Soares-Prabhu, George M. 1929-1995

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SOARES-PRABHU, George M. 1929-1995

PERSONAL:

Born 1929, in India; died in an accident 1995. Religion: Roman Catholic.

CAREER:

Theologian and author.

WRITINGS:

The Formula Quotations in the Infancy Narrative of Matthew: An Enquiry into the Tradition History of Mt 1-2, edited by Francis X. D'Sa, Biblical Institute Press (Rome, Italy), 1976.

The Dharma of Jesus: Interdisciplinary Essays in Memory of George Soares-Prabhu, S. J., edited by Francis X. D'Sa, Institute for the Study of Religion (Pune, India), 1997, revised edition published as The Dharma of Jesus, Orbis Books (Maryknoll, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

George M. Soares-Prabhu, who died in a tragic accident in 1995, was an India-born Catholic theologian whose impact was just beginning to be felt at the time of his death. His works are being collected in four volumes, and a tribute to Soares-Prabhu, The Dharma of Jesus, contains many of his writings, as well as observations by those who knew him, including his fellow Jesuit Keith D'Souza. Editor Francis X. D'Sa states in his introduction that Soares-Prabhu's intent in his life and writings was "to present a Jesus to India (and Asia) who responds to the challenges of our cultures."

As Janina Gomes noted in National Catholic Reporter, "The theme of liberation for the poor and the oppressed is a key concept of Soares-Prabhu's work. The oppressed in the Old Testament are the materially needy, the socially oppressed, or the spiritually low.…As Soares-Prabhu points out, the term poor in the New Testament was even more comprehensive and includes the destitute, the illiterate, the social outcast, the physically handicapped, and mentally ill—all of whom are victims and are reduced to a condition of diminished capacity and worth." John Sniegocki reviewed the volume for Catholicbooksreview.org, calling it "an excellent collection of essays. Soares-Prabhu demonstrates extensive and nuanced knowledge of the biblical texts and brings the texts into dialogue with contemporary realities in a creative and thought-provoking way."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Journal of Biblical Literature, December, 1977, Raymund E. Brown, review of The Formula Quotations in the Infancy Narrative of Matthew: An Enquiry into the Tradition History of Mt 1-2, pp. 601-603.

Library Journal, May 1, 2003, Graham Christian, review of The Dharma of Jesus: Interdisciplinary Essays in Memory of George Soares-Prabhu, S. J., p. 124.

National Catholic Reporter, August 25, 2000, Janina Gomes, "Indian Theologian Celebrated Jesus as Liberator," p. 17.

Publishers Weekly, March 24, 2003, review of The Dharma of Jesus, p. S16.