The Reverend

G. D. V. Prasad

CSI
Born
Gundugollu[1] Deva Vara Prasad[1]

Andhra Pradesh
NationalityIndian
CitizenshipIndian
EducationB.Sc.[2] (Andhra),
1979, B. D.[2] (Serampore),
1981,[3] M. Th.[2] (Serampore)
Alma materBishop’s College, Calcutta, United Theological College, Bangalore, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
Occupation(s)Ecclesiastical Administrator and Translations Scholar
ReligionChristianity
ChurchChurch of South India[1]
(Diocese of Krishna-Godavari)
Writings2011, The Bible Society of India: Partnership in Scripture Translation[1]
2011, Imaging the Word: A Twenty-First Century Perspective 1811-2011 (with Chiranjivi Nirmal)[4]
Congregations served
CSI-St. John's Church, Visakhapatnam
Offices held
Teacher of Old Testament, Bishop’s College, Calcutta[2] (-1991),
Director, (Translations), Bible Society of India, Bangalore (1991[2]-2011[1])
TitleThe Reverend

G. D. V. Prasad is an Old Testament scholar and translator[5] who was the Director of Translations at the Bible Society of India, Bangalore, from 1991[2] to 2010. Prasad is from the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari of the Church of South India.

Spiritual studies

West Bengal

After initial graduate studies in sciences[2] at the Andhra University, Prasad discerned his avocation towards priesthood and was sent by N. D. Anandarao Samuel, then Bishop-in-Krishna-Godavari for propadeutic studies to the Bishop’s College, Calcutta[6] where he pursued a graduate degree in divinity along with his companion, G. Dyvasirvadam, also hailing from the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari. Later, the Senate of Serampore College (University) awarded Prasad a degree in B. D. during the Registrarship of D. S. Satyaranjan.

Karnataka

For postgraduate studies, Prasad enrolled at the United Theological College, Bangalore in 1979[3] where he specialised in the Old Testament under Theodore N. Swanson and E. C. John, a direct student of Gerhard von Rad and Claus Westermann. Companions of Prasad during his postgraduate studies included M. Devadas and G. Devakadasham.[3] Prasad's study period at the Seminary in Bangalore coincided with the Old Testament scholar Rev. G. Babu Rao's research studies.[7] After two years in Bangalore, Prasad completed his studies in 1981 and was awarded a postgraduate degree, M.Th., by the Senate of Serampore College (University) in its ensuing convocation held in 1982 at the Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore during the Registrarship of the New Testament Scholar, D. S. Satyaranjan.

Scotland

After a period of ecclesiastical ministry as presbyter and teacher of the Old Testament, Prasad carried out research at the University of Aberdeen,[8] Scotland where some of his companions from India included Siga Arles[9] and others.

Ecclesiastical contribution

Prasad was ordained as a Pastor of the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari of the Church of South India during the bishopric of T. B. D. Prakasa Rao at a joint ordination mass at the CNI-St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata in the presence of Dinesh Chandra Gorai, then Bishop - in - Calcutta.

Teacher

Prasad began his ecclesiastical contribution first as a Teacher of the Old Testament at the Bishop’s College, Calcutta[2] and began teaching along with Timotheas Hembrom who, incidentally, was a study companion[3] of G. Babu Rao, Nitoy Achümi and Basil Rebera.

Pastoral

After a period of teaching ministry in West Bengal, Prasad was recalled to the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari to take up a pastoral[2] role at the CSI-St. John's Church in Visakhapatnam during the bishopric of T. B. D. Prakasa Rao. Prasad pastored a predominantly Congregational Church that was established by the London Missionary Society.

Translations

In 1991,[2] after returning from the University of Aberdeen, Prasad joined the Bible Society of India as Director, Translations succeeding John Philipose During Prasad's stint with the Translations Department, he worked closely with the Translation Consultants of the United Bible Societies, Graham Ogden and Basil Rebera.

Following the footsteps of his predecessors, Chrysostom Arangaden, M. P. John and John Philipose, Prasad ensured that translations continued to remain in focus and worked together with his colleague Jonadob Nathaniel, then translations advisor. Many versions and revisions of the Bible were released during Prasad's incumbency as Director, Translations. One among them was the Lambadi version of the New Testament which was released at the STBC-Centenary Baptist Church, Secunderabad in the presence of Rev. G. Babu Rao, then auxiliary secretary of the Bible Society of India Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary on 25 October 1999.[10]

During the bicentenary of the Bible Society of India, Prasad along with Chiranjivi J. Nirmal co-authored Imaging the Word: A Twenty-First Century Perspective.[4]

In 2001 when T. B. D. Prakasa Rao took voluntary retirement from the Diocese of Krishna-Godavari, Prasad chose not to contest the bishopric paving way for the election and subsequent consecration of G. Dyvasirvadam, his companion at the Bishop’s College, Calcutta as the fifth CSI-Bishop-in-Krishna-Godavari Diocese.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 G. D. V. Prasad, The Bible Society of India: Partnership in Scripture Translation in Michael Nai-Chiu Poon (Edited), Church Partnerships in Asia: A Singapore Conversation, Singapore, 2011, pp.196-204, 224.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 The Bible Society of India, Our Directors
  3. 1 2 3 4 K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), Directory of the United Theological College 1910–1997, Bangalore, 1997. Past students, postgraduate course, p.116.
  4. 1 2 G. D. V. Prasad, Chiranjivi J. Nirmal, Imaging the Word: A Twenty-First Century Perspective, The Bible Society of India 1811-2011, Bible Society of India, Bangalore, 2000, (revised edition 2011), p.115.
  5. ↑ Ji-Youn Cho, Politeness and Korean Addressee Honorifics in Jesus' Reply, “’Eγώ ἐıμı, κἀı ̓óψεσθε τὸν ὑıòν τoυ̑ ̓ανθρώπου…” in The Bible Translator, January 2008; vol. 59, 1: pp. 26-38.
  6. ↑ The Community of Women and Men in the Church: Report of the Asian Consultation Held at the United Theological College, Bangalore on 11–15 August 1978 : Sponsored by the World Council of Churches, Geneva, United Theological College, Bangalore, 1978, p.104.
  7. ↑ G. Babu Rao, Content Analysis of Theological Syllabi – Old Testament in Religion and Society, Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, 3 September 1985.
  8. ↑ British phone book
  9. ↑ Arles, Siga (1990). Theological Education in Relation to the Identification of the Task of Mission and the Development of Ministries in India: 1947 to 1987 with Special Reference to the Church of South India (PhD thesis). University of Aberdeen.
  10. ↑ Sowing Circle, A Bulletin of the Bible Society of India, Volume 15, Number 1, January–April 2000 (For Private Circulation), Bengaluru. pp.24-25.
Further reading
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