Suppogu Joseph

Graduate

After early studies, S. Joseph was sent for spiritual formation to a Major Seminary in Ramayapatnam,^[9] the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary where he studied during the Principalship of The Rev. Maurice Blanchard^[10] and other faculty comprising The Rev. G. Solomon^[10] and others and earned^[9] a Licentiate in Theology (L. Th.). Later he upgraded his theological studies both at Serampore College, Serampore studying between 1963-1964^[11] and continuing at Ramayapatnam earning a Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) degree in 1965.^[12]

Post-graduate level research

In 1966,^[11] the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches sent^[13] S. Joseph to the Serampore College,^[9] a constituent College of the Senate of Serampore College (University) where he mastered Biblical Greek Language and the New Testament making him eligible to teach at any University^[14] in the world in the Faculty of Theology.

S. Joseph studied at Serampore for postgraduate studies in 1966^[11] during the Principalship of William Stewart^[15] where the New Testament and Biblical Greek Language Faculty comprised D. F. Hudson,^[15] E. L. Wenger,^[15] J. C. Hindley^[15] and M. P. John.^[15] Other faculty members at that time included the Old Testament Scholar K. V. Mathew, Religions Scholar, V. C. Samuel and the Sanskrit Teacher, Yisu Das Tiwari. S. Joseph's companions at the College included G. Babu Rao,^[11] James Massey,^[11] D. K. Mohanty^[11] who were in the graduate section. During the ensuing convocation of the University held in 1967/68, S. Joseph was awarded an M. Th. by the Registrar, C. Devasahayam.

Doctoral level research

While teaching at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Joseph qualified for undertaking doctoral level research and registered as a doctoral degree candidate with the Senate of Serampore College (University) through the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College,^[9] Madras. James Bergquist, a former Professor at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and Deputy Director of the Theological Education Fund for Southern Asia^[9] of the World Council of Churches initiated the programme in 1973^[16] to enable S. Joseph's overseas doctoral research and gather research material at the Ecumenical Institute^[9] and the École Biblique^[9] in Jerusalem,^[17] and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia^[9] where he was supervised by John H. P. Reumann,^[18] then Professor of New Testament.^[9]

S. Joseph was a recipient^[9] of scholarship from the Goethe-Institut^[9] which enabled him to pursue German language studies at Lüneburg,^[9] Germany in order to access New Testament research materials in German language. Although S. Joseph returned to take up his teaching assignment at the Protestant Seminary in Secunderabad, it was not until 1980 that the Senate of Serampore College (University) awarded him the doctorate degree of Doctor of Theology (D.Th.).^[19] during the Registrarship of D. S. Satyaranjan. After nearly 27 years, S. Joseph was able to revise and publish his doctoral work in 2007 under the title Adaptation of the Gospel tradition in Luke.^[20]

Pastoral ministry

The Waterbury Memorial Telugu Baptist Church in Perambur, Chennai is the oldest^[21] Baptist Church where S. Joseph served as a Pastor during 1964-1969,^[13] almost six years in pastoral ministry in suburban Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

In 1977 while teaching at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad, S. Joseph was elected as the President^[22] of the Centenary Baptist Church, Secunderabad, Telangana during the Pastorship of the Old Testament Scholar G. Solomon, who incidentally taught at the Protestant Regional Theologiate together with S. Joseph from 1973 to 1977.

Teaching ministry

New Testament Scholarship

Monsignor Gali Bali, an Old Testament Scholar who is currently the Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guntur reveals that the table fellowship of Jesus has great significance in everyday human life especially as the Church seeks to see people with the eyes of Christ himself where Gali Bali invokes Redemptor Hominis authored by Pope John Paul II.^[30] It is in such a setting that Suppogu Joseph's Table Fellowship of Jesus has special significance, especially in the light of the Lucan material through which S. Joseph explores the motives and theological emphases.

Delving further into the Lucan material, S. Joseph's second book entitled Adaptation of the Gospel Tradition in Luke looks at the possibilities of Inculturation^[9] especially to the Indian context. Pioneers like D. S. Amalorpavadass have taken much interest in Inculturation making major changes through the Second Vatican Council. Suppogu researched along the same period when the Second Vatican Council was confabulating but at a purely academic level.

The question whether the Christian Gospel can cross the cultural frontiers is tackled from the New Testament perspective. Taking the Gospel of Luke as an example, it attempts to determine the changes involved in adapting the Gospel Tradition to the Hellenistic setting when the Gospel moved from the Jewish setting. By analysing various examples in the Third Gospel, it tries to determine the extent of the various modifications Luke introduced in his source materials and pre-Lukan traditions. This gives an immense advantage in determining the limits of adaptation of the Gospel Tradition to the Indian.^[9]

Administration

The Senate of Serampore College (University), the country's first^[6] modern University within the meaning of Section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 has been active in the Faculty of Theology whose degrees are equally recognised by the famed Universities^[14] including University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, as much as any recognized University in the world. S. Joseph, as a theological educator and administrator was made a member of the Council of the University where he has been rendering administrative expertise since 2007.^[9]