Muthyala Theophilus

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 • 1935, Life history of William Carey, • 1941, Pioneers of the Canadian Baptist Mission ==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. 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. , the place where the Church of South India-Sanatorium is located. Theophilus was first admitted here during 1922–1923. ==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. the seminary in Kakinada was revived 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, 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. 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. 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 led 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. and legal recourse Senate of Serampore College (University) In 1942, as the Government sought a major portion of the harvest to help sustain the food supplies of the British Indian Army. 1942–1946 a period of exile for the University As for the Senate of Serampore College (University), the period has been termed by Prof. K. R. Chatterjee as a 'period of exile' as the British Indian Army sought an initiative which grew out of dire need but became successful. Bishop in India and others. Student Christian Movement Theophilus was a member of the Student Christian Movement and became President of the Andhra Pradesh Unit of the SCMI in 1939 and led many college students to active membership. -Sanatorium during 1936. Andhra Baptist Church, Kakinada In 1931, Theophilus became Honorary President of the Andhra Baptist Church in the neighbourhood of the Seminary in Kakinada and held the position for four years until 1934 coinciding with the Pastorships of The Rev. C. Prakasam and Pastor P. Premanandam. ==Theophilus – the professor who endured illness==

In 1923, when Tuberculosis first struck Theophilus in Serampore while he was studying, he was able to recuperate at the Church of South India-Sanatorium in Madanapalle. However, Tuberculosis once again struck Theophilus in 1936 when he was teaching at the seminary in Kakinada from where he moved to Gopalpur-on-Sea to a mission station of the Canadian Baptist Ministries for rest and again to Rajahmundry, the same year, where he was admitted to the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church-Sanatorium and then moved to Vengurla in 1937 to the Church of North India Sanatorium. of the United Theological College, Bangalore was stricken with paralysis during the latter part of his teaching career but the Council of the United Theological College, Bangalore through the efforts of E. C. John then Principal, D. S. Satyaranjan then Registrar of the university and G. Babu Rao a former student of E. C. John, ensured that Melanchton remained in the College Faculty Quarters in spite of his illness. As for Theophilus, given the condition that he was in, the Canadian Baptist Ministries took Theophilus under its care right from the time of his education in the mission schools, the sudden death of his parents one after the other within a span of ten days, nearly seventy years after the death of Theophilus at the portals of the Baptist Theological Seminary in Kakinada, the seminary witnessed another upset when a Baptist patriarch who was preaching at the seminary Christmas collapsed onto the pulpit and while delivering a sermon ==Reminiscence==

The Rev. T. Gnananandam writing in the Silver Jubilee Souvenir of the CBCNC in 1972 brings to light the fact that Theophilus was involved with the administration of not only the CBCNC which worked with the Telugu people but also with the other • The Odiya language people – Utkal Baptist Churches Association (UBCA), • The Soura language people – Soura Baptist Christian Mandali Sammilani (SBCMS), T. Gnananandam wrote, ==References==