Istvan Perczel, a renowned Hungarian scholar of early Christianity has been appointed as Mar Chrysostom Chair at Mahatma Gandhi University. Currently professor at the Department of Medieval Studies, Central European University, Vienna, Perczel has conducted extensive research on the history of the Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, and has been heading a project since 2000, leading to the massive exploration and digitization of Syriac and Garshuni Malayalam manuscripts of the Saint Thomas Christians of South India shedding new lights on the history of this community .
Mar Chrysostom Chair, an initiative by the Government of Kerala, established in 2022, named after the former head of the Mar Thoma Church , Philipos Mar Chrysostom , will propagate the values of humanity in different religious philosophies.
The mandate of the chair includes Indian Christianity, Comparative Theology , Religion and Philosophy, Secular Studies, lntercultural Studies etc. as its thrust areas.The duration of the appointment of Perczel is two years . During this period, Perczel is planning to deliver a series of lectures, publish research papers and offer short term courses.
