M. Theophilus (7 May 1895 – 10 December 1946) was a Baptist Patriarch and Spiritual Formator of the Protestant Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars, a major congregation along the Bay of Bengal in Andhra Pradesh, India that extends from Srikakulam District in the northern tip through Guntur district in the middle. Theophilus taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary, Kakinada during the period 1926–1946 and was also SenatorUniversity of Calcutta Calendar 1942, University of Calcutta, 1942, p.711. of India's firstSankar Ray, The Hindu (Business Line), 11 April 2008 Almost a century later, the charter was endorsed officially under the Bengal Govt Act IV of 1918. University, the Senate of Serampore College (University) during 1942–1946 taking forward not only the theological concerns of the university but also the concerns of Serampore College, which as a dual University affiliated entity, had the arts, science and commerce faculties affiliated to the University of Calcutta. In matters of Church union, Theophilus actively cooperated with the National Council of Churches in India that not only incorporated the Protestant and the Oriental Orthodox Churches but also reached out to the Catholics.
The timeline of Theophilus (1895–1946), though short lived, can almost be put in the same line of Juhanon Mar Thoma (1893–1976), the Mar Thoma Patriarch who happened to study at the seminary in Bangalore around the periodK. M. Hiwale (Compiled), Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997, Bangalore, 1997. pp.14, 20–22. when Theophilus was undergoing spiritual studies at Serampore between 1919 and 1924.
Theophilus was an ecumenist who envisioned a Church that surpassed doctrinal barriers. Both Theophilus and his companion Gordon P. Barss took the leadD. J. Jeremiah, The Relationship of the Baptist Churches in Andhra Pradesh to the Church Union Movement in South India since 1919 in Reflections on Theology Today: Papers Presented by the ACTC Faculty during the Academic Year 1988–89 on Theology and the Mission and Ministry of the Church, Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad, 1990, pp.54–73. to take up conversations between the Baptists and a few other Protestant congregations comprising the Anglicans, Congregationalists, Methodists, and Presbyterians for forming a Union. The untimely death of Theophilus in 1946 toned down the strength of the dialogue and the Baptists could not join the Church of South India that was inaugurated in 1947 at St. George's Cathedral, Madras. While this was so, the Baptists of North India joined the Church of North India in 1970. The Church Historian, D. J. Jeremiah, a memberChurch History Association of India, Council and Officers of the Church History Association of India writes that,
In 1948, G. R. Lorne of Kakinada wrote a well-researched biography replete with footnotes on M. Theophilus. In one of the chapters, Lorne highlights the personal prayer and devotional life of Theophilus who seemed to take much interest in reading titles on St. Francis of Assisi, St. Francis de Sales, Sadhu Sundar Singh and other devotional reading material. Lorne wrote that Theophilus had much concern for the clergy seeing them as servants of Christ.
Writings In 1993, the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College during the incumbency of H. S. Wilson commissioned vernacular bibliography lists to be prepared for which the Church Historian, Ravela Joseph with the assistance of Suneel Bhanu took the onus to prepare a comprehensive list of original Christian writings in Telugu language in which one of the writings of M. Theophilus was also listed. 1935 (with L. E. Wilton), The Light of the Harmony of the Gospels,M. Theophilus, L. E. Wilton, The Light of the Harmony of the Gospels, The Baptist Book Room, Kakinada, 1935. Featured in Ravela Joseph, Suneel Bhanu (Compiled), Bibliography of Original Christian Writings in India in Telugu, Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, Bangalore, 1993, p.6. 1935, Life history of William Carey,M. Theophilus, Life history of William Carey, Baptist Book Room, Kakinada, 1935. 1941, Pioneers of the Canadian Baptist MissionM. Theophilus, Pioneers of the Canadian Baptist Mission, George Press, Kakinada, 1941. Cited by James Elisha Taneti in History of the Telugu Christians: A Bibliography, Scarecrow, Lanham, 2011, p.90.
Studies Scholastic and collegiate Theophilus hailed from Krishna District and schooled at Gunnanapudy, a mission station of the Canadian Baptist Ministries and during the course of his scholastic studies, he was transferred from one place to the other, first to Akiveedu in 1907, Samalkot in 1908 and finally to Kakinada in 1912 to the CBM-McLaurin High School. For collegiate studies, Theophilus enrolled at the local Pitapuram Rajah College in Kakinada in 1915 and also taught as a Teacher in 1917 at his alma mater, the CBM-McLaurin High School.
Theologiate In 1919,S. J. Samartha, M. P. John (Compiled), Directory of students 1910–1967, Serampore College (Theology Department), Serampore, 1967, p.3. the Canadian Baptist Ministries sent Theophilus to the Serampore College, Serampore to pursue spiritual studies leading to Bachelor of Divinity. Theophilus lived in the old Danish town studying at the theological faculty at Serampore College which also had students studying for arts, science and commerce under George Howells, then principal of the historical college. The study companions of Theophilus included P. K. Abraham, V. T. Chacko, M. I. Daniel, A. Hyder Ali, J. S. Choudhary, G. M. Kanagaratnam, D. Naik and P. Premanandan. After nearly three years of spiritual formation studies, Theophilus took ill in 1922 and was sent to the Tuberculosis Sanatorium, Madanapalle where he spent nearly a year between 1922 and 1923 recuperating from his illness. In October 1923, Theophilus returned to Serampore in 1924 to complete his graduate studies. A year later, the university awarded the degree of B.D. to Theophilus in the ensuing convocation during the Registrarship of The Rev. John Drake.
Academic career
Ramayapatnam In July 1924, Theophilus moved to Ramayapatnam, a mission station of the American Baptists in southern Andhra Pradesh. Incidentally, the Canadian Baptists initiated their mission together with the American Baptists during the 19th century. Though the Canadian Baptists moved to Kakinada and started a stand-alone mission in 1874 on the invitation of Thomas Gabriel, and also started a seminary in 1882, it was shut down in 1920 and the existing students and faculty were transferred to Ramayapatnam. Theophilus, who joined the faculty of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary in 1924, stayed on in Ramayapatnam teaching seminarians until 1926.
Kakinada In 1926,D. J. Jeremiah, Christian Ministerial Training in the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars from 1882 to 1971. A B. D. thesis submitted to the Senate of Serampore College (University) through the Andhra Christian Theological College, Rajahmundry, 1971. Cited by W. G. Carder in On theological education in Andhra Pradesh of the Canadian Baptist Mission Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars 1880–1975 in Indian Church History Review, Volume 13, Issue 1, 1979, pp.70–84. the seminary in Kakinada was revived leading to the recall of the Canadian Baptist faculty from Ramayapatnam. Theophilus moved from Ramayapatnam to Kakinada in East Godavari District where he taught at the Baptist Theological Seminary from 1926 onwards along with C. Bhanumurthy. Theophilus joined the seminary in 1926 and served under three Principals, namely, J. B. McLaurin, Gordon P. Barss, and Archibald Gordon. It was during this period that a young aspirante, A. B. MasilamaniM. Rajiv Theophilus, Professor Mutyala Theophilus, B.D., in United Evangelical Christian Fellowship Souvenir, New Jersey, 2012, pp.154–155. joined the seminary and would later on became a major contributor to the Church. Theophilus and his companions, Chetti Bhanumurthy, Gordon P. Barss, and Archibald Gordon worked towards university affiliation that required a rigorous academic regimen which was already in place at the seminary. In 1946,Orville E. Daniel, Rising Tides in India, Canadian Baptist Foreign Mission Board, Toronto, 1963, p.91. the university granted affiliation to the Baptist Theological Seminary which then began offering courses leading to Licentiate in Theology which also saw an increased uptake with a record number of 46 admissions that year.
Theophilus taught at the seminary for nearly twenty years until he died suddenly in 1946 while being on duty within the portals of the seminary leading to untold grief and sadness that engulfed the seminary and the CBCNC which the Indian Church History Review puts it as,
Contribution
All India Sunday School Association Theophilus was an examiner to the All India Sunday School Association (formerly Union) of the National Council of Churches in India.
Christian Endeavour In 1939, Theophilus was elected PresidentW. G. Carder, On Theological Education in Andhra Pradesh of the Canadian Baptist Mission Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars 1880–1975 in Indian Church History Review, Volume 13, Issue 1, 1979, pp.70–84. of the Christian Endeavour Societies' Union of India, Burma and Ceylon and had been instrumental in organizing Christian Endeavour meetings in East Godavari district since 1932.
Convention Theophilus was involved in efforts to form the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars to work together with the Canadian Baptist Ministries. Theophilus believed in the Indian ethos and conceivedJames Elisha Taneti, History of the Telugu Christians: A Bibliography, Scarecrow, Lanham, 2011, p.7. a team comprising the Canadians and the Indians working towards the Christian mission of the Church with the clergy in the lead.
In 1947, when the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars was formed, the Clergy ledW. G. Carder, Hand to the Indian Plow: Volume One, Carder, Hyderabad, 1976. the Society in line with the wishes of Theophilus. At one point of time, A. B. Masilamani who happened to be a student of Theophilus also became President of the CBCNC in 1959. After nearly 25 years of the formation of the CBCNC, successive leaderships disregarded the clergy with the Laity in the lead, leading to obvious conflict of interest on the part of the Laity who showed scant regard to the Christian mission leading to a plethora of lawsuits2001 (2) ALD 215, 2001 (2) ALT 190. . 2003 (5) ALD 218 . 1992 (2) ALT 715 . 2007 (1) ALD 385 . 2002 (6) ALD 503 and legal recourse leading to chaotic disruptions in the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars resulting in an irrevocable crisis that brewed in 1972 that caught the attention of Research Scholars, especially M. B. Diwakar who undertook a study titled, An Investigation into the historical antecedents of the crisis in the CBCNC during 1972 to 1974.M. B. Diwakar, An Investigation into the historical antecedents of the crisis in the CBCNC during 1972 to 1974 in Thesis Titles, Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, Bangalore, 1991.
Senate of Serampore College (University) In 1942, Theophilus became a Senator of the Senate of Serampore College (University) representing the Baptists of India in the Senate coinciding with the Registrarship and Principalship led by The Rev. C. E. Abraham and The Rev. G. H. C. Angus respectively.
The setting of Bengal and India during 1942–1946