The Sacredness of Marriage and Family in the Cultural Milieu of St. Thomas Christians

includes index and biblioraphy

1. Hindu Vision of Marriage and Family .................7 Hindu religion and the divine Consciousness of Man .........7 Caste and Stages of Life .....10 Hindu sacraments in General ........15 The samskaras pertaining to householder ..21 Marriage ceremonies ............31 Goals of Life in Hinduism .......40 The purposes and philosophy behind the hindu marriage ..........43 2. The christian Approach to marriage and Family ........57 Biblical Understanding of Marriage and Family ...........57 The new testament view on Marriage and Family .......65 The theological Development on Marriage and family as a Covenant of Love ................72 Jewish marriage customs and traditions .......87 Marriage ceremonies in the jewish tradition .....90 The covenantal nature of the Marriage ......98 3. Marriage among the st. Thomas christians : A hindu-christian Synthesis ..........99 Popular terminologies and their significance ........100 Formal Preparation before the marriage .........105 Formal Celebrations of the marriage ..........118 Reception of the new couple in their families ..........128 Marriage : A hindu- christian synthesis ........................132 4. Family : A faith - centred community ........137 The families of st. Thomas christians in the culture of Kerala .............137 The family set-up of st. Thomas christians .........140 Inter and intra Familial relationships...........144 Family in Relation to Society and the church ..........151 The christian formation of an Individual ............155