology of Ornamentation among Kerala’s Syrian and Pentecostal Christians
Gold, Grace, and Gospel: The Historical Roots and Biblical Theology of Ornamentation among Kerala’s Syrian and Pentecostal Christians Abstract The use and rejection of gold ornaments among Kerala’s Christians illuminate the complex relationship between indigenous culture, caste, ecclesiastical identity, Christian holiness, and biblical interpretation. Among the Syrian Christians of Kerala, gold jewellery, particularly the minnu or marriage pendant, became embedded in social and marital customs that developed within the wider cultural environment of the Malabar region. Certain domestic and ceremonial practices shared features with those of neighbouring Hindu communities, although their meanings and historical origins were not necessarily identical. The emergence of Pentecostal Christianity in the early twentieth century challenged several of these inherited customs. Historical research indicates that restrictions on jewellery were associated not exclusively with Pentecostal missionary ...