Antony Theodore(born 1954) is a bilingual German poet, pastor and educator who writes in both English and German.[1]He writes mostly on spiritual teachings ofJesus Christand underlying unity of all world religions.[2][3]His spiritual poems are read as sermons atUnited Church of Christ.[4]He has also written spiritual biography of the American mysticThomas Merton.[5]More than 5000 of his poems have been posted on various poetry websites like Poem Hunter, where he is consistently ranked among top world poets.[6]
Life and works
editAntony Theodore was born on November 9, 1954, as John Antony Theodore Vazhakuttathil inAlleppeydistrict ofKerala,India.[7]After early demise of his foster mother Genova Maa, Antony migrated to Germany. He studied atFordham UniversityinNew York CityandLudwig Maximilian UniversityinMunich.He obtained two bachelor's degrees and also two doctorate degrees in English literature and philosophy of world religions.[8] In 1986 when Antony was travelling fromMumbaitoFrankfurtthePan Am 73flight carrying him got hijacked atKarachiairport.[9]In the 16 hour siege 22 of the 400 passengers were killed.[10][11]Antony miraculously escaped with four gunshot wounds.[12]After this traumatic experience Antony devoted his life to education and social service. He was ordained a pastor and worked as a chaplain in St Martin, Munich.[13]He has lived and worked most of his life inDortmundin Germany[14]although he has retained his association withDiocese of Alleppey.[15]He often conducts charitable fund raising activities for health and social work.[16]
Poetry and spiritual literature
editMore than 5000 of Antony's poems have been published on poetry websites like Poet Freak, Poem Hunter, Starlite Cafe, Micropoet and Poet's Garden etc. Besides the teachings of Christ, he has also written extensively on the universal truths expressed in the holy books of other world religions likeHinduism,Buddhism,Islam,Judaism,ConfucianismandZoroastrianismetc.[17]His poem anti-abortion poem "I am Your Baby, Mother"has been translated into more than twenty languages including French, Italian, Russian, Greek, Arabic and Hindi.[18]His poetic works on comparative world religions titledPsalms of Love[19]andJesus Christ in Love[20]have been edited and commented by the Indian poetDr Tapan Kumar Pradhan.
Bibliography
editBooks in English
edit- Theodore, Antony; Pradhan, Tapan Kumar (2021).Psalms of Love.New Delhi: Kohinoor Books.ISBN978-81-952546-1-3.
- Theodore, Antony (2020).I Am Your Baby, Mother.New Delhi: Kohinoor Books.ISBN978-81-945797-2-4.
- Theodore, Antony; Nayak, Bharati (2020).In the Realms of Love and Divinity.New Delhi: Authorspress.ISBN978-81-952546-1-3.
- Theodore, Antony (2019).Jesus Christ in Love.New Delhi: Kohinoor Books.ISBN978-81-942835-3-9.
- Theodore, J. Antony (2015).In the Shadow of Your Wings.Mumbai: Pauline Publications.ISBN978-81-717679-9-1.
- Theodore, John Antony (2009).Song of My Dance and Dance of My Dreams.Milton Keynes: Author Press.ISBN978-14-389511-8-8.
- Theodore, John Antony (2008).Divine Moments.Milton Keynes: Author Press.ISBN978-14-343562-3-9.
- Theodore, John Antony (1993).Thomas Merton's Mystical Quest for Union with God.Verne: Eos Verlag.ISBN978-38-809676-3-2.
Books in German
edit- Theodore, Antony (2016).Du bist die Seele meines Seins.Verne: Ventura Verlaghaus.ISBN978-39-408533-9-4.
- Theodore, Antony (2014).Gottliche Augenblicke - Eine Reise durch das Jahr.Verne: Ventura Verlaghaus.ISBN978-39-408532-5-7.
- Theodore, Antony (2013).Im Schatten deiner Schwingen.Verne: Ventura Verlaghaus.ISBN978-39-408532-0-2.
Chapters in books
edit- Theodore, Antony (2018), "Relevance of Thomas Merton's Spirituality", in Jose, Fabian (ed.),Contemplative Prophetic Spirituality of Thomas Merton,vol. 1 (1st ed.), Berkeley: Santa Clara University.
- Theodore, Antony (2016), "Humans Are Unique", in Mangattu, Manu (ed.),Pain, Pleasure and Paradox in Poetry – A Verse Compendium,vol. 1 (1st ed.), Los Gatos: Smashwords.
- Theodore, Vazhakuttathil (2002), "Thomas Merton's Spiritual Quest", in Ackermans, Gian; Nissen, Peter (eds.),De verleiding van het vreemde,vol. 1 (1st ed.), Hilversum: Verloren.
Journal articles
edit- Theodore, Antony (2016)."Five Poems of Antony Theodore".Creation and Criticism.2.ISSN2455-9687.
See also
editNotes
edit- ^"Pastor Antony Theodore liest aus seinem vierten Buch"(in German). Archived fromthe originalon September 27, 2021.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Creation and Criticism – Poems of Antony Theodore".RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^Mangattu, M.Pain Pleasure and Paradox in Poetry.pp. 20–21.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Virtual Liturgy – Poem" Crying out in Wilderness "by Antony Theodore"(PDF).RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^Theodore, Antony (January 1, 1993).Thomas Merton's Mystical Quest for Union with God.pp. 88–92.OCLC30320691.RetrievedJuly 6,2021.
- ^"Top 500 World Poets".Poem Hunter.RetrievedJune 12,2021.
- ^"Antony Theodore - Author Information".Ventura Verlag.RetrievedJune 13,2021.
- ^"Antony Theodore - Life & Works".
- ^Mohan, Megha (March 31, 2016)."Inside a Hijacking – Inside Story of Pan Am 73".BBC.RetrievedJune 12,2021.
- ^"Hijacking of Pan Am Flight #73".United States Department of Justice. 19 February 2015.RetrievedJune 12,2021.
- ^Hussain, Zahid (September 30, 1986)."Pan Am Hijack in Karachi".India Today.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Hijacking of Pan Am Airlines - Case Details & Court Order".RetrievedJune 12,2021.
- ^"Pastor Antony - Uberschrift"(in German). Ventura Verlag.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Pastoral Team Dortmund – Dr Antony Theodore Vazhakuttathil".Archived fromthe originalon October 30, 2022.RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Diocese of Alleppey – Rev. Fr. Antony Theodore, PhD".RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^"Help Combat Covid-19 – Antony Theodore & Friends".RetrievedJuly 8,2021.
- ^Theodore, Antony (December 2019).Book "Jesus Christ in Love".Kohinoor Books. pp. 245–251.ISBN9788194283539.Retrieved2021-07-08.
- ^"I Am Your Baby Mum by Antony Theodore".Poem Hunter. 26 August 2015.RetrievedJuly 7,2021.
- ^Theodore, Antony; Pradhan, Dr Tapan Kumar (25 March 2021).Psalms of Love.Kohinoor Books.ISBN9788195254613.RetrievedJanuary 6,2022.
- ^Theodore, Antony (1 December 2019).Jesus Christ in Love.Kohinoor Books.ISBN9788194283539.RetrievedJanuary 6,2022.
