The Father of Modern India and the Son of God: Rammohun Roy's Jesus Christ

Abstract

Rammohun Roy, often hailed as the “Father of India,” was a key figure in the early internationalisation of religion who embraced Western critiques of Hinduism while holding fast to what he viewed as the Vedas' revelation of a single Supreme Spirit. The Precepts of Jesus was central to the theological and philosophical system he sought to create in dialogue with fellow Indians and Westerners alike. On one hand, Roy sought to present Jesus to the Indian public as a universal religious figure. On the other hand, his portrayal of a decidedly human Jesus strengthened ties with British and American unitarians while challenging the particularist foundation of trinitarian Christianity's claims to universality: the divinity of Christ and his unique atoning work. In response to Christian attacks on his booklet, Roy defended his views using careful exegesis of the biblical text, critiquing evangelical views using the very source of evangelical authority: the words of Jesus himself. Even as he undermined the evangelical identity of Jesus, Roy's decision to make Jesus Christ a significant person to educated Indians established a precedent for viewing Jesus as a universal religious figure unconstrained by the confines of Christianity.