16 May 2014 - The Philippine Embassy in Berlin extended its congratulations to Dr. Dennis Solon, an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), for having successfully completed his doctorate in theology, magna cum laude, at the prestigious University of Heidelberg.

Dr. Solon was awarded a scholarship by the United Evangelical Mission (UEM) to pursue his doctorate at Heidelberg. He was an assistant professor at Silliman University Divinity School in Dumaguete City, Philippines.

“I thank the UCCP and Silliman University for the trust and confidence in sending me to Germany to pursue a doctorate in theology,” Dr. Solon said.

“I am quite fortunate that my family was there to support me, as the University’s doctorate program was very intensive,” he continued, “from April to December in 2009 I had to take intensive German language training in Bochum. Soon after, I continued learning the Greek language (Attic and Koine) and started visiting lectures at the Church University in Wuppertal.”

Dr. Solon started doing research for the doctoral thesis concerning the social dimension of the death of Jesus in Paul’s letter to the Romans, under the guidance and supervision of Prof. Dr. Gerd Theissen, his doctoral adviser, in Summer Semester 2011. He submitted his thesis in October 2013. His dissertation required him to learn the basics of reading Biblical Aramaic, French and Latin, while further learning Biblical Hebrew.

In January 2014 he successfully took the Rigorosum or academic oral exam in five areas: New Testament, Old Testament, Church History, Systematic Theology, and Practical Theology. A month after, he received an overall grade/rating (Prädikat) of magna cum laude at the official closing/awarding ceremony at Heidelberg University.

Philippine Ambassador to Germany Maria Cleofe Natividad commended the UEM for its scholarship program and for providing promising students from the Philippines the opportunity to further academic training in Germany.  Ambassador Natividad also congratulated Dr. Solon and urged him to be a “guiding theological voice in the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.”

To celebrate the graduation of their scholar, Rev. Berend Veddeler invited the officials and staff of thr Embassy to join in an evening get-together at the Internationales Evangelisches Tagungszentrum Wuppertal GmbH on April 28.  Representing the Embassy at the event was First Secretary and Consul Adrian 

Dr. Solon shared with Consul Cruz his plans now that he has finished his doctorate. “I hope to be back to active teaching ministry at Silliman University and be able to contribute something to the theological formation program of the UCCP.”  END