Suppogu Joseph

Both the Catholic and Protestant missions propagated the gospel in Madras Presidency, it was the Protestant American Baptist Mission which inspired the Suppogu patriarchs in Kurnool district to Christ. Graduate After early studies up to the collegiate level, S. Joseph began to work at the Kurnool Medical College as an Assistant in the Forensic Medicine Department and after a year or so, his interest began to shift towards spirituality. S. Joseph then approached the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches who accepted his candidature and sent him for spiritual formation to a Major Seminary in Ramayapatnam, the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary where he studied during the Principalship of The Rev. Maurice Blanchard and other faculty comprising The Rev. G. Solomon Post-graduate level research In 1966, in the world in the Faculty of Theology. S. Joseph studied at Serampore for postgraduate studies in 1966 during the Principalship of William Stewart where the New Testament and Biblical Greek Language Faculty comprised D. F. Hudson, to enable S. Joseph's overseas doctoral research and gather research material at the Ecumenical Institute and at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia then Professor of New Testament. during the Registrarship of D. S. Satyaranjan. After nearly 27 years, S. Joseph was able to revise and publish his doctoral work in 2007 under the title Adaptation of the Gospel tradition in Luke. ==Ecclesiastical ministry==

Pastoral ministry The Waterbury Memorial Telugu Baptist Church in Perambur, Chennai is the oldest Baptist Church where S. Joseph served as a Pastor during 1964-1969, almost six years in pastoral ministry in suburban Chennai, Tamil Nadu. In 1977 while teaching at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad, S. Joseph was elected as the President of the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary, S. Joseph moved from Madras to Rajahmundry to take up a teaching assignment at the Ramayapatnam Baptist Theological Seminary whose graduate section was housed within the campus of Andhra Christian Theological College, Rajahmundry until its merger in 1972 with the Andhra Christian Theological College. S. Joseph as a Spiritual Formator moulded the lives of generations of students creating interest in theological academic disciplines and the yearning to learn more in a systematic manner. Principal In 1986, when the 4-year cycle of Principalship rolled onto the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, its Church Society Council chose S. Joseph to lead the Society as the Principal of the Protestant Seminary. During the tenure of Suppogu Joseph as Principal, faculty lectures were initiated together with two of his colleagues, the Hamburg-educated New Testament Scholar Klaus Schafer and the Old Testament Scholar G. Babu Rao and the three of them Apart from Klaus Schafer, there was another visiting faculty from the Kirchliche Hochschule Wuppertal, :de:Jürgen Fangmeier, a notable Systematic Theologian who also taught at the Protestant Seminary leading to availability of international Scholars at the Seminary. In early 1990, S. Joseph led the Protestant Regional Theologiate in its Silver Jubilee Celebrations after the founding of the College in 1964 at Rajahmundry. The Silver Jubilee of the near-ecumenical initiative that resulted in the founding of the College marked a good number of footfall of the alumni over a period of 5 days during 17 to 21 January 1990 in the premises of the College in Secunderabad where Bible Studies and Reminiscences were held every day during the Silver Jubilee Week. which was also attended by his predecessor, K. David who travelled from Serampore. The Board of Governors of the College at that time included, S. E. Krupa Rao, B. R. Devapriam, D. N. Samuel, K. E. Swamidass, T. B. D. Prakasa Rao, Victor Premasagar and others. where he spent time on learning in a missional setting of diverse cultures. ==Contribution==

S. Joseph contributed to the New Testament scholarship through his research and writings as well as made use of his administration experience at Seminaries. New Testament Scholarship Monsignor Gali Bali, an Old Testament Scholar and Bishop Emeritus of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Guntur reveals that the table fellowship of Jesus has great significance in everyday human life especially as the Church seeks to see people with the eyes of Christ himself where Gali Bali invokes Redemptor Hominis authored by Pope John Paul II. It is in such a setting that Suppogu Joseph's Table Fellowship of Jesus has special significance, especially in the light of the Lucan material through which S. Joseph explores the motives and theological emphases. Delving further into the Lucan material, S. Joseph's second book entitled Adaptation of the Gospel Tradition in Luke looks at the possibilities of Inculturation especially to the Indian context. Pioneers like D. S. Amalorpavadass have taken much interest in Inculturation making major changes through the Second Vatican Council. Suppogu researched along the same period when the Second Vatican Council was confabulating but at a purely academic level. Administration , Serampore, India - Suppogu Joseph pursued nearly 3/4ths of his studies in spiritual formation at this seat of learning and continues to be on the Council of this University.The Senate of Serampore College (University), the country's first modern University within the meaning of Section 2(f) of the University Grants Commission Act, 1956 has been active in the Faculty of Theology whose degrees are equally recognised by the famed Universities including University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford, as much as any recognized University in the world. S. Joseph, as a theological educator and administrator was made a member of the Council of the University where he has been rendering administrative expertise since 2007. ==Further reading==