William McKane
William McKane, FBA, FRSE (21 February 1921 – 4 September 2004) was a Scottish Hebraist, Old Testament scholar and Church of Scotland minister. He was the Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages at the University of St Andrews from 1968 to 1990.
Early life and education
[edit]Born in Dundee on 21 February 1921, McKane attended Stobswell School and then work in a clerical position at a jute processing firm. He decided to become a minister in the Original Secession Church. After service in the RAF during the Second World War, he matriculated at the University of St Andrews in 1946. He studied English and philosophy while also studying for the priesthood (he was ordained in 1949 and entered the Church of Scotland seven years later). After graduating, he studied Semitic languages at the University of Glasgow, completing that degree in 1952. He then carried out doctoral studies, earning a PhD in 1956.[1]
Career, research, honours and retirement
[edit]In 1953, McKane was appointed an assistant in Hebrew at the University of Glasgow.[1] Three years later, he was promoted to a lectureship and in 1965 he was made a senior lecturer.[2] In 1968, he moved to the University of St Andrews to be the Professor of Hebrew and Oriental Languages.[1] While there, he served as dean of the Faculty of Divinity from 1973 to 1977 and as the principal of St Mary's College from 1982 to 1986.[2] He retired in 1990.[1]
McKane was the author of Prophets and Wise Men (1965), I and II Samuel (1966), Proverbs: A New Approach (1970), Studies in the Patriarchal Narratives (1979), A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Jeremiah (2 vols., 1986 and 1996), Selected Christian Hebraists (1989), A Late Harvest (1995), Michah: Introduction and Commentary (1998).[1]
Honours and awards
[edit]He was elected a Fellow of the British Academy (FBA) in 1980[3] and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in 1984.[4] He received the Burkitt Medal from the British Academy (1985),[5] and the DLitt degree from Glasgow (1980).[2] In 1984 he received an honorary degree from the University of Glasgow.[6]
Death
[edit]McKane died on 4 September 2004, leaving a widow and five children.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f "The Rev William McKane", The Times (London), 17 September 2004, p. 38.
- ^ a b c "McKane, Prof. William". Who Was Who (online ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Professor William McKane, academic", The Scotsman, 10 September 2004. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Professor William McKane FBA FRSE"". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Archived from the original on 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies" (British Academy). Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Honorary Degree of Doctor of Divinity". The Glasgow Herald. 13 July 1984. p. 5. Retrieved 28 September 2024.
- 1921 births
- 2004 deaths
- Hebraists
- Scottish biblical scholars
- Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
- Fellows of the British Academy
- Academics of the University of Glasgow
- Academics of the University of St Andrews
- Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
- 20th-century ministers of the Church of Scotland
- 20th-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers
- 21st-century ministers of the Church of Scotland
- 21st-century Scottish Presbyterian ministers
- Ministers of Secession Churches in Scotland