Sebastian Kappen (4 January 1924 – 30 November 1993) was an Indian

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

priest and liberation theologian.

Formation and studies

Born into a traditional Nasrani family in Kodikulam,

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

, during the

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

, Kappen entered the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

at the age of 20 (in 1944), and was ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

on 24 March 1957. He pursued studies at the Gregorian University (Rome), obtaining a doctorate in

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

(1961) with a thesis on ''Religious Alienation and Praxis according to Marx's

Economic and Philosophical Manuscripts of 1844 The ''Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844'' (), also known as the ''Paris Manuscripts'' (') or as the ''1844 Manuscripts'', are a series of unfinished notes written between April and August 1844 by Karl Marx. They were compiled and publi ...

''. This was a time when

Marxism Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflict, ...

was growing in influence in his home state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

, in India. Away from

scholasticism Scholasticism was a medieval European philosophical movement or methodology that was the predominant education in Europe from about 1100 to 1700. It is known for employing logically precise analyses and reconciling classical philosophy and Ca ...

and its

essentialism Essentialism is the view that objects have a set of attributes that are necessary to their Identity (philosophy), identity. In early Western thought, Platonic idealism held that all things have such an "essence"—an Theory of forms, "idea" or "f ...

, he found in Marxian tools of social analysis effective instruments to understand the people's alienation from freedom and loss of ability to contribute to the wellbeing of society.

Evolving thought and action

Henceforth, Freud,

Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

and the

gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...

became the dialectical poles of Kappen's thought and life, in view of liberating the human person from hidden oppressive psychological and social forces. Healing and wholeness are found in the person of

Jesus Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

, the Son of God. His theological stances evoked strong criticism in traditional circles of the Church. In 1972 Kappen moved out of Jesuit large institutions and started living among the poor wherever he was posted: in

Cochin Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...

, and later in Trivandrum,

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

and Bangalore as well. Despite regular attempts to bring him back into regular Jesuit community life, his superiors ultimately consented to let him adopt a lifestyle more conducive to his creative writing. His ''locus theologicus'' was the people, and particularly the poor. His studies were geared towards transformative

social action In sociology, social action, also known as Weberian social action, is an act which takes into account the actions and reactions of individuals (or ' agents'). According to Max Weber, "Action is 'social' insofar as its subjective meaning takes acc ...

in India. This led him to a study of the liberating and humanizing potential of the original teachings of Jesus, with a strong preference for the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark is the second of the four canonical Gospels and one of the three synoptic Gospels, synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from baptism of Jesus, his baptism by John the Baptist to his death, the Burial of Jesus, ...

. He also drew on Indian traditions, particularly that of religious dissent represented by the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist legends, he was ...

and the medieval

Bhakti Movement The Bhakti movement was a significant religious movement in medieval Hinduism that sought to bring religious reforms to all strata of society by adopting the method of Bhakti, devotion to achieve salvation. Originating in Tamilakam during 6t ...

. He wrote and lectured extensively on the cultural restructuring of Indian society. Ever critical of systems, structures and institutions, Kappen felt his search was leading him beyond denominational and religious affiliations as well as political ideology. In Kappen's view, No political, religious or economic system was absolute, but were all to be valued only insofar as they serve the people. Thus, he felt that party and their ideologies, even of religious ones, could act as spiritual prisons, which he did not want to be confined in, while Jesus offered freedom. This stance in particular brought him into conflict with Rome. In 1977, he published ''Jesus and Freedom'', with an introduction by the Belgian priest and professor at the Louvain University François Houtart. The book came under official Church scrutiny. Kappen responded with a pamphlet entitled ''Censorship and the Future of Asian Theology''. He wrote:

I write with responsibility. There can be defects or errors in my work. I am not infallible. Responsible thinkers and scholars the world over could judge and sift my work. In public discussions we can help each other and learn from one another. That is how truth grows in history: through a social process, and not through secret censorship.

Kappen was censured for the publication. Kappen had been visiting professor to the Pontifical Faculty of Theology (Pune), Vidyajyoti College of Theology (Delhi), The

Catholic University of Louvain 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 ...

(Belgium) and Maryknoll Seminary (New York). Kappen began experiencing heart problems in the 1980s. He first quit smoking, then began slowing his intellectual pursuits. Nonetheless, he was particularly incensed by the bombing of Iraq in the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

of 1990–1991. It is possible that this heightened emotional state contributed to a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on 30 November 1993. Kappen died in Bangalore; his body was returned to

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

, where he is buried.

Writings in English

* ''Jesus and Freedom'', Orbis Books, New York, 1977. * ''Marxian Atheism'', 1983. * ''Jesus and Cultural Revolution; an Asian Perspective'', 1983. * ''Liberation Theology and Marxism'', 1986. * ''The Future of Socialism and Socialism of the Future'', Bangalore, 1992. * '' Jesus Today'', AICUF, 1985 * '' Tradition Modernity Counterculture'', Visthar, Bangalore, 1994 * ''Hindutva and Indian Religious Traditions'', Manusham, Ettumanoor, 2000 * '' Divine Challenge and Human Response'', C S S, Tiruvalla, 2001 * '' Jesus and Culture'', ISPCK, 2002 * '' Jesus and Society'' , ISPCK, 2002 * '' Towards a Holistic Cultural Paradigm'', C S S, Tiruvalla, 2003 * '' Marx beyond Marxism'', Voice Books, 2012 * '' Ingathering'', Jeevan Books, Bharananganam, Kottayam, 2013 * '' What the Thunder Says'', Jeevan Books, Bharananganam, Kottayam, 2013 * '' Collected Works of Sebastian Kappen'', ISPCK, Delhi, 2021 19 ''I: Jesus and Freedom and Related Essays'' ''Volume II: Marxian Atheism and Related Essays'' ''Volume III: Jesus and Cultural Revolution and Related Essays'' ''Volume IV: Liberation Theology and Marxism and Related Essays'' ''Volume V: Hindutva and Indian Religious Traditions and Related Essays'' ''Volume VI: Tradition Modernity Counterculture and Related Essays''

Writings in Malayalam

* ''Vswäsathilninnu Viplavathilèkku'' (From Faith to Revolution),1972. * ''Marxian Darsśnathinu Orämukham'' (An Introduction to the Philosophy of Marx), 1989 * ''Pravachanam Prathisamskruthi'' (Prophecy and Counterculture),1992. * ''Akraistavanäya Yèśuviné Thèdi'' (In Search of the Non-Christian Jesus), 1999 (posthumous).

Posthumous publications

* ''Tradition Modernity Counterculture'', 1994. * ''Hindutva and Indian Religious Traditions'', 2000. * ''Divine Challenge and Human Response'', 2001. * ''Jesus and Society'', ISPCK, Delhi, 2002. * ''Jesus and Culture'', ISPCK, Delhi, 2002. * ''Towards a Holistic Cultural Paradigm'', 2003.

Bibliography

in English

*Philip Mathew and Ajit Murickan (ed), ''Religion, Ideology and counterculture; Essays in honour of S.Kappen'', Bangalore, 1987.

in Malayalam

* ''Prathi-samskruthiyilekku'' (Counterculture Thoughts of Fr. Sebastian Kappen), Manusham Publications, Ettumanoor, 2008.

External links

Sebastian Kappen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kappen, Sebastian 1924 births 1993 deaths Liberation theologians Syro-Malabar priests 20th-century Indian Jesuits Malayali people People from Idukki district 20th-century Indian Roman Catholic theologians