Christians of St
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
Thomas. There are said to have been in the southern parts of Malabar some 200,000 persons who called themselves "Christians of St. Thomas" when Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Christians of St” mean?
Thomas. There are said to have been in the southern parts of Malabar some 200,000 persons who called themselves "Christians of St. Thomas" when Vasco da Gama reached India in 1498.
Is “Christians of St” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.