M. Victor Paul

M. Victor Paul (7 April 1935 – 14 October 2013) was a biblical scholar who served as President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church from 1993 to 1997.

Early years and education Victor Paul was born on 7 April 1935 into a pastoral family in Rajahmundry, East Godavari District in Andhra Pradesh as the eldest of nine children to Smt. Sundaramma and Pastor Mortha Sudarshanam. After undergoing schooling at the Lutheran Boarding in Peddapuram, his parents sent him to the Andhra-Christian College, Guntur. Paul studied arts (B.A.) was at the helm of affairs. After completing graduate studies in Guntur, Victor Paul returned to Rajahmundry where he underwent studies in education at the local Government Training College leading to BEd. as well as on the revision of portions from the Westminster Dictionary of the Bible (Revised Edition) edited by Henry Snyder Gehman and John D. Davis.

From 1964 to 1965 onwards, Victor Paul registered as an M.Th. student with the Gurukul Lutheran Theological College and worked out a thesis entitled A theological exposition of 'to know' in the Johannine literature with some points of contact and contrast between John and Gita under the guidance of his Professor, Jim Bergquist and later at the end of the academic year 1965–1966, the Senate of Serampore College (University) awarded the post-graduate degree of M.Th. in New Testament, again during the Registrarship of C. Devasahayam, CBCNC.

In 1966, Victor Paul went to the Jesuit De Nobili College, Poona along with Gali Bali to attend the biennial conference of the scholarly Society for Biblical Studies in India held on the theme The significance of the historical in the New Testament Kerygma.

Spiritual studies abroad When W. D. Coleman, AELC was principal of the Andhra Christian Theological College, Rajahmundry, the Board of Governors of the college accorded study leave to Victor Paul who proceeded to Saint Paul, Minnesota and pursued an S.T.M. in the Luther Seminary (a degree granting authority accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada duly recognised by the United States Government as an accrediting agency). then Professor at the Luther Seminary was the guide of Paul and one of his companions hailing from Indian included the Religions Scholar, P. Kambar Manickam, TELC.

In 1976, A. A. Sitompul on behalf of the Lutheran World Federation invited Victor Paul to pursue doctoral studies (D.Min.) in Practical Ministry at the Luther Seminary, Saint Paul, Minnesota. Victor Premasagar, CSI, then principal of the college put up the matter before the Board of Governors of the college which decided to accord study leave to Victor Paul. While at the Luther Seminary, Victor Paul's doctoral thesis was entitled Socio-cultural dimensions of the Renewal of Ministry in Andhra Pradesh done under the supervision of James A. Nestingen, currently professor emeritus of Church History. By 1979, Victor Paul was awarded the doctoral degree D.Min. by the Luther Seminary and he returned to take up his teaching responsibilities back in India.

Ecclesiastical ministry Ordination & priesthood At the end of the academic year 1961–1962, Victor Paul was awarded a B.D. and ordained in April 1962 as a Priest of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church headquartered in Guntur. He was assigned a pastoral role in Samalkot and Peddapuram parishes. Victor Paul also replaced S. W. Schmitthenner, AELC, as honorary Youth Director of the Church Society. G. Sampurna Rao, AELC G. Babu Rao, CBCNC of Serampore College had also moved, the same year, in 1977 to Secunderabad after efforts of Victor Premasagar, CSI in bringing him to the Seminary fructified.

Contribution Theological writings 1966, A theological exposition of 'to know' in the Johannine literature with some points of contact and contrast between John and Gita,

Victor Paul also authored the following theological books in Telugu published by the Telugu Theological Literature Board, Secunderabad A. A. Sitompul and others of the Lutheran World Federation took cognizance of Victor Paul's paper on Parish Renewal as early as September 1975 at an international consultation held at the Ecumenical Institute of Bossey in September 1975.

Scholarship Martin Senftleben who researched at the Sri Venkateswara University in Tirupati acknowledged Victor Paul to be a Scholar.

Michael Bergunder, Professor of Missions at the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, Germany believes that Victor Paul attempted to recognise Charismatic Christianity which was fast enveloping traditional Christianity. Being a person who puts theory into practice, Victor Paul as principal of ACTC once went ahead and invited the pioneer charismatic Pastor, Apostle P. L. Paramjyoti, IPC to deliver the graduation address of the college in a particular year.

Excerpt from Victor Paul's article quoted by Prof. Michael Bergunder:

Academic Member of the Senate of Serampore College (University) Member of the Research Committee of the Board of Theological Education of the Senate of Serampore College, Bengaluru. Andhra Christian Theological College (ACTC) Victor Paul first began teaching New Testament in ACTC from 1969. Past-timers acknowledge Victor Paul as having an influence in students lives in unique ways. After the four-year cycle of principalship of the Samavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches ended in the academic year 1989–1990, the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church's cycle of principalship began. Besides Victor Paul, there were four other faculty from this Church Society teaching in the college at that time, namely, B. W. David Raju, AELC, B. C. Paul, AELC, G. Sampurna Rao, AELC, and C. Yesupadam, AELC. Since the participating Church agency decides the name of the principal, the Board of Governors of the college left the decision to the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, then under the presidency of K. Nathaniel, AELC, which chose to nominate Victor Paul

Then Chairperson of the Board of Governors of the college, S. E. Krupa Rao of the Convention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars appointed Victor Paul as principal of the college for a term of four years. As principal, Victor Paul was able to prove himself as an able Administrator following the footsteps of his predecessors and advocated the Ordination of women. One of the early women graduates and a founding member of the Association of Theologically Trained Women in India was a three-time Dean of Women during the tenure of Victor Paul.

In the final phase of Victor Paul's tenure as principal, he contested the bishopric of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church and proceeded on leave from the college. To fill the vacancy, the AELC then nominated Victor Paul's companion G. Sampurna Rao, AELC, as principal of the college.

Church leadership When the term of K. Nathaniel, AELC, as President of the Andhra Evangelical Lutheran Church ended, Victor Paul contested and was elected in 1993 as the ninth president In 1997, before Victor Paul's term ended, he returned to Secunderabad to teach at the Andhra Christian Theological College then headed by R. Yesurathnam, CSI. Victor Paul retired in 2000.