Baby Varghese, born in India, is a Malankara Orthodox priest and a Church historian and scholar in Syriac Liturgical Theology.

Education

After graduating from CMS College in Kottayam, Varghese joined Orthodox Theological Seminary in Kottayam. He earned his

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

in divinity from

Serampore University The Senate of Serampore College (University) is an ecumenical regulatory and affiliating body for Christian theological education, which works in partnership with Bible colleges, seminaries and theological research institutes in the Indian subco ...

with first class and first rank. In 1981, he earned his

doctorate of theology Doctor of Theology (, abbreviated DTh, ThD, DTheol, or Dr. theol.) is a terminal degree in the academic discipline of theology. The ThD, like the ecclesiastical Doctor of Sacred Theology, is an advanced research degree equivalent to the Doctor of ...

from the

Catholic University of Paris The Institut catholique de Paris (, abbr. ICP), known in English as the Catholic University of Paris (and in Latin as ''Universitas catholica Parisiensis''), is a private university located in Paris, France. History: 1875–present The Institut ...

. Four years later he earned his Ph.D. in liturgical studies at the University of Paris - Sorbonne in 1985 Varghese has also earned a Syriac diploma from

École pratique des hautes études The (), abbreviated EPHE, is a French postgraduate top level educational institution, a . EPHE is a constituent college of the Université PSL (together with ENS Ulm, Paris Dauphine or Ecole des Mines). The college is closely linked to É ...

Career

Varghese is a professor of Theology at

St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary, Nagpur St. Thomas Orthodox Theological Seminary is a seminary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church in Nagpur, India. History Launching of the seminary The Old Seminary at Kottayam, founded in 1815, contributed much to the development of the Indian ...

, a

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

Orthodox Theological Seminary, Kottayam The Orthodox Theological Seminary, also known as Old Seminary (Pazhaya Seminary) and M. D. Orthodox Seminary, is a seminary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. It was founded in 1815 by priest-monk Pulikkottil Joseph Ittoop Ramban (later Ma ...

, and a professor of Syriac studies at St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute (SEERI). He is a research guide in Syriac studies at Mahatma Gandhi University. Baby Varghese is a priest of the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an Autocephaly, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in #Catholicate ...

(Indian Orthodox Church) and serves in the Kottayam Orthodox diocese. He has written various books regarding West Syriac Christianity and translated many commentaries of the

early Church fathers The Church Fathers, Early Church Fathers, Christian Fathers, or Fathers of the Church were ancient and influential Christian theologians and writers who established the intellectual and doctrinal foundations of Christianity. The historical peri ...

, Orthodox prayers, and sacraments of the Church.

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church publications

There are numerous efforts performed by Baby Varghese in the field of translating books from Syriac to English. Under the authority of the Malankara Orthodox Church Publications (MOC Publications) and with the blessings of the MOC Publications President, Thomas Mar Athanasius, Varghese has translated the Order of the Prayers on Good Friday book, Prayers of the Great Lent, Prayers of the Holy Week, and the Promioun - Sedro of the Holy Week. In the Promioun - Sedro of the Holy Week, Athanasius' preface message praised Varghese saying:

Malankara Orthodox Syrian delegation

In 2009, Varghese participated in the Joint Commission for Dialogue between the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and the

. The delegation of the Malankara Church consisted of: Metropolitan

Gabriel Mar Gregorios Gabriel Mar Gregorios (born 10 February 1948) is Metropolitan of the Diocese of Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvan ...

(co-chair), Metropolitan Thomas Mar Athanasius; Baby Varghese; Johns Abraham Konat; Sabu Kuriakose; Abraham Thomas; Fr. O. Thomas and John Mathews (co-secretary). Varghese presented some reflections on the Anointing of the Sick and its administration to those outside the Orthodox belief.

Awards

Varghese is a recipient of the: * Alexander Von Humboldt Fellowship ( Free University in Berlin) * Burke Fellowship (

Union Theological Seminary Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York (shortened to UTS or Union) is a Private college, private ecumenical liberal Christian seminary in Morningside Heights, Manhattan, affiliated with Columbia University since 1928. Presently, Co ...

) * ISM Fellowship and Visiting Professor (

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

)

Works

Baby Varghese has published books, commentaries and translation through SEERI and Gorgias Press. Some of his more popular works are included below. * Varghese, B. (1989). Les onctions baptismales dans la tradition syrienne. Belgium: Universitatis Catholicae Americae. * Varghese, B. (2004). West Syrian Liturgical Theology. United Kingdom: Ashgate. * Varghese, B. (2009). The Syriac Version of the Liturgy of St James: A Brief History for Students. United States: Gorgias Press, LLC. * The Commentary of Dionysius Bar Salibi on the Eucharist. (2011). United States: Gorgias Press, LLC. * Varghese, B. (2012). Baptism and Chrismation in the Syriac Tradition. United States: Gorgias Press LLC. * The Commentary of

John of Dara John ( 825–860), in Syriac Iwannis, was a Syriac Orthodox writer and the metropolitan bishop of Dara (Anastasiopolis). He wrote extensively on theology, philosophy and liturgy in the Syriac language. Life Nothing is known of John's life beyond ...

on the Eucharist (Moran Etho). * Varghese, B. (2020). George, Bishop of the Arabs: Homily on the Consecration of Myron: Gorgias Press, LLC.

References

External links

Fr. Baby Varghese's public blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Varghese, Baby Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Christians Indian Christian theologians Syriac Christianity Syrian writers Indian Oriental Orthodox Christians 21st-century Oriental Orthodox Christians Living people Liturgists Institut Catholique de Paris alumni Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Syriacists Patristic scholars Indian scholars Year of birth missing (living people)