Who was Sir William Ramsay?

Answer

Sir William Mitchell Ramsay (1851—1939) was a Scottish New Testament scholar and archaeologist who was acknowledged as “the leading authority of his era on the geography, artifacts, and history of Asia Minor in ancient times” (Anderson, J. G. C., “Sir William Mitchell Ramsay,” Dictionary of National Biography, 1931—1940, p. 727). In the ancient remains of the Greco-Roman world, Ramsay embarked on a quest to demonstrate that Luke’s historical narrative in his Gospel and the book of Acts was unreliable and concocted. However, to his surprise and eventual satisfaction, Sir William Ramsay became persuaded that these New Testament Scriptures were historically precise down to the smallest detail.

Sir William Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His father, a solicitor, hailed from a lineage of lawyers. He passed away when William was six, prompting the family to relocate from Glasgow to their rural residence near Alloa. William’s maternal uncle, Andrew Mitchell, and his elder brother played a role in steering the bright and naturally curious young lad towards a superior education. This education would encompass Aberdeen Gymnasium in preparation for the University of Aberdeen, where Ramsay excelled.

Graduating at the top of his cohort, William Ramsay proceeded to five additional years of learning and academic accolades at Oxford University and St. John’s College at Oxford in England. Every instant of his collegiate endeavors, dedicating himself to lectures and study, brought sheer delight to William. Reflecting on this period, he penned, “The notion was brewing subconsciously in my mind that scholarship was the path for me: not the path of teaching, which was off-putting, but the path of exploration” (Ramsay, W. M., The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament, Hodder and Stoughton, 1915, p. 7).

Throughout these years, Ramsay also spent time at the University in Göttingen, Germany, delving into Sanskrit under the esteemed scholar Theodor Benf.

Hey, who quickened in William an eagerness to learn, discover, and apply knowledge to investigation to perceive truth better.

After completing college and marrying Agnes Dick, William was invited to study for a three-year traveling studentship offered by Exeter College, Oxford. He won the scholarship, surpassing his fellow candidate, Oscar Wilde, who would later become a renowned scholar, poet, critic, and playwright.

In 1880, William and his wife set sail for Asia Minor, where he would begin exploring and studying the geography and archaeology of ancient biblical lands—a pursuit that would become his life’s devotion. In 1885, Ramsay became Oxford’s first Professor of Classical Art and Archaeology. The following year, he was appointed Regius Professor of Humanity (as the Latin professorship is titled) at the University of Aberdeen, a position he held until his retirement in 1911.

Ramsay spent most of his teaching breaks on extended visits to Asia Minor, where he continued his research as an archaeologist. Educated in the Tübingen school of theology, which disregarded the historical value of many New Testament books, Ramsay believed that Luke’s writings in Acts and the Gospel of Luke were mere myth. He aimed to disprove it through archaeology. However, dig after dig, he uncovered precision and truth in every geographical and historical detail of Luke’s writings. Luke correctly named the asiarchs in Ephesus, the politarchs in Thessalonica, and the proconsuls in senatorial provinces. Ramsay’s meticulous research confirmed that Luke was a reliable historian. The scholar’s skepticism gave way to faith, and Ramsay became a born-again believer.

Ramsey wrote several books on archaeology and historical context in his lifetime, many of which are still referenced as classics today. Among them are Historical Geography of Asia Minor (1890) and The Church in the Roman Empire before A.D. 170 (1893). Besides proving Luke’s reliability as a historian, RamsayConfirmed Paul’s authorship of the Pauline Epistles. He also revealed much of Paul’s history and personal background in St. Paul, the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895) and The Cities of St. Paul (1907).

Sir William Ramsay’s titles and honors were extensive: He was a Wilson fellow at the University of Aberdeen (1901—1905); an honorary fellow of Exeter College (1896) and Lincoln College (1897); a lecturer at Mansfield College, Oxford (1891 and 1895); the Levering lecturer at Johns Hopkins University (1894); the Morgan lecturer at Auburn Theological Seminary (1894); and the Rede lecturer at the University of Cambridge (1906). He was also honored with doctorates from nine universities, including Oxford, St. Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Cambridge, Edinburgh, New York, Bordeaux, and Marburg.

In 1906, on the four hundredth anniversary of the University of Aberdeen’s founding, William Ramsay was knighted for his accomplishments and service to the scholarly world. He was also awarded the Gold Medal of Pope Leo XIII (1893) and the Victoria Medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1906).

Sir William Ramsay passed away on April 20, 1939, but his contributions live on through his enduring works. Foremost among those works were his comprehensive explorations in ancient geography, archaeology, and the historicity of New Testament Scriptures.