Tetsutaro Ariga

Background

Tetsutaro Ariga was born in Tokyo in 1899.

Education

While having to interrupt his highschool studies because of illness. In 1922 he graduated from Doshisha University and then studied the history of Christianity abroad.

Career

In 1948 he became professor at Kyoto University and is instructor at Doshisha University and clergyman at the Japan Christian Mission. As a fervent ecumenist, he was one of the founding fathers of the United Church of Christ in Japan, and participatedinthe Evanston World Meeting(1954). In 1962-1963 he was an observer at the Second Vatican Council. In 1953-1954, he was visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary (New York) and received an honorary doctorate from Chicago University.

Works

• book

  • Symbolic Theology

Religion

He discovered the gospel and received baptism in the Harajuku church of the United Brethren.