Sir Robert Alexander Falconer (10 February 1867 – 4 November 1943) was a

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academic,

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

and bible scholar.

Early life

Of Scottish descent, Falconer was born on February 10, 1867, in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...

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, the eldest child of a

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minister and his wife. He attended high school in

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while his father was posted there and won a scholarship to the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

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. He graduated MA in 1889 and then spent three years at the divinity school of the Free Church of Scotland.

Career

Falconer was ordained in 1892 but never held a clerical position. He returned to Canada that year and took a lecturership in New Testament Greek and

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...

at the

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in Halifax. He also began to publish articles in learned journals. In 1902 Falconer received a D.Litt. from Edinburgh University.

Advocacy and knighthood

In 1907 he became president of the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

. He steered a middle path, combining pure scholarship with practicality. Thus he introduced more vocational subjects, while also developing higher degree programmes. He sought to maximise the independence of the university, battling unsuccessfully to retain German faculty members in 1914. Nonetheless he was knighted in 1917 for his advocacy of wartime recruitment. Falconer believed in the need to increase public awareness of, and accessibility to, Canada's historical records. He was a long time member of The Champlain Society's Council, serving as its Vice-President (1909-1935) and President (1936-42). Falconer wrote several books on current affairs, including ''The German Tragedy and its Meaning for Canada'' (1915), ''Idealism in National Character'' (1920) and ''The United States as a Neighbour'' (1925). He was an advocate of broad cooperation between the English speaking nations in international affairs, but was concerned to avoid American dominance of these relationships.

Retirement and death

Ill health obliged him to decline the principalship of the University of Edinburgh in 1929, and he retired in 1932. However he continued his scholarly work, becoming the first President of the

Canadian Society of Biblical Studies The Canadian Society of Biblical Studies (CSBS) is a Canadian learned society established in 1933 to support teaching and research relating to biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to t ...

in 1933 and producing ''Pastoral Epistles'' in 1937, his most notable work of religious scholarship. Falconer died at the age of 76, on November 4, 1943.

Honours

* Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (1916). *

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, Honorary Doctorate (1922). *

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

, Honorary Doctorate (1936).

Sources

References

External links

Robert Alexander Falconer archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Falconer, Robert 1867 births 1943 deaths Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Canadian Calvinist and Reformed theologians Canadian expatriates in Scotland Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Canadian people of Scottish descent 19th-century Canadian philosophers 20th-century Canadian philosophers Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada People from Charlottetown Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada) Presidents of the University of Toronto Presidents of the Religious Education Association