Alexander Roberts (12 May 1826 – 8 March 1901) was a 19th-century Scottish biblical scholar.
Life
Born at
Marykirk
Marykirk ( gd, Obar Luathnait) is a village in the Kincardine and Mearns area of Aberdeenshire, Scotland, next to the border with Angus at the River North Esk.
The village is approximately 6 miles ENE of Montrose at the southern end of the ...
,
Kincardineshire
Kincardineshire, also known as the Mearns (from the Scottish Gaelic meaning "the Stewartry"), is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area on the coast of northeast Scotland. It is bounded by Aberdeenshire on the north and ...
, on 12 May 1826, he was the son of Alexander Roberts, a flax-spinner, and his wife, Helen Stuart. He was educated at the grammar school and
King's College, Aberdeen
King's College in Old Aberdeen, Scotland, the full title of which is The University and King's College of Aberdeen (''Collegium Regium Abredonense''), is a formerly independent university founded in 1495 and now an integral part of the Universi ...
, where he graduated MA in March 1847, being the Simpson Greek prizeman. From 1849 to 1851 he trained as a minister of the Free Church of Scotland at
New College, Edinburgh
New College is a historic building at the University of Edinburgh which houses the university's School of Divinity. It is one of the largest and most renowned centres for studies in Theology and Religious Studies in the United Kingdom. Students ...
.
Roberts was minister of the Free Church in
Stonehaven
Stonehaven ( , ) is a town in Scotland. It lies on Scotland's northeast coast and had a population of 11,602 at the 2011 Census.
After the demise of the town of Kincardine, which was gradually abandoned after the destruction of its royal cast ...
from 1852 to 1857. In 1857 he was translated to the Free Scots Church in Carlton Hill in London. In 1864 he was awarded an honorary doctorate,
Doctor of Divinity by
Edinburgh University
The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted ...
. He was also minister at St. John's Wood, and was a member of the New Testament revision company (1870–84). In 1871, he succeeded
John Campbell Shairp
John Campbell Shairp (30 July 1819 – 18 September 1885) was a Scottish critic and man of letters.
Life
He was born at Houstoun House, Linlithgowshire, the third son of Major Norman Shairp of Houstoun, and was educated at Edinburgh Acad ...
as Professor of Humanity at the
University of St. Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
.
[Ewing, William ''Annals of the Free Church'']
He was made emeritus professor on his retirement in 1899. He died at
Mitcham Park,
Surrey, on 8 March 1901. He was returned to
St Andrews for burial and lies in the south-east corner of the churchyard of
St Andrews Cathedral
The Cathedral of St Andrew (often referred to as St Andrews Cathedral) is a ruined cathedral in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland. It was built in 1158 and became the centre of the Medieval Catholic Church in Scotland as the seat of the Archdiocese of ...
.
Family
On 2 December 1852 he married Mary Anne Speid of
Melgund (died 18 January 1911), and had fourteen children, of whom four sons and eight daughters survived him.
Of note, his daughter Margaret Spinks Roberts married
George Samuel Newth, Principal of
New College, London
New College London (1850–1980) (sometimes known as New College, St John's Wood, or New College, Hampstead) was founded as a Congregationalist college in 1850.
Predecessor institutions
New College London came into being in 1850 by the amalgam ...
.
Works
Roberts' "Discussions on the Gospels" was published in 1862, one of a series of works in which he maintained that Greek was the habitual speech of
Jesus
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...
, a conclusion unpopular at the time. He co-operated with
Sir James Donaldson as editor and part translator of the English versions of ecclesiastical writers published as the ''
Ante-Nicene Christian Library'' (
T. & T. Clark, 1867–72, 24 vols.), the first major edition in English of these
Church Fathers.
Roberts, Alexander - Oxford DNB
/ref> He also translated the ''Works of Sulpitius Severus'' (1895) in the ''Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers''.
Roberts also wrote, ''Companion to the Revised Version of the New Testament Explaining the Reasons for the Changes Made on the Authorized Version'' (1881)
Notes
References
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External links
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British biblical scholars
1826 births
1901 deaths
Alumni of the University of Aberdeen
Academics of the University of St Andrews
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