Gnana Robinson
Encyclopedia
History
Eraniel
Eraniel is a panchayat town in Kanniyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.-Geography:Eraniel is located at . It has an average elevation of 10 meters .its near to Thingal Nagar previously known as Monday Market....
in the Kanyakumari district
Kanyakumari District
Kanyakumari District ) is a district of Tamil Nadu state, India and is the southernmost land area of mainland India.The district is the second most urbanised district in Tamilnadu, next only to Chennai and ahead of Coimbatore. It also has the highest literacy and education levels in the...
of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Robinson later studied at Scott Christian College
Scott Christian College
Scott Christian College is an educational institution located in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, India. It was established in 1893, and is an autonomous university managed by the Church of South India. The school includes undergraduate, masters, and doctoral programs....
and obtained a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
.
Robinson decided to pursue the priesthood, and his Church sponsored his theological studies. In 1957, Robinson joined the United Theological College and enrolled himself for a Bachelor of Divinity
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
degree which he completed by 1960.
Later, his Church assigned him a pastoral role, and Robinson served as Presbyter-in-Charge of the Kanyakumari District.
Robinson was zealous for his studies and obtained permission from his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
to pursue a Master of Theology
Master of Theology
A Master of Theology is an advanced theological research degree offered by universities, divinity schools, and seminaries.-North America:In North America, the Master of Theology is considered by the Association of Theological Schools to be the minimum educational credential for teaching...
degree in Bengaluru. Robinson chose to specialize in Old Testament studies and studied between 1961 - 1963.
Robinson left India in 1964 for North America and joined the Union Theological Seminary of New York City
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
and obtained a Master of Sacred Theology
Master of Sacred Theology
The Master of Sacred Theology is a second-level graduate degree for those who wish to pursue a year of more advanced coursework focusing on a particular discipline....
degree. Gnana also did a course in the Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies
Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies
Tantur Ecumenical Institute for Theological Studies is an ecumenical theological institute in Jerusalem, Israel.At the Second Vatican Council in October 1963, the idea of an international ecumenical institute for theological research and pastoral studies was proposed...
in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Robinson went on to pursue doctoral studies in the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
in Germany. He registered himself at the School of Evangelical Theology and obtained a Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology
Doctor of Theology is a terminal academic degree in theology. It is a research degree that is considered by the U.S. National Science Foundation to be the equivalent of a Doctor of Philosophy....
degree 1975. Robinson considered Klaus Koch
Klaus Koch
- External links :*...
, a professor at the university and a notable Old Testament scholar, to be his guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
.
Professorship
Robinson began his teaching career at what was then the Tamil Nadu Theological College (now the Tamil Nadu Theological SeminaryTamil Nadu Theological Seminary
Tamilnadu Theological Seminary is an ecumenical venture of Tamil churches in Arasaradi, Madurai, South India.TTS is affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College and Madurai Kamaraj University. The Principal is Dr...
) in 1962. In 1987, Robinson accepted an invitation from the Predigerseminar at Soest, Germany
Soest, Germany
Soest is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the capital of the Soest district. After Lippstadt, a neighbouring town, Soest is the second biggest town in its district.-Geography:...
to teach there. Later that year, however, the Principal of the United Theological College in Bengaluru, India, Rev. Dr. E. C. John, retired, and the school formed a committee to find a replacement. Robinson accepted their invitation to return to India and become Principal there, and also headed their Department of Old Testament studies.
Professor Gnana has been invited to other institutions as well, where he taught for shorter periods of time. He was Visiting Professor at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
in 1982, and also taught at the St. Andrew’s Theological College in the West Indies that same year. He taught at the Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School
Andover Newton Theological School is a graduate school and seminary located in Newton, Massachusetts. It is America's oldest graduate seminary and the nation's first graduate institution of any kind...
in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in 1983 as well as at the Lincoln Theological College in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Honours
While serving as the Principal of UTC, Bengaluru, friends of the Professor brought out a 377-page festchrift in his honour edited by his junior colleague Rev. Dr. D. Jones Muthunayagam entitled Bible Speaks Today: Essays in honour of Gnana Robinson, ISPCK, 2000, ISBN 8172145454Senate of Serampore College (University)
The Senate of Serampore College (University)Senate of Serampore College (University)
The Senate of Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university....
, West Bengal, the first University in India with degree-granting authority elected Gnana Robinson as its President in 1986. He was preceded by Rev. Dr. C. D. Jathanna. Rev. Gnana continued as its President till 1988 and was succeeded by Dr. Jacob Verghis.
Again in the year 1997, Rev. Gnana was elected as the President and was later succeeded by Rev. Dr. J. W. Gladstone
J. W. Gladstone
John Wilson Gladstone was the Moderator of the Church of South India as well as Bishop of South Kerala.-Early years:Rev. Dr. Gladstone was born on 25 December 1945 in Kerala. into a pastoral family. His father, Rev. J...
in the year 2000.
Dr. Robinson has been acknowledged to have provided leadership to the Senate which has over fifty theological colleges from South Asia affiliated to it.
Retirement
After retiring as the Principal of the UTC, Bengaluru, Prof. Gnana was invited by the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia where he was Visiting Professor until 2001. He later returned to India and lives in Tamil Nadu and is extensively involved in developmental activities.Development initiatives
For Rev. Robinson, theology did not mean existence within the seminary walls. He founded many development initiatives in Tamil Nadu. Prof. Gnana, as Principal of UTC, Bengaluru commissioned a team of volunteers along with the Ramakrishna Mission, Bengaluru to provide relief to the Earthquake-affected people in Latur, Maharashtra.Rev. Gnana founded the Peace Trust, Kanyakumari. He also is a member on the following societies:
- Bullock cart Workers' Development Association,
- Peoples Association for Social Action,
- Center for Rural Education and Employment for Development.
See also
- Victor PremasagarVictor PremasagarVictor Premasagar was the fourth successor of Frank Whittaker as Bishop in Medak. He was an Indian churchman and Old Testament scholar. He also became Moderator of the Church of South India.-Early years:...
- Gerhard von RadGerhard von RadGerhard von Rad was a German Lutheran pastor, University professor and an Old Testament scholar.With the experience of two World Wars, the German-speaking world began to turn "anti-Old Testament"...
- Senate of Serampore College (University)Senate of Serampore College (University)The Senate of Serampore College is located in Serampore Town, in Hooghly District, West Bengal, India.Serampore was granted the status of university in 1829, making it India's first institution to have the status of a university....
- University of HamburgUniversity of HamburgThe University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
- Tamil Nadu Theological SeminaryTamil Nadu Theological SeminaryTamilnadu Theological Seminary is an ecumenical venture of Tamil churches in Arasaradi, Madurai, South India.TTS is affiliated with the Senate of Serampore College and Madurai Kamaraj University. The Principal is Dr...