People will do well to know that the word Christiani (Latin), or Oi Christianoi (pronounced E Christiani in Greek) is only confirmed to have been used from somewhere in the early 4th century - from the writings of a monk I believe out of Antioch. This happened mostly post the gathering at Nicea.
Initially they were called various things, including the "Followers of the Nazarene" (i.e. JC), which of course got corrupted and changed and ended up as "Nasrani" in India via the Middle East.
This is why it is amusing sometimes to hear the Indian Christians say "Christianity came to India in 52AD". As a tradition, and belief, one is free to believe whatever one wants. I only quibble when the issue becomes a matter of historical accuracy. As far as I know, there is zero real factual historical evidence of the kind we might use to verify the dates of the metalwork in the Indus Valley, to put Christianity anywhere before the 7th century. This seems especially feasible because dear Mohammed was driving people out of that area around that time - and one of the sanctuaries (as for the Parsis) must have been India.
Now of course we are paying the price for that hospitality, with many conversion-minded Christians determined to turn all 1.3 billion of us into their likenesses - starting, naturally, with the Hindus/Sikhs/Jains/etc... Islam comes after sufficient strength (manpower) has been accumulated.
Initially they were called various things, including the "Followers of the Nazarene" (i.e. JC), which of course got corrupted and changed and ended up as "Nasrani" in India via the Middle East.
This is why it is amusing sometimes to hear the Indian Christians say "Christianity came to India in 52AD". As a tradition, and belief, one is free to believe whatever one wants. I only quibble when the issue becomes a matter of historical accuracy. As far as I know, there is zero real factual historical evidence of the kind we might use to verify the dates of the metalwork in the Indus Valley, to put Christianity anywhere before the 7th century. This seems especially feasible because dear Mohammed was driving people out of that area around that time - and one of the sanctuaries (as for the Parsis) must have been India.
Now of course we are paying the price for that hospitality, with many conversion-minded Christians determined to turn all 1.3 billion of us into their likenesses - starting, naturally, with the Hindus/Sikhs/Jains/etc... Islam comes after sufficient strength (manpower) has been accumulated.
