William Menzies Alexander
Encyclopedia
Reverend William Menzies Alexander M.D.
(May 12, 1858 (Shettleston, Lanarkshire, Scotland) – August 30, 1929 (Edinburgh, Scotland)) was a Scottish
medical and theological writer.
After graduating B.Sc.
from Glasgow
in 1885 Alexander trained as a medical missionary and taught biology and chemistry at Wilson College
in Bombay, before returning to Scotland to complete M.B. (1888), B.D.
(1889) and M.D. (1891). He then returned to Bombay where he was examiner to the Technical College and the University of Bombay until he contracted an illness that permanently damaged his hearing. He returned to Scotland and was appointed Professor of the new Free Church College
in 1904, teaching most subjects in the curriculum including Hebrew. Later he was moderator of the General Assembly
, 1911. He obtained the degree of D.Sc. in 1919.
in the synoptic Gospels
in medical and scientific terms. This caused a controversy in regard to his position as Professor of Divinity at Free Church College, Edinburgh, with accusations of non-belief in the inspiration of Scripture being made against Alexander and the College. In fact Alexander did retain belief in the miraculous, and considered that the affirmations of the possessed of the Messiah were the miraculous element, but that descriptions of the illness were simply largely the language of the day.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
(May 12, 1858 (Shettleston, Lanarkshire, Scotland) – August 30, 1929 (Edinburgh, Scotland)) was a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
medical and theological writer.
After graduating B.Sc.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from Glasgow
University of Glasgow
The University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Scotland's four ancient universities. Located in Glasgow, the university was founded in 1451 and is presently one of seventeen British higher education institutions ranked amongst the top 100 of the...
in 1885 Alexander trained as a medical missionary and taught biology and chemistry at Wilson College
Wilson College, Mumbai
The Wilson College, set up in 1832 in Mumbai, is one of India’s oldest colleges, with its foundation preceding that of the University of Mumbai by 25 years...
in Bombay, before returning to Scotland to complete M.B. (1888), B.D.
Bachelor of Divinity
In Western universities, a Bachelor of Divinity is usually an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course taken in the study of divinity or related disciplines, such as theology or, rarely, religious studies....
(1889) and M.D. (1891). He then returned to Bombay where he was examiner to the Technical College and the University of Bombay until he contracted an illness that permanently damaged his hearing. He returned to Scotland and was appointed Professor of the new Free Church College
Free Church College
The Free Church College is a theological seminary in Edinburgh connected to the Free Church of Scotland. It traces its origins back to the foundation of New College, Edinburgh at the time of the Disruption of 1843...
in 1904, teaching most subjects in the curriculum including Hebrew. Later he was moderator of the General Assembly
General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland is the sovereign and highest court of the Church of Scotland, and is thus the Church's governing body[1] An Introduction to Practice and Procedure in the Church of Scotland, A Gordon McGillivray, 2nd Edition .-Church courts:As a Presbyterian church,...
, 1911. He obtained the degree of D.Sc. in 1919.
Works
Alexander is best remembered for his work Demonic possession in the New Testament (1902) which attempted to explain accounts of demonic possessionDemonic possession
Demonic possession is held by many belief systems to be the control of an individual by a malevolent supernatural being. Descriptions of demonic possessions often include erased memories or personalities, convulsions, “fits” and fainting as if one were dying...
in the synoptic Gospels
Synoptic Gospels
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in the same sequence, and sometimes exactly the same wording. This degree of parallelism in content, narrative arrangement, language, and sentence structures can only be...
in medical and scientific terms. This caused a controversy in regard to his position as Professor of Divinity at Free Church College, Edinburgh, with accusations of non-belief in the inspiration of Scripture being made against Alexander and the College. In fact Alexander did retain belief in the miraculous, and considered that the affirmations of the possessed of the Messiah were the miraculous element, but that descriptions of the illness were simply largely the language of the day.
Personal life
Alexander was the son of John, a farmer, and Margaret (née MENZIES). He married Agnes Campbell BLAIR September 18, 1889 in Glasgow, Scotland.External links
- Demonic Possession in the New Testament, Google Books