The "Caste Dispute" of Lutheran Missionaries in the Indian South

The fact of the existence of castes among Indian Christians is widely known. The question of the mechanisms of the "introduction" of caste into Christian communities is still open. Perhaps, an analysis of some particular cases will help to find an answer. In the XVIII-XIX centuries, in the South of India, in the city of Tranquebar, there was a Christian community. It was а part of the Danish Royal Mission. The first head of the mission was B. Ziegenbalg, an iconic figure in the history of Oriental studies. The time of Ziegenbalg's work in Tranquebar in the years following his death was considered a "golden age" for the community, and his position, including in relation to the issue of caste, became an example to follow. One of the Lutheran missionaries of the 19th century, Karl Ochs, published in 1860 a work entitled "Die Kaste in Ostindien und die Geschichte derselben in der alten lutherischen Mission". This work starts the continuation of the famous "Caste Dispute", initiated by Ochs a few years earlier. In his publications, the missionary tries to answer the question of who "let castes into the community" and why after Ziegenbalg's death. Ochs notifies that the locals who were baptized retained their caste status. According to the auther, the missionaries themselves contributed to this situation in many ways. This article examines the examples provided by Ochs in his publications. In addition, other explanations are offered for the persistence of castes in everyday life of Indian Christians.