Kuzhivelil Mathew
Kuzhuvelil Varkey Mathew (born 2 November 1931) is an Indian biblical scholar and a member of the Society for Biblical Studies in India. Education
Kuzhuvelil Varkey Mathew was born in Keezhuvaipur in Kerala to Rachel and K. T. Varkey. Mathew studied at the local CMS High School in Mallapally in Pathanamthitta District and later underwent pre-university studies at the CMS College in Kottayam. After Mathew expressed his interest in pursuing studies in Divinity, the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church then headed by Juhanon Mar Thoma (Mar Thoma XVIII) sent him to Serampore College, Serampore where he pursued graduate studies in theology from 1951 to 1954. The Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church ordained Mathew as a clergyman in 1955 and he became a vicar in Mylom. After a year, Mathew returned to Serampore College from 1956 to 1957. He then studied at the United Theological College, Bengaluru in the ensuing academic year to pursue post-graduate studies in Biblical Studies leading to his M. Th. in Old Testament Studies. In doing this, he became the first Indian to pursue a post-graduate course in Old Testament studies at the Senate of Serampore College (University)<ref name="UGC">Under Section 2 (f) of the UGC Act, 1956, 'University' means a University established or incorporated by or under a Central Act, a Provincial Act or a State Act, and includes any such institution as may, in consultation with the University concerned, be recoginsed by the Commission in accordance with the regulations made in this behalf under this Act. The UGC took the opinion that the Senate fell under the purview of Section 2 (f) of the said Act since The Serampore College Act, 1918 was passed by the Government of West Bengal.</ref> Mathew studied Old Testament under Professor Norman Henry Snaith, then a visiting professor at the seminary. Career
From 1958 to 1960 Mathew was Vicar of the Mar Thoma Parish in Calcutta. Mathew began teaching Old Testament studies at Serampore College, a constituent College of the Senate of Serampore College (University), Serampore from 1960 until 1971 when his parent Church, the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church recalled him to Kottayam for the purpose of teaching Old Testament studies in the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary. Mathew's teaching colleagues included Y. D. Tiwari. His students included Paulose Mar Paulose, D. S. Satyaranjan, S. Jeyapaul David, James Massey and G. Babu Rao, who returned to Serampore to teach Old Testament from 1974. In 1981, Mathew was made Principal of the Mar Thoma Theological Seminary and continued in that position till 1986. Mathew was also on the panel of Professors under the Federated Faculty for Research in Religion and Culture (FFRRC), Kerala and served as a guide to post-graduate and doctoral students. In 2000, he was invited by the Mar Thoma Syrian Church of Malabar (Delhi Diocese) to serve as the Principal of Dharma Jyoti Vidyapeeth {affiliated to the Senate of Serampore College (University)}, Faridabad. Mathew ran the institution until 2002. After two decades of teaching in the Seminary in Kottayam, Mathew was made the Secretary of the Malankara Mar Thoma Syrian Church in 1987 continuing till 1990 under Metropolitan Alexander Mar Thoma (Mar Thoma XIX). The Society for Biblical Studies in India was constituted by Biblical Scholars to foster Biblical scholarship in relation to the Indian context. Mathew was twice elected as its president in 1983 and 1994. 