William Robertson Smith

William Robertson Smith
Born	8 November 1846 Keig, Aberdeenshire, Scotland
Died	31 March 1894(1894-03-31) (aged 47) Cambridge, England
Occupation	Minister of religion, theologian, Semitic scholar
Alma mater	New College, Edinburgh
Notable works	Religion of the Semites

William Robertson Smith FRSE (8 November 1846 – 31 March 1894) was a Scottish orientalist, Old Testament scholar, professor of divinity, and minister of the Free Church of Scotland. He was an editor of the Encyclopædia Britannica and contributor to the Encyclopaedia Biblica. He is also known for his book Religion of the Semites, which is considered a foundational text in the comparative study of religion.