Dharmakkan Dhanaraj

Dhanaraj then underwent ministerial formation at the United Theological College, Bangalore between 1970 and 1974[6] during the Principalship of J. R. Chandran, CSI, studying for a Bachelor of Divinity (B. D.) under faculty comprising The Rev. G. D. Melanchthon, AELC, W. P. Peery, AELC, E. C. John, CSI and others.

During Dhanaraj's study period between 1970 and 1974, his companions included D. I. Hans, CSI, P. J. Lawrence, CSI, J. W. Gladstone, CSI, Sydney Salins, CSI, John Sadananda, CSI, P. Surya Prakash, CSI and others who were pursuing graduate courses while R. Yesurathnam, CSI, D. W. Jesudoss, TELC, G. Babu Rao, CBCNC,[6] Basil Rebera^Laity, D. S. Satyaranjan, IPC, Nitoy Achümi, NBCC, Timotheas Hembrom, NELC, S. John Theodore, CSI and others[6] were pursuing postgraduate courses at varying intervals including G. Solomon, STBC who came there for a specialized course in Biblical Hebrew.

In the ensuing convocation of the Senate of Serampore College (University) held on February 1, 1975[30] at the Serampore College, Serampore under the Registrarship of C. Devasahayam, CBCNC, Dhanaraj was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree where the Convocation Commemoration Mass in Serampore was conducted by the Old Testament Teacher[31] G. Babu Rao, CBCNC[30] of Serampore College[32] at the CNI-St. Olave's Church, Serampore.

Again from 1976 to 1978, Dhanaraj studied for a postgraduate course during the Principalship of J. R. Chandran, CSI specialising in Old Testament under E. C. John, CSI, G. M. Butterworth, CoE[6] and Gerhard Wehmeier, EKD[6] and submitted a dissertation entitled The relationship of man to God as expressed in the piety of selected Psalms[10] and was awarded a Master of Theology (M. Th.) degree by the university under the Registrarship of D. S. Satyaranjan, IPC who had by that time become Registrar of the university succeeding J. T. Krogh, NELC. The 1979[33] convocation of the university was held at Secunderabad in February[33] at the Andhra Christian Theological College led by the Old Testament Scholars, Victor Premasagar, CSI and G. Babu Rao, CBCNC[34] who had by that time moved from Serampore to Secunderabad and again conducted the Convocation Commemoration Mass at the St. Gregorious Malankara Orthodox Syrian Cathedral in the neighbourhood[35] of the college.[36]

During Dhanaraj's second period of studies at Bangalore between 1976 and 1978, his graduate companions included S. W. Meshack, IELC, M. Mani Chacko, CSI, K. David Udayakumar, SALC and others.[6]

The University of Hamburg where Dhanaraj began his research studies in 1979.

After a period of German language studies at the Goethe Institute, Pune during the final years of the 1970s, Dhanaraj moved to Germany enrolling as a student for the period 1980-1985 and began researching at the University of Hamburg under Prof. Klaus Koch and Prof. Eckart Otto[17] entitling his dissertation as Theological significance of the motif of enemies in selected psalms of individual lament. Dhanaraj's other companions at the University of Hamburg included Godwin Shiri, CSI[37] J. W. Gladstone, CSI[37] Ofosu Adutwum, PCG[37] and also G. Babu Rao, CBCNC[7] who went there on a 2½ years[7] research exposure to the university.

University of Osnabrück in Lower Saxony which awarded the doctoral degree to Dhanaraj in 1988.

Dhanaraj later transferred himself to the University of Osnabrück[8] in 1986 as his guide, Prof. Eckart Otto had moved out from the University of Hamburg to join the University of Osnabrück[17] and Dhanaraj continued his research there under Prof. Eckart Otto[17][8] and was awarded a Doctorate of Philosophy[3] in the year 1988[2] by the University of Osnabrück and a couple of years later, his thesis was published in 1992[8] by J. J. Augustin based in Glückstadt, Germany.

After completion of seminary studies by 1974[6] at the Protestant Regional Theologiate United Theological College in Bangalore, Dhanaraj expressed interest to begin pastoral work in Karnataka and sought transfer from the Madurai-Ramnad Diocese (headquartered in Madurai under the bishopric of The Right Reverend George Devadas, CSI) to the Karnataka Southern Diocese (headquartered in Mangalore under the bishopric of The Right Reverend S. R. Furtado, CSI) for which the process of Incardination and excardination was put in place leading to his excardination from the CSI Madurai-Ramnad Diocese and subsequent incardination into the CSI Karnataka Southern Diocese.

Dhanaraj then began pastoring parishes falling under the ecclesiastical purview of the Karnataka Southern Diocese of the Church of South India beginning with the Christ Church, Pollibetta,[38] and to the Maddock Memorial Church, Kushalanagar,[39] both falling under the civil jurisdiction of Kodagu district in south west Karnataka.

Karnataka Theological College, Mangalore where Dhanaraj taught for more than three decades.

Dhanaraj moved to Mangalore in 1978 after completing his postgraduate studies in Old Testament at the Protestant Regional Theologiate in Bangalore and began teaching at the Karnataka Theological College along with C. D. Jathanna, CSI and also John Sadananda, CSI. After two years' of teaching, Dhanaraj proceeded on a 5-year study leave for research studies to Germany in 1980 and returned in 1986 to resume teaching of the Old Testament, Hebrew language and Aramaic language to ministerial candidates studying for Bachelor of Divinity course offered through the Senate of Serampore College (University).[5] In 2003, Dhanaraj went on sabbatical leave to the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia and taught courses during spring semester.

In 2004, when the University of Mangalore Syndicate was reconstituted during the term of Vice Chancellor B. Hanumaiah, the university included Dhanaraj as a representative of the Moegling Institute of German Language in the newly reconstituted 22-member highest body of the university.[46]