William Robertson Smith


1846 - 1894

Scholar of Oriental and Biblical Studies. The son of a Free Church minisiter, Smith was born in Keig (Aberdeenshire). Somewhat of a prodigy, he matriculated at the University of Aberdeen aged only 15. After training for the ministry at New College in Edinburgh, he returned to Aberdeen as became Professor of Hebrew at the Free Church College. Smith was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1871. However, he was charged with heresy, and dismissed from his job, after questioning the validity of parts of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. He went on to become Editor of Encyclopaedia Britannica and Professor of Arabic at Cambridge. He died in Cambridge but lies buried next to his parents in Keig kirkyard. Today, historical criticism of the bible is considered valid by scholars.


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