G. T. Abraham

Abraham studied sciences at the Government Arts College in Kadapa. He later enrolled at the United Theological College, Bengaluru and studied theology (B. D.) during 1962-1966K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), The United Theological College Directory 1910-1997, Bengaluru, 1997. p.33. [https://books.google.com/books?id=yCvXPgAACAAJ] when Joshua Russell Chandran was the College Principal. As part of the University requirements, Abraham submitted a dissertation entitled An Estimate of the Missionary and Pastoral Ministry of Bishop Azariah from 1922 to 1945Susan Billington Harper, In the Shadow of the Mahatma: Bishop V. S. Azariah and the Travails of Christianity in British India, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 2000, p.409.[https://books.google.com/books?id=gvUqv6-pH4UC&dq=gondi+theodore+abraham&pg=PR4] after which the Senate of Serampore College (University) under the Registrarship of Chetti Devasahayam awarded him a graduate degree. Later, Abraham was assigned pastoral roles in the parishes of Nandyal Diocese.

Abraham later undertook post-graduate studies in theology at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, Virginia leading to a Master of Theology in 1983Anglican Communion News Service, Virginia Seminary to confer honorary doctorates at Lambeth, 1998.[http://www.anglicannews.org/news/1998/07/virginia-seminary-to-confer-honorary-doctorates-at-lambeth.aspx] and returned for parish work in the Diocese. He was later deputed to teach at the Andhra Christian Theological College, Hyderabad.

In 1967, after the Diocese of Nandyal ordained Abraham, he pastored parishes within the Diocese which was still experimenting with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and the Church of North India and finally the Church of South India.

During the Principalship of Suppogu Joseph, STBC at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Secunderabad, Abraham joined as Faculty Member in 1987 and began teaching Theology to ministerial aspirants in a near-ecumenical setting of Anglicans, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Wesleyan Methodists and others from the small and indigenous Churches during the teaching tenures of M. Victor Paul, AELC, G. Dyvasirvadam, CSI, R. Yesurathnam, CSI and other notable faculty that included the Serampore College {the only constituent College of the Senate of Serampore College (University)} duo,The Story of Serampore and its College, Council of Serampore College, Serampore (Fourth Edition), 2005, p.92.[https://books.google.com/books?id=3zLPAAAAMAAJ&q=the+story+of+serampore+and+its+college] namely P. Joseph, STBC and the Old Testament Scholar,G. Babu Rao, Wisdom tradition and the Indian Parallels with special reference to Telugu literature in Reflections on Theology Today, ACTC, Secunderabad, 1990.[http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3540] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007194352/http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=3540|date=7 October 2009}} G. Babu Rao, CBCNC.

When Abraham joined the Andhra Christian Theological College in Secunderabad in 1987, he became the third Spiritual Formator to have taught at the Seminary, with the first two being, B. E. Devaraj and Ryder Devapriam who taught at Rajahmundry and Secunderabad during the 1960s and the 1970s respectively.

In 1992, Ryder Devapriam breathed his last during an overseas visitation to Germany leading to Sede vacante in the Diocese of Nandyal leading to the direct supervision of the ecclesiastical affairs by the Church of South India Synod led by Vasanth P. Dandin for nearly two years' until 1994 when the Synod conducted elections and declared Abraham as the Bishop.

After more than a decade of serving as Bishop - in - Nandyal, Abraham retired on attaining superannuation in 2005.

While attending the Lambeth Conference, 1998, the Virginia Theological Seminary conferred upon Abraham an honorary doctorate at a special academic convocation on 27 July 1998 in Canterbury Cathedral's Crypt in Canterbury, Kent by Bishop Peter James Lee of Episcopal Diocese of Virginia.{{Cite web |url=http://www.lambethconference.org/1998/news/lambethdaily/080398ld.pdf |title=The Lambeth Daily, Issue 11, Monday, 3 August 1998. p.3 |access-date=25 January 2010 |archive-date=14 July 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714000518/http://www.lambethconference.org/1998/news/lambethdaily/080398ld.pdf |url-status=dead }}

;Notes

{{Reflist}}

;Further reading

• {{cite journal

| author=

| title=The Living church

| year=1998

| volume=217

| issue=

| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=BDTiAAAAMAAJ

}}

• {{cite book

| author=K. M. George

| title=Church of South India: Life in Union 1947-1997

| year=1999

| volume=

| publisher=Jointly published by Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and Christava Sahitya Samithi, Tiruvalla

| isbn=9788172145125

| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=zmjZAAAAMAAJ

}}

• {{cite book

| author=Constance M. Millington

| title=An ecumenical venture: the history of Nandyal diocese in Andhra Pradesh, 1947-1990

| year=1993

| volume=

| issue=214 of Asian Trading Corporation, Bengaluru publication

| publisher=Asian Trading Corporation

| isbn=9788170861539

| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=ue_jAAAAMAAJ

}}

{{S-start}}

{{S-rel}}

{{Succession box| before=Ryder Devapriam, CSI
25 August 1985 – 4 September 1992 | title=Bishop - in - Nandyal | after=P. J. Lawrence, CSI
29 May 2006 –2012| years=28 December 1994 – 25 September 2005}}

{{S-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abraham, G. T.}}

Category:1940 births

Category:2018 deaths

Category:Anglican bishops of Nandyal

Category:20th-century Anglican bishops in Asia

Category:Indian Christian theologians

Category:Senate of Serampore College (University) alumni

Category:Virginia Theological Seminary alumni

Category:Academic staff of the Senate of Serampore College (University)

Category:Church of South India clergy

Category:Indian Christians