Paulson Pulikottil


Paulson Pulikottil is an Indian biblical scholar, theologian, and author, specialising in Old Testament studies. He has published widely on Old Testament scholarship, Pentecostal theology and Postcolonial interpretations of the Bible.

Early life and education

Pulikottil is from Pengamuck, Kerala, India. He was raised in a Christian Pentecostal family. He is an ordained minister of the Indian Pentecostal Church. During his college days he was actively involved with the Union of Evangelical Students of India.
He earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Sree Krishna College, Guruvayur, followed by a Bachelor of Divinity at the Union Biblical Seminary, Yavatmal/Pune. He went on to complete a Master of Theology in Old Testament studies at the United Theological College, Bangalore, Bangalore. He later obtained a Doctor of Philosophy in Biblical Studies from the University of Sheffield, United Kingdom, for his work on the transmission of the Biblical manuscripts from Qumran.

Career

He has served for more than four decades as a seminary professor in India, most prominently at the Union Biblical Seminary, Pune. During this time he has held senior academic positions, including Academic Dean and Head of the Department of Biblical Studies. He was also involved, alongside David Clines, in the production of the multi-volume Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, published by Sheffield Academic Press.
Pulikottil has also taught at the Faith Theological Seminary, Manakala, the COTR Theological Seminary, and the New Life College, Bangalore, in addition, he continues to serve as adjunct and visiting faculty in theological institutions both within India and overseas. Beyond his academic roles, he is the Senior Pastor of the Community of the Redeemed Church and serves as the editor of the online news magazine the Lodestar.

Research

Pulikottil's research spans several fields within theology and biblical studies. He is recognised as an authority on the Qumran manuscripts, particularly the Large Isaiah Scroll. His work includes postcolonial interpretations of Christian theology, and significant contributions to biblical studies with a particular focus on the Old Testament. He has also engaged critically with Dalit theology, most notably in his book Beyond Dalit Theology: Searching for New Frontiers, where he evaluates its development and suggests new directions for Christology, pneumatology, ecclesiology, and public theology in the Indian context. In addition, his scholarship addresses the intersection of psychology and religion, especially in relation to demonology and psychopathology, and examines Pentecostalism in Kerala within its postcolonial setting.

Selected publications

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