E. C. John

The Reverend Doctor E. C. John D.D. (Serampore)
Born	Elavinakuzhy Cherian John[1] Kerala
Nationality	Indian
Education	B.Sc., B.D., M.A., Dr. Theol.[2]
Alma mater	University of Travancore, Thiruvananthapuram, United Theological College, Bengaluru, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg
Occupation	Priesthood
Years active	1954-2007
Religion	Christianity
Church	Church of South India,[2] Madhya Kerala Diocese[3]
Ordained	1954[4]
Writings	See section
Congregations served	CSI Church, Tiruvalla (1954-1957)[4]
Offices held	Teacher - in - Old Testament, United Theological College, Bangalore (1959-1993)[4]
Title	The Reverend Doctor

E. C. John (born 1927) is an Indian Old Testament scholar and a member^[5] of the Society for Biblical Studies in India. He was also a member of the George Bell Institute at the University of Chichester,^[6] Chichester and the Society for Old Testament Study,^[7] England.

He was acknowledged for his scholarship^[2] of the Old Testament. G. Babu Rao,^[8] one of his earliest pupils specializing in the Old Testament^[9] wrote that his Professor, E. C. John pointed out parallels for Epiphany and Theophany from Vaishnavism and Saivism respectively.^[10]

Writings

Books written

• 1968, Death and life in the prophecy of judgment with reference to Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah,^[11]
• 1983, The Servant of the Lord (Meditations on the Prophets),^[12]

Books edited

• 1999 (with Juliane Hanna), To Tell of the Struggle is a Struggle: Resistance, Protest and Witness during the Third Reich,^[4]
• 2006 (with Samson Prabhakar), Christian Identity and Cultural Nationalism: Challenges and Opportunities,^[13]

Articles

• 1969, Forgiveness in the Prophecy of Judgment,^[14]
• 1971, Divine Manifestations,^[10]
• 1974, Old Testament understanding of death,^[15]
• 1977, Righteousness in the prophets,^[16]
• 1977, Life and Death in Old Testament Research,^[17]
• 1978, Theological Research and the Churches in India: Old Testament,^[18]
• 1984, Israel and Inculturation: An Appraisal,^[19]
• 1985, A vision for the future,^[20]
• 2004, The Reception of the Old Testament in India,^[21]
• 2007, Reading the Old Testament from a Dalit Perspective,^[22]

Studies

Graduate

E. C. John studied theology at the United Theological College, Bengaluru from 1951 to 1954 when Max Hunter Harrison was its Principal.^[9] From 1954 to 1957^[4] he served as a Presbyter of the Church of South India in Tiruvalla.

Post graduate

In 1957^[4] he was sent to the University of Cambridge, Cambridge where he pursued postgraduate studies in Old Testament (MA Tripos part iii).^[2] During E. C. John's stay at the University of Cambridge between 1957-1959, the decennial Lambeth Conference took place which E. C. John attended it as a guest along with Leslie Brown, and Lesslie Newbigin.^[23]

Research

While teaching at the Seminary in Bengaluru, he applied for the Alexander von Humboldt research fellowship^[4] and went on study leave from the Seminary to the University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg^[2] for doctoral studies in Old Testament^[4] where he studied under Claus Westermann and Gerhard von Rad who were experts in Old Testament studies. During E. C. John's study period in Heidelberg, his companions included Nicholas J. Tromp, MSC who spent a period of study at the University.^[24] Upon completion of E. C. John's doctoral studies in 1968, his thesis was published with the title, Death and life in the prophecy of judgment with reference to Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah,^[11] E. C. John returned to Bengaluru and continued teaching in the United Theological College till his retirement in 1993.

Contribution

Teaching

After E. C. John completed his studies in Cambridge University in 1959, he began teaching the Old Testament in Bangalore for generations of students both at the graduate, postgraduate and doctoral levels. In 1983^[2] E. C. John took charge as Principal of the United Theological College, Bengaluru from his predecessor Joshua Russell Chandran and continued as Principal until 1993 when he relinquished charge and handed over the baton to Gnana Robinson.

E. C. John's Old Testament legacy of teaching has passed on to his postgraduate students who specialized in the Old Testament and Hebrew language and taught at seminaries elsewhere who comprise,^[9]

• 1961-1963, Gnana Robinson, CSI, at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai and later at the United Theological College, Bangalore,
• 1968-1970, M. J. Joseph,^[9] MMTSC, at the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam,^[25]
• 1971-1973, G. Babu Rao,^[9] CBCNC, at the Serampore College, Serampore and later at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad,^[26]
• 1971-1973, Timotheas Hembrom, NELC, at the Bishop’s College, Calcutta,
• 1976-1978, D. Dhanaraj, CSI, at the Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore,
• 1977-1979, J. Bhaskar Jeyaraj,^[9] at the South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, Bangalore,^[27]
• 1978-1980, Geevarghese Mathew,^[9] MMTSC, at the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary, Kottayam,
• 1979-1981, G. D. V. Prasad, CSI, at the Bishop’s College, Calcutta,
• 1980-1982, D. Jones Muthunayagom,^[9] CSI, at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai and later at United Theological College, Bangalore,
• 1980-1982, James Vijayakumar,^[9] at the United Theological College, Bangalore,
• 1981-1983, Mani Chacko, CSI, at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai,
• 1985-1987, M. Prithvi Raju,^[9] AELC, at the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church Seminary in Rajahmundry,
• 1986-1988, Ch. Victor Moses, AELC, at the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai,
• 1986-1988, N. V. Luther Paul,^[9] AELC, at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Secunderabad,
• 1987-1989, D. John Samuel Ponnusamy,^[9] CSI, at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai,
• 1987-1989, J. R. John Samuel Raj,^[9] CSI, at the Kerala United Theological Seminary, Trivandrum and later at the United Theological College, Bangalore,

Commentary

E. C. John led the editorial team comprising M. J. Joseph, K. V. Mathew, Jacob Verghis, Saphir P. Athyal and Mathew P. John that worked to bring out the One volume Malayalam Bible Commentary with contributions from 47 Scholars and published in 1979 through the The Theological Literature Committee, Tiruvalla.^[28]

Honours

In the Senate of Serampore College (University) Convocation 2009 held at the Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, Madurai, E. C. John was awarded a Doctor of Divinity honoris causa.^[29]

Reminisce

Talathoti Punnaiah who studied a postgraduate course leading to Master of Theology at the United Theological College, Bangalore from 1989-1991 recalls his association with E. C. John,

E. C. John was my Principal at the College. He was a good Administrator.^[30]

References

Notes

1. E. C. John, Samson Prabhakar (Edited), Christian Identity and Cultural Nationalism: Challenges and Opportunities, BTESSC/SATHRI, Bangalore, 2006.
2. The National Christian Council Review, Volume 103, Nagpur, 1983
3. "Clergy of the Madhya Kerala Diocese". Madhya Kerala Diocese. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013.
4. Juliane H. John and E. C. John, To Tell of the Struggle is a Struggle: Resistance, Protest and Witness during the Third Reich, Published by the Authors, Bengaluru, 1999.
5. Fr. Max Gonsalves (Ed.), Society for Biblical Studies in India Directory 1998.
6. "Fellows and Scholars". University of Chichester. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014.
7. 2004 Conference of the SOTS
8. G. Babu Rao, "Content Analysis of Theological Syllabi – Old Testament" in Religion and Society, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Bangalore, 1985.
9. K. M. Hiwale (Edited), The United Theological College, Directory 1910–1997, Bengaluru, 1997. pp.6 and 25.
10. E. C. John, Divine Manifestations, Bangalore Theological Forum, III/2, Bengaluru, July 1971. p.19. Cited by G. Babu Rao in Wisdom Tradition and the Indian Parallels with special reference to Telugu literature, Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, 1990.
11. E. C. John, Death and life in the prophecy of judgment with reference to Amos, Hosea, Isaiah and Jeremiah, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, 1968.
12. E. C. John, The Servant of the Lord (Meditations on the Prophets), The Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1983.
13. E. C. John, Samson Prabhakar (Edited), BTESSC/SATHRI for Ecumenical Christian Academy, Bengaluru, 2006.
14. E. C. John, Forgiveness in the Prophecy of Judgment, Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 18, Issue 2-3, April–September 1969, pp.206-218. Cited by Claus Westermann in Genesis 12–36: a Commentary in John Scullion Volume 2 of Genesis : a Commentary, Augsburg Publishing House, 1985. p.316.
15. E. C. John, Old Testament understanding of death, Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 23, Issue 1-2, January–June 1974, pp.123-128.
16. E.C. John, Righteousness in the prophets, Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 26, Issue 3-4, July–December 1977, pp.132-142.
17. E. C. John, Life and Death in Old Testament Research, Bangalore Theological Forum, Volume 9, 1977, pp.13-27. Cited by Monica J. Melanchthon, Graduate Biblical Studies in India, in Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Kent Harold Richards (Edited), Transforming Graduate Biblical Education: Ethos and Discipline, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2010, p. 129.
18. E. C. John, Theological Research and the Churches in India: Old Testament, Bangalore Theological Forum, Volume 10, 1978, pp.6-11. Cited by Monica J. Melanchthon, Graduate Biblical Studies in India, in Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Kent Harold Richards (Edited), Transforming Graduate Biblical Education: Ethos and Discipline, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2010, p. 129.
19. E. C. John, Israel and Inculturation: An Appraisal, Bangalore Theological Forum, Volume 14, 1984, pp.87-94. Cited by Monica J. Melanchthon, Graduate Biblical Studies in India, in Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Kent Harold Richards (Edited), Transforming Graduate Biblical Education: Ethos and Discipline, Society of Biblical Literature, Atlanta, 2010, p. 129.
20. E. C. John, A vision for the future in To serve, not to be served, United Theological College, Bangalore, 1985.
21. E. C. John, The Reception of the Old Testament in India, Unpublished paper at the Society for Old Testament Study meeting, 2004.
22. E. C. John, Reading the Old Testament from a Dalit Perspective, Unpublished paper at the Society for Old Testament Study meeting, 2007.
23. Lesslie Newbigin, Unfinished Agenda: An Updated Autobiography, Saint Andrews Press, England, 1993, p.153.
24. Nicholas J. Tromp, Primitive Conceptions of Death and the Nether World in the Old Testament, Pontifical Biblical Institute, Rome, 1969, pp.31, 165.
25. P. Jegadish Gandhi, K. C. John, Upon the winds of wider ecumenism: essays and tributes in honour of Rev. Dr. M.J. Joseph, ISPCK, New Delhi, 2006.
26. The Story of Serampore and its College, Council of Serampore College, Serampore (Fourth Edition), 2005, p.92.
27. J. B. Jeyaraj, The People of God in the Priestly Source in Indian Journal of Theology.
28. E. C. John (Edited), One volume Malayalam Bible Commentary, The Theological Literature Committee, Tiruvalla, 1979. Reviewed in Scripture Bulletin, Volume XI, Number 1, Summer 1980, p.25.
29. R. Christopher Rajkumar, Serampore College Convocation 2009 and forty years journey of Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary, NCCI Newsletter/Easter 2009, Nagpur, 2009. p.7. "National Council of Churches in India newsletter of Easter 2009" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
30. Talathoti Punnaiah, My Memoir, Ministry and Message: (60 years Life Experiences 1950-2010), Kakinada, 2010, pp.85-86.

Further reading

• Andrew Chandler (2016). "George Bell, Bishop of Chichester: Church, State, and Resistance in the Age of Dictatorship".
• Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Kent Harold Richards (Edited) (2010). "Transforming Graduate Biblical Education: Ethos and Discipline".
• Lesslie Newbigin (1993). "Unfinished Agenda".
• G. Babu Rao (1990). "Wisdom Tradition and the Indian Parallels with special reference to Telugu Literature".
• Nicholas J. Tromp (1969). "Primitive Conceptions of Death and the Nether World in the Old Testament".