George Michael Butterworth

The Reverend Doctor G. M. Butterworth
Born	George Michael Butterworth
Education	Ph.D.
Alma mater	King's College, London
Occupation	Pastor and Teacher
Religion	Christianity
Congregations served	Broughton Community Church[1]
Offices held	Teacher - in - Old Testament, United Theological College, Bangalore (1972-1978) Lecturer - in - Old Testament, Oak Hill Theological College, London[2]
Title	The Reverend Doctor

G. M. Butterworth is an Old Testament Scholar who taught at the United Theological College, Bangalore from 1972 through 1978^[3] and later on moved to TAFTEE^[4] in Bangalore and finally to England where he continued to bring out the message of the Old Testament.^[5]

Writings

Books

• 1987, Understanding Old Testament History Today (Joshua-Esther),^[5]
• 1989, The Structure of the Book of Zechariah,^[6]
• 1992, Structure and the Book of Zechariah,^[7]
• 2003, Leviticus and Numbers: A Bible Commentary for Every Day,^[8]

Articles

• undated, The Revelation of the Divine Name?,^[9]
• 1978, You Pity the Plant : A Misunderstanding,^[4]
• 1985, Evidence for the Prosecution,^[2]

Notes

• 1997, A note on rhm in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis,^[10]
• 1997, A note on nḥm in New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis,^[10]

Teaching

Butterworth joined the United Theological College, Bangalore in the year 1972 when Joshua Russell Chandran was its Principal. The period was eventful as the seminary in Bangalore as it had a few seminarians specializing in Old Testament studies who include,

• 1970-1973, Timotheas Hembrom of Bishop’s College, Calcutta,
• 1970-1973, Basil Rebera of the Bible Society of India,
• 1971-1973, G. Babu Rao who was entrusted by the Bible Society of India with the OT Telugu language translation,^[11]
• 1972-1974, S. J. Theodore of the Church of South India, Diocese of Karimnagar,
• 1972-1975, N. K. Achumi, also associated with the Bible Society of India in its Naga language translation,
• 1975-1977, R. Daniel Premkumar, associated with the Church of South India Synod,^[3]
• 1976-1978, D. Dhanaraj, taught at the Karnataka Theological College,
• 1977-1979, J. Bhaskar Jeyaraj of South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies^[12]

When Butterworth began teaching at the seminary in 1972 in Bangalore, his colleague was E. C. John and a year later in 1973, they were joined by Gerhard Wehmeier, a notable Old Testament scholar and the three of them led the Old Testament scholarship in Bangalore. While this was so, the Old Testament studies in Serampore College, Serampore were led by the notable Old Testament Scholar, John D. W. Watts^[13] and G. Babu Rao who had by then moved to Serampore to begin his teaching.^[14] Incidentally, it was Butterworth who guided the graduate thesis of John Sadananda, the present Master of the Senate of Serampore College (University).^[15]

References

1. Pat Alexander, David Alexander, The Lion Handbook to the Bible, Lion Hudson, Oxford, 2009.
2. ThirdWay, June 1985, p.33.
3. K. M. Hiwale (Compiled), Directory of the United Theological College 1910-1997, Bangalore, 1997.
4. B. M. Butterworth, You Pity the Plant : A Misunderstanding in Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 27, Issue 1, January-March, 1978, pp.32-34.
5. G. M. Butterworth, Understanding Old Testament History Today (Joshua-Esther), Swindon, Bible Society, England, 1987. Cited in Light for My Path: Gleanings from Scripture, Tyndale House, Wheaton, 2006, p.196.
6. G. M. Butterworth, The Structure of the Book of Zechariah, London, 1989.
7. G. M. Butterworth, Structure and the Book of Zechariah, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1992.
8. G. M. Butterworth, Leviticus and Numbers: A Bible Commentary for Every Day, The Bible Reading Fellowship, London, 2003.
9. B. M. Butterworth, The Revelation of the Divine Name? in Indian Journal of Theology, Volume 24, Issue 2, April-June 1975, pp.45-52.
10. Richard D. Patterson, A Great God Of Grace And Compassion.
11. G. Babu Rao taught at the Serampore College and worked on the revision of the Bible in Telugu. See H. S. Wilson, Introduction in The Church on the move: a quest to affirm the biblical faith ; essays in honour of Peddi Victor Premasagar, Bishop in Medak and Moderator of the C.S.I., presented on the occasion of his Shastiabdapoorthi celebrations, Christian Literature Society, Madras, 1988, p.vi.
12. J. B. Jeyaraj, The People of God in the Priestly Source in Indian Journal of Theology.
13. James W. Watts, Paul R. House (Edited), Forming Prophetic Literature: Essays on Isaiah and the Twelve in Honor of J. D. W. Watts, Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, 1996, p.17.
14. The Story of Serampore and its College, Council of Serampore College, Serampore (Fourth Edition), 2005, p.92.
15. John S. Sadananda, A Comparative Study of the Form and Content of the Book of Proverbs and of Sarvajna Vachanagalu, B. D. Thesis, 1974, available at the Archives in the library of Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore.

Further reading