William Robertson Smith was elected Fellow on 10th Jan 1885. Born Nov 1846; Professor of Oriental Languages and Old testament in Free Church College Aberdeen until 1881 when he was removed because of his critical views on the Old Testament. He studied Arabic and travelled in the Middle East. He edited the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica', and played a significant role in this project (1881-1888). He is also known for his book 'Religion of the Semites', which is considered a foundational text in the comparative study of religion.[Lord Almoner's professorship of Arabic in Trinity Cambridge 1883; in 1889 he became University Librarian. He died 31st March 1994, bequeathed his magnificent collection of Oriental books to the College Library for which a fund was raised after his death. He also donated his portrait by Sir George Reid P.R.S.A. (cc00069).
Description physique
William Robertson Smith (8 November 1846 – 31 March 1894) was a Scottish orientalist, Old Testament scholar,
