:''Note in particular that this George Smith is to be distinguished from George Smith (Assyriologist) (1840–1876) who researched in some overlapping areas.'' Rev George Adam Smith in 1895

The grave of George Adam Smith, Currie Churchyard

Sir George Adam Smith (19 October 1856 – 3 March 1942) was a Scottish theologian.

Life

He was born in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

, where his father, George Smith,

C.I.E. The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Indian Empire, ...

, was then Principal of the Doveton College, a boys' school in

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

. His mother was Janet Colquhoun Smith (née Adam). By 1870 the family had returned to

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

and were living at Scagore House in Seafield, Edinburgh. He was educated at

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

in the Royal High School. He then studied Divinity at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and the New College, graduating MA in 1875. After studying for summer semesters as a postgraduate at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...

(1876) and the

University of Leipzig Leipzig University (german: Universität Leipzig), in Leipzig in Saxony, Germany, is one of the world's oldest universities and the second-oldest university (by consecutive years of existence) in Germany. The university was founded on 2 Decemb ...

(1878) and travelling in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

and

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, he was ordained into the Free Church of Scotland in 1882 and served at the Queen's Cross Free Church in

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

. In 1892 he was appointed Professor of Hebrew and

Old Testament The Old Testament (often abbreviated OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew writings by the Israelites. The ...

subjects in the Free Church College at

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. In 1900 (at its creation) he moved from the Free Church of Scotland to the

United Free Church of Scotland The United Free Church of Scotland (UF Church; gd, An Eaglais Shaor Aonaichte, sco, The Unitit Free Kirk o Scotland) is a Scottish Presbyterian denomination formed in 1900 by the union of the United Presbyterian Church of Scotland (or UP) and ...

. In 1909, he was appointed Principal and Vice Chancellor of the

University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen ( sco, University o' 'Aiberdeen; abbreviated as ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; gd, Oilthigh Obar Dheathain) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Sc ...

, a post he held until his retirement in 1935. He was elected a

Fellow of the British Academy Fellowship of the British Academy (FBA) is an award granted by the British Academy to leading academics for their distinction in the humanities and social sciences. The categories are: # Fellows – scholars resident in the United Kingdom # C ...

in 1916, and was knighted in the same year. He served as

Moderator of the General Assembly The moderator of the General Assembly is the chairperson of a General Assembly, the highest court of a Presbyterian or Reformed church. Kirk sessions and presbyteries may also style the chairperson as moderator. The Oxford Dictionary states t ...

of the

in 1916-17. In 1917, he was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...

. His proposers were

John Horne John Horne PRSE FRS FRSE FEGS LLD (1 January 1848 – 30 May 1928) was a Scottish geologist. He served as President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh from 1915 to 1919. Life Horne was born on 1 January 1848, in Campsie, Stirlingshire, the ...

Cargill Gilston Knott Cargill Gilston Knott FRS, FRSE LLD (30 June 1856 – 26 October 1922) was a Scottish physicist and mathematician who was a pioneer in seismological research. He spent his early career in Japan. He later became a Fellow of the Royal Society, ...

Ben Peach Benjamin Neeve Peach (6 September 1842 – 29 January 1926) was a British geologist. Life Peach was born at Gorran Haven in Cornwall on 6 September 1842 to Jemima Mabson and Charles William Peach, an amateur British naturalist and geologist ...

and

John Sutherland Black Rev John Sutherland Black FRSE LLD (1846–1923) was a Scottish biblical scholar and contributor to the ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' and '' Dictionary of National Biography''. He was a noted literary editor and amateur astronomer. In encyclopedic ...

. He was appointed a Chaplain-in-Ordinary to King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

in 1933, and reappointed by King Edward VIII and King

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952. ...

. From 1924 to 1938 he was Patron of the

Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen is an ancient society of craftsmen in Aberdeen, Scotland. Their home is Trinity Hall on the city's Holburn Street. Composition The society comprises seven trades: * Hammermen (1519) * Bakers (1398) * Wrig ...

. He died at home, "Sweethillocks" in

Balerno Balerno (; gd, Baile Àirneach, IPA: �paleˈɛːɾʲnəx Scots: Balerno or Balernie) is a village on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland situated south-west of the city centre, next to Currie and then Juniper Green. Traditionally in the cou ...

south-west of

on 3 March 1942. He is buried with his wife and children in the north-east corner of

Currie Currie ( gd, Currach, IPA: �kʰuːᵲəx is a village and suburb on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland, situated south west of the city centre. Formerly within the County of Midlothian, it now falls within the jurisdiction of the City of Edi ...

Cemetery in south-west

Family

In 1889 he married Alice Lillian Buchanan (1866-1949), daughter of Sir George Buchanan MD FRS. They had seven children: *George Buchanan Smith (1890-1915); *Robert Dunlop Smith (1892-1917); *Lilian May Buchanan Drew (1894-1980); * Alick Buchanan-Smith, Baron Balerno (1898-1984); *Kathleen Paget Thomson (1900-1941), married

George Paget Thomson Sir George Paget Thomson, FRS (; 3 May 189210 September 1975) was a British physicist and Nobel laureate in physics recognized for his discovery of the wave properties of the electron by electron diffraction. Education and early life Thomso ...

; *

Janet Adam Smith Janet Buchanan Adam Smith OBE (9 December 1905 – 11 September 1999) was a writer, editor, literary journalist and champion of Scottish literature. She was active from the 1930s through to the end of the century and noted for her elegant prose, ...

(1905-1999); *Margaret Buchanan Smith Clarke (1910-2000).

Works

''The Book of Isaiah'' (The Expositor’s Bible)
(Vol.1., 1888)
''The Book of Isaiah'' (The Expositor’s Bible)
(Vol.2., 1890) *''The Preaching of the Old Testament to the Age'' (1893)
''The Historical Geography of the Holy Land''
(1894) *''Four Psalms: XXIII, XXXVI, LII, CXXI, Interpreted for Practical Use'' (1896) *''The Book of the Twelve Prophets'' (The Expositor’s Bible) (2 vols., 1896, 1898) *''The Life of Henry Drummond'' (1899). *''Modern Criticism and Preaching of the Old Testament'' (1901) *''

Encyclopaedia Biblica ''Encyclopaedia Biblica: A Critical Dictionary of the Literary, Political and Religion History, the Archeology, Geography and Natural History of the Bible'' (1899), edited by Thomas Kelly Cheyne and J. Sutherland Black, is a critical encyclopedi ...

'' (contributor) (1903) *''The Forgiveness of Sins, and other Sermons'' (1905)
''Jerusalem: The Topography, Economics and History from the Earliest Times to A.D. 70''
(Vol 1., 1907)
''Jerusalem: The Topography, Economics and History from the Earliest Times to A.D. 70''
(Vol 2., 1907) *''The Early Poetry of Israel in its Physical and Social Origins'' (the

Schweich Lectures Schweich is a town in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated on the river Moselle, approx. northeast of Trier. Schweich is the seat of the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' ("collective municipality") Schweich an der ...

for 1910) *''War and peace: Two Sermons in King’s College Chapel, University of Aberdeen'' (1915) *''Atlas of the Historical Geography of the Holy Land'' (HGHL; 191

*''Syria and the Holy Land'' (1918)
''The Book of Deuteronomy, in the Revised Version, with Introduction and Notes''
(1918) *''Our Common Conscience: Addresses delivered in America during the Great War'' (1919) *''Jeremiah'' (the Baird Lecture for 1922) *''The Kirk in Scotland 1560 – 1929'' (with John Buchan) (1930) *''The Legacy of Israel'' (with others) (1944) *''The Book of the Twelve Prophets'' (1906)

Bibliography

* Iain D. Campbell, ''Fixing the Indemnity: The Life and Work of Sir George Adam Smith (1856-1942)'' (Carlyle, Paternoster Press, 2004) (Paternoster Theological Monographs - PTM).

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, George Adam 1856 births 1942 deaths Scottish Christian theologians Academics of the University of Aberdeen Alumni of the University of Edinburgh People educated at the Royal High School, Edinburgh Fellows of the British Academy Christian clergy from Kolkata Knights Bachelor Historians of Israel Palestinologists Principals of the University of Aberdeen 19th-century Ministers of the Free Church of Scotland