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Johnson Thomaskutty

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Johnson Thomaskutty
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Johnson Thomaskutty is an Indian New Testament scholar and theologian, currently serving as Professor of New Testament and Chairperson of Biblical Studies at the United Theological College, Bengaluru.[1][2] He is known for his contributions to Johannine literature, dialogical hermeneutics, and contextual readings of the New Testament in Asia.[3][4][5] He is currently serving as the editor of Bangalore Theological Forum. He was invited as a resource person in churches and academic institutions in different parts of India and in the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Austria, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Turkey, Thailand, South Korea, Bangladesh, and Nepal.

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Early life and education

Dr. Thomaskutty was born in Kollam, Kerala, to a Malayali Christian family. He is an ordained minister and an ecumenical theologian hailing from the Indian context.[6] He has earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in history from the University of Kerala, India. He then earned his Bachelor of Divinity (BD) and a Master of Theology (MTh) in New Testament under the Senate of Serampore College (University) at Faith Theological Seminary, Manakala, and Gurukul Lutheran Theological College, respectively. He later completed a ThM in New Testament studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, USA, and earned a PhD in New Testament under Prof. Jan van der Watt from Radboud University Nijmegen in 2014. His doctoral dissertation was titled The Nature and Function of Dialogue in the Book of Signs (John 1:19–12:50).[7][6]

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Academic career

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Prof. Johnson Thomaskutty being awarded PhD in New Testament at Radboud University Nijmegen, Holland

From 2001 to 2004, he served as a lecturer in New Testament and Greek language, and also as a College Chaplain at Serampore College, West Bengal.[8] He then joined the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune, becoming Head of the Department of New Testament, Dean of Biblical Studies, and Dean of Distance Learning (2008–2021). In 2021, he was appointed Professor of New Testament and later on Chairperson of Biblical Studies at the United Theological College, Bengaluru.[9][10] He also serves as a Research Associate at the Department of New Testament & Related Literature, University of Pretoria, South Africa.[11] He is a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India (SBSI), the Society of Asian Biblical Studies (SABS), the Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS), and the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL).

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Research interests

Dr. Thomaskutty's research explores the literary, theological, and cultural dimensions of the New Testament, with a special focus on the Gospel of John.[12] His work emphasizes dialogue as a defining narrative mode in the Johannine writings, interpreting it through polyphonic, polyvalent, and contextual lenses.[13][14] He investigates how conversation functions as both a theological and literary device within the Gospel's structure.[4][15] In addition, he studies the Thomas tradition and the intersections between New Testament texts, apocryphal writings, and early Indian Christianity.[16][17] A major thrust of his scholarship is the decolonization of biblical interpretation and translation, advocating Asian, linguistic, and cultural frameworks for reading Scripture.[18] Thomaskutty's works Dialogue in the Book of Signs (Brill 2015) and Saint Thomas the Apostle: New Testament, Apocrypha, and Historical Traditions (T&T Clark 2018) have been extensively cited with academic reviews as a significant contribution to the study of dialogue and characterization in the Gospel of John.[19] Moreover, his works, such as An Asian Introduction to the New Testament (edited volume; Fortress 2022) and John: A Pastoral and Contextual Commentary (Langham 2025) are highly appreciated in the academic and ecclesiastical circles. He is noted for advancing a decolonized hermeneutic of the New Testament that integrates Asian linguistic and cultural contexts.[3]

Selected works

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Books

  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). John (Asia Bible Commentary). London: Langham Global Library. ISBN 978-1786412348.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2023). The Gospel of John: Contemporary Readings. Bengaluru: Omega Book World. ISBN 9789391694661.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2020). The Gospel of John: A Universalistic Reading. New Delhi: Christian World Imprints. ISBN 9789351484004.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2018). Saint Thomas the Apostle: New Testament, Apocrypha, and Historical Traditions. T&T Clark Jewish and Christian Texts Series 25. London / New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark. ISBN 9780567672841.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2015). Dialogue in the Book of Signs: A Polyvalent Analysis of John 1:19–12:50. Leiden / Boston: Brill. ISBN 9789004301597.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2004). A Critical Review of the New Testament Translation. New Delhi: ISPCK. ISBN 8172147899.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson; Rajendran, Johnson (2025). Thomaskutty, Johnson; Rajendran, Johnson (eds.). Indigenous Missional Leadership: A Festschrift in Honour of Late Rev. Dr. Paul V. Gupta. Delhi / Chennai: ISPCK / HBI. ISBN 9788119434114.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson; Vijayan, Laila L.; Gunti, Suresh Kumar (2023). Thomaskutty, Johnson; Vijayan, Laila L.; Gunti, Suresh Kumar (eds.). JUSTICE KINDNESS HUMILITY: A Festschrift to Rev. Dr. Prof. Chilkuri Vasantha Rao on his Sixtieth Birthday. Delhi / Phoenix / Bengaluru: ISPCK / UCCI / UTC. ISBN 9788195848997.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson, ed. (2022). An Asian Introduction to the New Testament. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. ISBN 9781506462691.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson; Chandrankunnel, Mathew, eds. (2021). Wider Contextualized Biblical Spirituality. New Delhi: Christian World Imprints. ISBN 9789351485506.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson, ed. (2019). Serampore Mission: Perspectives in Contexts. Delhi / Pune: ISPCK / UBS. ISBN 9789388945066.

Book chapters

  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "An Intercultural Reading of the Fourth Gospel in the Light of Asian Spiritualities". In A. John Baptist, Suparna Majumdar Kar, Paul Newman, John V. Mathew, and Gnana Patrick (ed.). Religion and Society: Interdisciplinary Explorations. Bengaluru: Omega Book World. pp. 163–181. ISBN 9789348534897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "John 1:1–14 as a Genesis Midrash: An Ecological Reading in the Indian Context". In A. John Baptist, Suparna Majumdar Kar, Paul Newman, John V. Mathew, and Gnana Patrick (ed.). Religion and Society: Interdisciplinary Explorations. Bengaluru: Omega Book World. pp. 183–199. ISBN 9789348534897.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "Echoes of John 17 in Nicaea: A Paradigm for Wider Ecumenism and Dialogue". In Mathews George Chunakara (ed.). Echoes of Nicaea: Enduring Faith and Embracing Unity. Chiang Mai: Christian Conference of Asia. pp. 62–78. ISBN 9789627439707.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "Abstaining from Whatever Deepens Prejudice against the Gospel". In Samuel E. Masters and Peter de Vries (ed.). The Serampore Form of Agreement: A Commentary. West Lorne, Ontario: H&E Academic. pp. 67–82. ISBN 9781774841655.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "A Dalit Commentary on John 5:1–47". In Bethel Krupa Victor and Joshua Samuel (ed.). Celebrating Four Decades of Dalit Theology: Essays in Honour of Prof. Aravind P. Nirmal. Delhi/Bengaluru: ISPCK and UTC. pp. 193–213. ISBN 9788119434312.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2025). "A Radical Leadership Model of Jesus in John 2:13–22". In Johnson Thomaskutty and Johnson Rajendran (ed.). Indigenous Missional Leadership: A Festschrift in Honour of Late Rev. Dr. Paul V. Gupta. Delhi/Chennai: ISPCK and HBI&C. pp. 46–62. ISBN 9788119434114.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2024). "Reading the Scripture in 'Groaning': A Contextual Biblical Hermeneutic in India Today". In Varaprasad Gosala and Jeeva Kumar Ravela (ed.). Deciphering Diverse Liberative Readings in Indian Biblical Studies: A Festschrift in Honour Prof. Rev. Dr. Kondasingu Jesurathnam. Delhi/Bengaluru/Hyderabad: Christian World Imprints, Society for Biblical Studies in India, and Theos Publishers. pp. 63–81. ISBN 9789360651800.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2024). "Metaphors for Salvation in the New Testament and Their Implications in Asia". In Samson L. Uytanlet and Bennet Lawrence (ed.). Exploring the New Testament in Asia: Evangelical Perspectives. Foundations in Asian Christian Thought. Carlisle: Langham Global Library. pp. 55–78. ISBN 9781839737114.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2024). "Reading John's Gospel from a Glocal-Mission Perspective". In Mudita Menona Sodder and Ebenezer D. Dasan (ed.). Pluriform Mission in the Post-Modern World. New Delhi: FOIM and ISPCK. pp. 150–169. ISBN 9788119434930.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2023). "Ethnomusicology of the New Testament in the Indian Context". In Laila L. Vijayan, Johnson Thomaskutty, and Suresh Gunti (ed.). Justice Kindness Humility: A Festschrift in Honor of Chilkuri Vasantha Rao on his Sixtieth Birthday. Delhi/Phoenix/Bengaluru: ISPCK, UCCI, and UTC. pp. 454–475. ISBN 9788195848997.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Introduction". In Johnson Thomaskutty (ed.). An Asian Introduction to the New Testament. Fortress Press. pp. 1–4. ISBN 9781506462691.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "The Gospel of John". An Asian Introduction to the New Testament. Fortress Press. pp. 127–156. ISBN 9781506462691.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Re-Reading the Bible from a Management Perspective in a Pandemic/Post-Pandemic VUCA World". In Aby Alexander, Prasad Phillips, and Reji Samuel (ed.). Christian Management in a VUCA World: Reflections from a Global Pandemic Context. Chennai: Christian Institute of Management. pp. 167–179. ISBN 9788195693436.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Culture-Dynamics in the Johannine Community Context". In Arren Bennet Lawrence (ed.). One Gospel, Many Cultures: Doing Theology in Context. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. pp. 135–160. ISBN 9781506485393.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Man Born Blind in John 9:1–41 as a Paradigm of Transformed Christian Living". In T. M. Jose (ed.). Faith and Vision: A Festschrift in Honor of Rev. Dr. T. G. Koshy. Manakkala: FTS Publication. pp. 29–49.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2021). "'Gospel' and 'Culture' from a Johannine Community Perspective". In Akumtila Jamir and Chubamongba Ao (ed.). Theological and Ethical Issues in Nepal: Papers Presented at Nepal Theological Forum. Kathmandu: Samdan Publishers. pp. 111–134. ISBN 9789937093385.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2019). "Re-Reading the Gospel of John in the Light of William Carey's Linguistic Methods". Serampore Mission: Perspectives in Contexts. ISPCK and UBS. pp. 94–122. ISBN 9789388945066.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2019). "Faith and Theology in the Johannine Community and in the Reformation: A Paradigm in the Indian Context". Glaube und Theologie: Reformatorische Grundeinsichten in der ökumenischen Diskussion (VWGTh 54). Evangelische Verlagsanstalt. pp. 75–96. ISBN 9783374058068.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2017). "Reading John's Gospel as a Jewish-Christian Conflict Narrative: A Paradigm for Contemporary India". Religious Freedom and Conversion in India: Papers from the Fourth SAIACS Academic Consultation. Bangalore: SAIACS Press. pp. 139–161. ISBN 9789386549068.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2014). "The Widow's Offering and Dalit Theology". In Mark Roncace and Joseph Weaver (ed.). Global Perspectives on the Bible. New Jersey: Pearson Education. pp. 249–251. ISBN 9780205865383.

Academic writings

Thomaskutty has also authored numerous scholarly articles in academic journals and dictionaries. Prominent among them are:

  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2023). "A Polyvalent Hermeneutic of John 2:13–25: Theoretical and Exegetical Considerations". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 79 (1): a8157. doi:10.4102/hts.v79i1.8157. hdl:2263/96912.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Oneness in John 17:1–26 as a Paradigm for Wider Ecumenism and Dialogue". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 78 (3): a7838. doi:10.4102/hts.v78i3.7838.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "The Irony of Ability and Disability in John 9:1–41". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 78 (1): a7718. doi:10.4102/hts.v78i4.7718.
  • Thomaskutty, Johnson (2022). "Normal, Postnormal, and New Normal: A Theology of Hope in John 20:1–29". HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies. 78 (4): a7214. doi:10.4102/hts.v78i4.7214.
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References

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