Victor Premasagar

infobox bishopbiog
name = Victor Premasagar


religion=Church of South India
See =Medak| Title =Bishop in Medak
Period = 1983—1992
consecration = 1983
Predecessor = B. G. Prasada Rao
Successor = B. P. Sugandhar
post = General Secretary of the Church of South India
ordination =
date of birth = birth date|1927|10|14|mf=y
place of birth = Medak, Andhra Pradesh
date of death = death date and age|2005|12|1|1927|10|14|mf=y
place of death=St. Joseph's General Hospital, GunturAnglican Portal

Victor Premasagar was an acknowledged authority on Old Testament. [The Hindu [http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/02/stories/2005120214790500.htm] 12 December 2005] He taught that subject in his early years at the Andhra Christian Theological College in Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India.

He was well versed in Aramaic, Syriac, Ugaritic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin and Sanskrit, in addition to Telugu, English and German. ["Ibid."]

He was a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India, (SBSI) a society that incorporates Biblical Scholars of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant traditions and whose members research and study the Old and New Testaments. He was also elected as the office bearer of the SBSI. In the year 1972 he served as its Vice-President. [Executive Committee - 1972 - Society for Biblical Studies in India by Fr. Dr. Max Gonsalves]

Early years

Premasagar was born in Medak and was raised a Christian in what is now the Church of South India. In addition to the ancient Indian epics, his boyhood was filled with stories from the Bible. In the foreword to "Promise in the Ancestral Narratives", his doctoral dissertation, Premasagar made mention of the Biblical stories that his mother told during his childhood and the promise they held. He completed his schooling from Wesley School in Secunderabad. It was around this time that he to study divinity.

He completed his college studies from the century-old Andhra-Christian College (under Andhra University), Guntur. His contemporaries there included Sri N.T. Rama Rao [It is interesting to note that after a year of Dr. Premasagar's consecration as the Bishop in Medak, his college-mate, Sri N.T.R. became a Chief Minister. Soon, a visit to the Cathedral in Medak was arranged followed by a public meeting in the Church compound - photo study from the Bishop's archives.] (a film actor and later Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh) among others. Premasagar was involved in athletics. Football and tennis being his favourite sport. [7]

eminary Studies

Victor went to the United Theological College in Bangalore and took his Bachelor of Divinity. While at UTC, Bangalore, his classmates included Rev. Dr. E.C. John (another Old Testament scholar and later the Principal of the United Theological College), Rev. Dr. Sam Amirtham (a renowned figure in the World Council of Churches), Rev. N.D. Ananda Rao Samuel (Bishop-in-Krishna Godavari and Moderator of the Church of South India in the 1970s), Rev. Dr. C.D. Jathanna (another Old Testament scholar who later was the Principal of Karnataka Theological College as well as Bishop-in-Karnataka Central of the Church of South India) among others.

Presbytership

After graduation, the Church of South India first posted him to a rural congregation.

Post-graduate studies & Lecturership

In due course of time, he was sent to Cambridge University where he continued to study the Old Testament and was awarded the Cambridge tripos.

After returning from Cambridge, he undertook teaching the Old Testament in the Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) in the river town of Rajahmundry.

Doctoral studies & return

Later, the Board of Governors of ACTC accorded him study leave which Rev. Premasagar utilized to go to St. Andrews University, Scotland for further studies of the Old Testament. He studied in St Mary's College and was awarded a Ph.D.. Afterwards, he returned to ACTC to continue his teaching and later became its first Indian Principal.

Together with his wife Mrs. Daisy, they saw to the needs of the students, the staff, and to the faculty. Mrs. Daisy's nursing skills gained in England were put to use. On invitation from Wartburg Theological Seminary, Dubuque, Iowa, in the United States of America, he took sabbatical from ACTC to teach there for a year. On his return, the Board of Governors was pleased to extend the term of Principalship by two more terms. Rev. Dr. K. David, a New Testament scholar succeeded Dr. Premasagar at ACTC.

Bishopric

While continuing to serve at ACTC, he was elected as the General Secretary of the Synod of the CSI based in Chennai. Later, he was elected as the Bishop-in-Medak, Asia's largest Anglican bishopric. It was at this time that indigenous methods were devised and put into practice for raising funds from the local congregations for supporting Church programmes which was met with widespread success.

Moderatorship

During the 21^st synod (January 13-18) 1988 of the CSI held in American College, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, he was elected [CSI Church.NET [http://csinewsletter.com/csi-vol-7/csi-news-7v44.asp#3] Sad News] as the Moderator of the Church of South India. He was instrumental in bringing rapid development of the Church - congregation-wise as well as in its social action.

As for the educational institutions in the diocese of Medak, schools were made to adapt to modern trends in order to face the changing pattern. St. George's Grammar School, Wesley College and other educational institutions were modernized during Premasagar's tenure.

In the year 1983, the Queen of England, Elizabeth II, came to Hyderabad. On 20 November, 1983, the Queen celebrated her 36^th wedding anniversary in the Holy Trinity Church in Bolarum, Secunderabad. [ The Holy Trinity Church [http://www.htcbolarum.org/queensvisit.html] Queen's Visit] The Church service was officiated by Bishop Premasagar and his ministerial colleagues Rev. B. Prabhakar Rao and Rev. B. P. Sugandhar, the present Bishop-in-Medak and the Moderator of the CSI.

Lambeth Conference

The Bishop's of the Church of South India are invited to the decennial Lambeth Conference held at the Lambeth Palace, the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury in London. Rev. Premasagar attended the eleventh and twelfth conferences in 1978 and 1988 respectively.

Bible Society of India

Premasagar was a translator for the Bible Society of India (BSI) in its Telugu Bible Common Language Translation Programme since the 1970s. He headed the Translations Committee of the Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary of the BSI till the 1990s and then was followed by Rev. G. Babu Rao [Premasagar and Rev.Babu Rao together taught Old Testament at ACTC [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Grbpradeep/Babu_Rao] ] , his colleague while at ACTC. Premasagar was also the President of the Bible Society of India headquartered in Bangalore for a long period.

Retirement

After retirement from the bishopric, Rev. Ryder Devapriyam, Bishop-in-Nandyal and a former colleague of Rev. Premasagar while at ACTC, succeeded him as the Moderator while Rev. B. P. Sugandhar, Presbyter-in-charge of Church of St John the Baptist, Secunderabad became the Bishop-in-Medak.

Post-retirement, Premasagar spent about a year at the Presbyterian Church of Wales as an invitee [The Presbyterian Church of Wales [http://www.ebcpcw.org.uk/en/connexion/mission%20programme%20pps/THE%20PURPOSE%20OF%20THE%20CHURCH%20-%20Session%203%20-%20script.pdf] ] On his return to India, Premasagar taught part-time at ACTC. He was later invited by Dr. K. Rajaratnam [Gurukul Lutheran Theological College [http://www.gltc.edu/gurukul/02-administration/index.htm] Director's page] , Director of Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, Chennai to teach and guide doctoral students and was Professor Emeritus of Old Testament.

Later, on invitation from Rev. P.N.S. Chandra Bose, the Director of Bethel Bible College [Reference is made to Bethel Bible College [http://www.atla.com/news/press/press04.html] American Theological Library Association] , Guntur and also the Andhra Pradesh Auxiliary President of the Bible Society of India to take up its Principalship, Rev. Premasagar left for Guntur from Chennai and taught the rural students until he died at St. Joseph's Hospital, Guntur on 1 December 2005. [The Hindu [http://www.thehindu.com/2005/12/02/stories/2005120214790500.htm] 12 December 2005]

Gallery

Works and legacy

He wrote several articles in scholarly journals and in other popular Church magazines. He also wrote:
* "He emptied Himself - Bible Studies on Jesus Christ Frees and Unites"', The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 1976 [Merging Currents [http://www.mergingcurrents.com/book.php?BookSKU=2223] Books on Christianity in India, Hinduism and Indian culture and history. Retrieved April 23, 2006.]

* "Promise in the Ancestral Narratives: A theme of the early Hebrew traditions", The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 2000 [Merging Currents [http://www.mergingcurrents.com/book.php?BookSKU=2525] Books on Christianity in India, Hinduism and Indian culture and history. Retrieved April 23, 2006.]

* "Interpretive Diary of a Bishop - Indian Experience in Translation and Interpretation of some Biblical passages", The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 2002 [Merging Currents [http://www.mergingcurrents.com/book.php?BookSKU=2928] Books on Christianity in India, Hinduism and Indian culture and history. Retrieved April 23, 2006.]

Some essays were written in his honour ("fetschrift") commemorating his "shastipoorthi" (completion of sixty years) and brought into a book entitled:

*"The Church on the move" - Edited by H.S. Wilson [http://www.ltsp.edu/faculty/wilson/index.html] , The Christian Literature Society, Chennai, 2002 [Merging Currents [http://www.mergingcurrents.com/book.php?BookSKU=843] Books on Christianity in India, Hinduism and Indian culture and history. Retrieved April 23, 2006.]

ee also

* Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, Latin Vulgate
* Biblical Criticism, Form Criticism
* Rev. Dr. Gerhard von Rad, Rev. Dr. Claus Westermann, Dr. Klaus Koch
* Rev. Dr. K. David
* St.George's Grammar School

References