Raja Ram Mohan Roy (1772-1833)

Introduction

- Roy was known as ‘the Father of Modern in India’ mainly because of his social reform. He was not a
baptized Christian but he is said to be the first India to have written seriously and extensively on Christian
theological themes.
- He was basically a neo- Hinduist, the pioneering Hindu social reformer, very much influenced by the ethical
teaching of Jesus Christ. Hence, he was also a pioneer in Indian Christian theology but it is to be noted that
he, with KC Sen, represent Hindu interpretation of Christian faith.

Life and Work:

- Boyd aptly named the chapter in which he discussed Roy and Sen as ‘the Gospel and Indian renaissance.
Both of them were interpreting Christian faith in the context of Indian renaissance, the period during which
there were many reforms in Hinduism due to the influence of Christianity as well as the works of Christian
missionaries.
- He was a Bengali Brahmin but set off at the age fifteen wandering as far as Tibet in search of religious truth
as he did not find satisfaction in Hinduism. He was strongly influenced by the faith of Islam in the direction of
unity of God and the meaninglessness of idol-worship and by the moral teaching of Jesus Christ.
- He published ‘The Precepts of Jesus’ in 1820 to enlist Hindu intellectuals in the cause of moral reform.
Western Missionaries criticized his writings in their journal, the Friends of India and he replied in a series of
Appeals to the Christian Public.
- In 1815 Roy established a society called *Atmiya Sabha (Spiritual Association); formed Unitarian Mission in
1821 with William Adam but not successful. In 1828 he founded a society to retorm Hindu society, Brahma
Sabha, which later changed into Brahma Samaj.
- In 1830 he visited England and died in Bristol in 1833.

His Theology:

- Roy’s theology can be said as a confluence of three religious faith namely Islam, Christianity and Hinduism.
He was attracted and influenced by the ‘only-ness of God’ and ‘the meaninglessness of idol-worship’ as
taught by Islam. He was very much attracted and influenced by the moral teaching of Jesus Christ. At the
same time he was a Hindu, faithful to the Monism of Upanishads.
- He then tried compromised these religious teachings, basically Monism of Upanishad and the Sermon on
the Mount. “There is only one divine being’ seem to be the overarching theology of Roy and became the
frame of interpretation of religious faith.
- Christology: Roy was attracted by the ethical teachings of Jesus Christ, not by Christian dogma. He
regarded Jesus Christ as a great moral teacher and messenger from God but denies his divinity.
- The title ‘son of God’ for him did not mean divinity but rather expressed the created nature of Jesus Christ
and ‘I and my Father are Oneʼ implied ‘subsisting concord of will not identity of being. He was taking up
Arian position of natural inferiority of the Son to the Father. He holds that Jesus is merely delegated with
power from God, but does not posses that power intrinsically.
- He accepted the doctrine of virgin birth, divorcing it from any belief in the personality of Holy Spirit as that
would mean the Godhead having had intercourse with a human female. Not deny miracles even
resurrection, but not so much important. He rejected the two-nature theory, as God (the Spirit) cannot have
direct contact with matter.
- Regarding the Work of Jesus Christ, Roy believed that the saving of Jesus Christ was accomplished through
his teaching and his death is simply the supreme illustration of his moral teachings. He rejected the
vicarious suffering and sacrificial suffering because:
- (a). God is impassable, and Jesus could not suffer in his divine nature and thus it is inconsistent to argue
that Jesus is divine at the same time suffer;
- (b) If Jesus suffered vicariously in his human nature, innocent for the guilty, it is inconsistent with divine
justice;
- (c) The attempt to represent human blood of that of God in human form as an indispensable for sin is
unscriptural. Hence, Jesus the innocent one died as a supreme illustration of his teachings.
- The way of salvation is to follow the precepts of Jesus, do this and you shall live’. Following the precepts of
Jesus is, for Roy, ‘the best and only means of obtaining the forgiveness of sins, the favour of God, and
strength to overcome our passion and to keep his commandment.
- The Holy Spirit: Roy did not accept the Holy Spirit as a Person of Godhead or possessing personality or
deity at all, he did not regard as self-existent and distinct personality. For him the Holy Spirit is the holy
influence and power of God.
- The Trinity: He was a strong monotheist and Unitarian; he was always against the Trinitarians. He felt to
include Christ and Holy Spirit, as ‘Persons’ in the Godhead was polytheism.
- For him God the Father is the only God in the true sense of the term, the sole object of worship, Jesus
Christ is a Mediator or messenger who explains the will of God, and Holy Spirit is the holy influence or
power from God form which we should expect direction in the path of righteousness.

Conclusion:

- Roy was the first Indian to raise serious theological objections to Christian missionaries and propose his
own version of Christianity on the basis of rationalist and monist interpretation of biblical evidence.
According to C.F. Andrew, some leading Bengali Christian acknowledged that they owed the beginning of
their faith in Christ to the study of The Precepts of Jesus.
- He was monist or monotheist, Unitarian who attacked polytheism of Hinduism and the Christian doctrine of
Trinity. He rejected the divinity of Jesus but regarded him as messenger from God. He did not accept the
Holy Spirit as a distinct personality but regarded merely as the holy influence or power of God.
- Jesus was not God but a great teacher from who explain the will of God, and the salvifie work of Jesus
depend on his teaching not in his death and resurrection. His death is a
- Supreme illustration of his precepts. Salvation is to be obtained by following the precepts of Jesus. Salvation
is thus to be earned by merit.
- Roy came very near to the teaching of Jesus, but did not comprehend the central dogma and preaching of
Christianity that is Jesus is the Lord and God, who died on the cross to save human being.