Robert Rollock (c. 15558 or 9 February 1599) was Scottish academic and minister in the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
, and the first regent and first
principal of 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 ...
. Born into a noble family, he distinguished himself during his education at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
, which led to him being appointed regent of the newly created college in Edinburgh in 1583, and its first principal in 1586.
After the college had grown and other regents had been appointed, Rollock no longer had to perform everyday teaching, and he became the university's first Professor of Theology. In parallel to his academic duties, he acted as a minister and served in various church functions until his death in 1599. Rollock was acknowledged by his contemporaries as a prolific academic and
Biblical scholar
Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 Fo ...
, and effective principal.
Life
Early life and education
Rollock was born in 1555, the son of David Rollock,
laird
Laird () is the owner of a large, long-established Scottish estate. In the traditional Scottish order of precedence, a laird ranked below a baron and above a gentleman. This rank was held only by those lairds holding official recognition in ...
of Powis, near
Stirling
Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...
, and his wife Mariota Livingston. He was one of at least six children,
Hercules Rollock
Hercules Rollock ( fl. 1577–1599), Edinburgh schoolmaster and writer of Latin verse.
He was born in Dundee, and an elder brother of Robert Rollock. He graduated at the University of St Andrews, was regent at King's College, Aberdeen, and then sp ...
being his older brother. He received his early education at the school of Stirling from Thomas Buchanan, a nephew of
George Buchanan
George Buchanan ( gd, Seòras Bochanan; February 1506 – 28 September 1582) was a Scottish historian and humanist scholar. According to historian Keith Brown, Buchanan was "the most profound intellectual sixteenth century Scotland produced." ...
.
Rollock then entered
St Salvator's College at the
University of St Andrews
(Aien aristeuein)
, motto_lang = grc
, mottoeng = Ever to ExcelorEver to be the Best
, established =
, type = Public research university
Ancient university
, endowment ...
in 1574, obtaining his BA in 1576 and his MA likely in 1577.
After graduating, he combined teaching at St Salvator's College with further studies in theology,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, and Biblical
philology
Philology () is the study of language in oral and writing, written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defin ...
at St Mary's College (also in St Andrews) under the tutelage of
James Melville. Over the next years, Rollock acquired a national reputation both as a teacher and due to the
piety
Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...
he reportedly instilled in his students.
In 1580, he was first made examiner of
arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...
, then director of the faculty of arts, and finally a regent of the University of St Andrews.
University of Edinburgh
In April 1582, King
James VI
James is a common English language surname and given name:
*James (name), the typically masculine first name James
* James (surname), various people with the last name James
James or James City may also refer to:
People
* King James (disambiguat ...
had granted a
royal charter
A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, bu ...
to
Edinburgh Town Council
The politics of Edinburgh are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of the City of Edinburgh Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.
Also, as Scotland's capital city, Edinburgh is host to th ...
for the establishment of a college.
First known as ''Tounis College'' (Town's College)'','' instruction was to begin in October 1583, but the Town Council was still searching for a regent in September of the same year.
James Lawson,
John Knox
John Knox ( gd, Iain Cnocc) (born – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Presbyterian Church of Scotland.
Born in Giffordgat ...
' successor as minister at
St Giles' Kirk in Edinburgh, recommended Rollock for the position, and the town sent a delegation to St Andrews to offer the position to him.
Rollock agreed and was named the sole regent on 14 September, only one month before the first charge of 80 to 90 students began their education.
His appointment was guaranteed for one year; should the college be successful, it was agreed that he should be advanced to the highest post or title that might be created. Rollock's salary was fixed at 40
pound Scots
The pound (Modern and Middle Scots: ''Pund'') was the currency of Scotland prior to the 1707 Treaty of Union between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, which created the Kingdom of Great Britain. It was introduced by David I, ...
, and the council also agreed to "sustain him and one servant in their ordinary expenses".
The
tuition fees
Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spen ...
for the sons of burgesses were set at 40
Shilling
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence o ...
s, and other students paid three pounds or more; Rollock would be given an augmentation not exceeding 40
merks
The merk is a long-obsolete Scottish silver coin. Originally the same word as a money mark of silver, the merk was in circulation at the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century. It was originally valued at 13 shillings 4 pence (exactly ...
should the fees not afford him a sufficient salary.
When the university opened, Rollock was the sole instructor for the first-year students; as regent, he was expected to tutor the 1583 intake for the entirety of the four years of their
MA degree
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
, and teach all subjects himself.
Rollock had drawn up the curriculum and was joined in November by a second master, Duncan Nairn of Glasgow, to do some preparatory teaching. The first year focused on
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
and
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
grammar; the second year featured authors from
classical antiquity
Classical antiquity (also the classical era, classical period or classical age) is the period of cultural history between the 8th century BC and the 5th century AD centred on the Mediterranean Sea, comprising the interlocking civilizations of ...
and
arithmetic
Arithmetic () is an elementary part of mathematics that consists of the study of the properties of the traditional operations on numbers— addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponentiation, and extraction of roots. In the 19th ...
; year three added
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
, ethics,
logic
Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from premises ...
, and
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
; and the fourth year exposed students to more logic, physics,
geography
Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and ...
and theology.
Rollock's curriculum was deeply influenced by
humanist ideals which had also taken root at the universities of
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 ...
and St Andrews, but a pioneering course on human
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having its ...
was an innovation.
From May 1585 to February 1586, Rollock was forced to close the college due to an outbreak of
plague
Plague or The Plague may refer to:
Agriculture, fauna, and medicine
*Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis''
* An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural)
* A pandemic caused by such a disease
* A swarm of pes ...
.
In 1586, the Town Council agreed to make Rollock the university's first principal, which meant that after his first class graduated in 1587, he no longer had to perform everyday teaching. The young university grew quickly, which necessitated the appointment of additional regents for subsequent student intakes. In November 1587, the Town Council and local
presbytery agreed that Rollock could focus on teaching theology and preach on Sundays, and he was consequently appointed as Professor of Theology with a salary of 400 merks.
Rollock instructed students in
divinity
Divinity or the divine are things that are either related to, devoted to, or proceeding from a deity.[divine ...](_blank)
if they wanted to become
ministers
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of governme ...
after graduating, and saw himself both as an educator and as a spiritual guide to his students.
Following his example, the posts of Principal and Professor of Theology remained linked until 1620.
Later years and church roles
Rollock had begun to preach informally at St Giles every Sunday morning as early as September 1587, although he was not
ordained
Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform va ...
as a minister. Another minister took over these duties in December 1589. Rollock played a prominent role in the
Church of Scotland
The Church of Scotland ( sco, The Kirk o Scotland; gd, Eaglais na h-Alba) is the national church in Scotland.
The Church of Scotland was principally shaped by John Knox, in the Scottish Reformation, Reformation of 1560, when it split from t ...
and its somewhat troubled church politics, and was appointed on several occasions to committees of presbytery and assemblies on pressing ecclesiastical business.
In 1590, Rollock was appointed assessor to the
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 th ...
, and in 1591 was named to a committee of the presbytery of Edinburgh with negotiated with the king on the affairs of the
kirk
Kirk is a Scottish and former Northern English word meaning "church". It is often used specifically of the Church of Scotland. Many place names and personal names are also derived from it.
Basic meaning and etymology
As a common noun, ''kirk'' ...
.
In connection with the prosecution of the Earls of
Angus
Angus may refer to:
Media
* ''Angus'' (film), a 1995 film
* ''Angus Og'' (comics), in the ''Daily Record''
Places Australia
* Angus, New South Wales
Canada
* Angus, Ontario, a community in Essa, Ontario
* East Angus, Quebec
Scotland
* An ...
,
Huntly
Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlemen ...
, and
Errol for their attempts 'against the true religion', he was chosen to confer with a committee of the estates.
In 1595, he was nominated to a commission for the visitation of Scotland's colleges.
In the following year, he was appointed with three other ministers to remonstrate with King James VI for his 'hard dealing with the kirk', and especially for his prosecution of
David Black.
According to his contemporary
David Calderwood
David Calderwood (157529 October 1650) was a Church of Scotland minister and historian. Calderwood was banished for his nonconformity. He found a home in the Low Countries, where he wrote his great work, the Altare Damascenum. It was a serious ...
, Rollock was "a godly man, but simple in the matters of the church government, credulous, easily led by counsel".
This supposed disposition led to him being won over to support the policy of the king in church matters, although Calderwood adds that Rollock understood "his own weakness in following the humours of the king and his commissioners".
Rollock supported a proposal made in 1595 that certain ministers should be allowed to sit and vote in parliament as bishops, affirming that "lordship could not be denied them that were to sit in parliament, and allowance of rent to maintain their dignities".
Church historian John Row points out that Rollock had previously condemned the office of bishops in his 1590 commentary on the
Epistle to the Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...
. Rollock declared shortly before his death that his principal goal had been that church and state "should mutually assist each other,
..and that no unnecessary war should be kindled".
In 1596, Rollock accepted one of the eight ministerial charges of the city of Edinburgh, and took charge of his congregation. His sympathy for the king's policies led to the royal party successfully lobbying for Rollock being chosen 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 th ...
held at
Dundee
Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...
in May 1597. In 1598 he became minister of the Upper Tolbooth—probably the west portion of St. Giles's Kirk—and on 18 April of the same year he was admitted to Magdalen Church, afterwards known as
Greyfriars Kirk
Greyfriars Kirk ( gd, Eaglais nam Manach Liath) is a parish church of the Church of Scotland, located in the Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. It is surrounded by Greyfriars Kirkyard.
Greyfriars traces its origin to the south-west parish of Edi ...
.
Death and legacy
Rollock had repeatedly been in poor health throughout his life, and he was perhaps overworked; he died in Edinburgh on 8 February 1599, aged only 44. On his deathbed, Rollock stated that he wanted the university to remain chiefly a place of spiritual instruction, and that he was strongly opposed to the introduction of professors of
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and medicine.
He also requested that his former student
Henry Charteris
Henry Charteris the younger (1565–1628) was a Scottish minister and Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 1599 to 1620.
Life
He was the eldest son of Henry Charteris, Printer to the King in Scotland (this status allowed printing of Bibl ...
would be made his successor, a wish which was granted by the Town Council.
David Calderwood, in his 1646 ''Historie of the Kirk of Scotland'', criticises Rollock's perceived weakness towards the king, but admits that he was "a man of good conversation and a powerful preacher".
Rollock was considered a scholar of 'great learning', who also effectively discharged the duties of professor and principal of the university in its early days.
Rollock was the author of numerous theological works, the majority of them being commentaries or expositions of scripture. He was internationally recognised for his Bible commentaries, and over 40 of his works were printed in Edinburgh,
Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
,
Heidelberg
Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...
and
Herborn.
His writings on the
Epistle to the Ephesians
The Epistle to the Ephesians is the tenth book of the New Testament. Its authorship has traditionally been attributed to Paul the Apostle but starting in 1792, this has been challenged as Deutero-Pauline, that is, pseudepigrapha written in Pau ...
and the
Epistle to the Romans
The Epistle to the Romans is the sixth book in the New Testament, and the longest of the thirteen Pauline epistles. Biblical scholars agree that it was composed by Paul the Apostle to explain that salvation is offered through the gospel of J ...
won particular praise, with Geneva theologian
Theodore Beza
Theodore Beza ( la, Theodorus Beza; french: Théodore de Bèze or ''de Besze''; June 24, 1519 – October 13, 1605) was a French Calvinist Protestant theologian, reformer and scholar who played an important role in the Protestant Reformatio ...
stating he had "never read in this kind of interpretation any thing exceeding them in elegance and sound judgement united with brevity".
In two works published in 1596/97, Rollock may be one of the first exponents of
covenant theology
Covenant theology (also known as covenantalism, federal theology, or federalism) is a conceptual overview and interpretive framework for understanding the overall structure of the Bible. It uses the theological concept of a covenant as an organ ...
in Britain.
Rollock married Helen Barroun, daughter of
James Barroun
James Barroun or Baron (died 1569) was a wealthy Scottish merchant based in Edinburgh and supporter of the Scottish Reformation.
He was a member of a family of Edinburgh merchants and became a burgess and member of the guild in 1547. In 1558 his k ...
of Kinnaird, around 1587. The couple had a posthumous daughter, Jean, who married Robert Balcanquhal, minister of Tranent.
The university commemorates Rollock with a plaque on the south side of
Old College, at the entrance to the main university reception.
Works
Rollock encouraged his students to apply
Ramist
Ramism was a collection of theories on rhetoric, logic, and pedagogy based on the teachings of Petrus Ramus, a French academic, philosopher, and Huguenot convert, who was murdered during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre in August 1572.
Acco ...
logic and analysis to their readings of scripture, and he used the same approach in his published works. Rollock's principal works are:
#''Commentarius in Epistolam ad Ephesios,'' Edinburgh, 1590; Geneva, 1593.
#''Commentarius in Librum Danielis Prophetæ,'' Edinburgh, 1591; St. Andrews, 1594.
#''Analysis Epistolæ ad Romanos,'' Edinburgh, 1594.
#''Quæstiones et Responsiones aliquot de Fœdere Dei et de Sacramentis,'' Edinburgh, 1596.
#''Tractatus de Efficaci Vocatione,'' Edinburgh, 1597.
#''Commentarius in utramque Epistolam ad Thessalonicenses, et Analysis in Epistolam ad Philemonem, cum Notis Joan. Piscatoris,'' Edinburgh, 1598; Herborn, in Hesse-Nassau, 1601; translated under the title 'Lectures upon the First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians,' Edinburgh, 1606.
#''Certaine Sermons upon several places of the Epistles of Paul,'' Edinburgh, 1599.
#''Commentarius in Joannis Evangelium, una cum Harmonia ex iv Evangelistis in Mortem, Resurrectionem, et Ascensionem Dei,'' Geneva, 1599; Edinburgh, 1599.
#''Commentarius in selectos aliquot Psalmos,'' Geneva, 1598, 1599; translated as 'An Exposition of some select Psalms of David,' Edinburgh, 1600.
#''Commentarius in Epistolas ad Corinthios,'' Herborn, in Hesse-Nassau, 1600.
#''Commentarius in Epistolam ad Colossenses,'' Edinburgh, 1600; Geneva, 1602.
#''Analysis Logica in Epistolam ad Galatas,'' Edinburgh, 1602; Geneva, 1603.
#''Tractatus brevis de Providentia Dei, et Tractatus de Excommunicatione,'' Geneva, 1602; London, 1604.
#''A Treatise of Gods Effectual Calling'', translated by H. Holland, London, 1603.
#''Commentarius in Epistolam ad Hebræos,'' Edinburgh, 1605.
#''Lectures upon the History of the Passion,'' Edinburgh, 1616.
#''Episcopal Government instituted by Christ, and confirmed by Scripture and Reason,'' London, 1641.
Soon after his death eleven sermons (''Certaine Sermons upon Several Places of the Epistles of Paul'', 1599) were published from notes taken by his students. ''Selected Works of Rollock,'' edited by William Gunn, D.D., with the Latin life by Charteris, and notes to it, was printed by the
Wodrow Society
The Wodrow Society, established in Edinburgh in 1841, was a society 'for the publication of the works of the fathers and early writers of the Reformed Church of Scotland'.
The society, established in May 1841, was named after Robert Wodrow, the h ...
, Edinburgh, 1844–49.
Bibliography
*''Selected works of Robert Rollock'', ed. W. M. Gunn, 2 vols., Wodrow Society, 1844–9
**Life by Charteris, with notes, prefixed to the above edition
*De Vita et Morte Roberti Rollok, by Georgio Robertson and Henrico Charteris, Bannatyne Club, 1826
*''The Historie of the Kirk of Scotland,'' David Calderwood, ed. T. Thomson and D. Laing, 8 vols., Wodrow Society, 1842–9
*''The Story of the University of Edinburgh during its First Three Hundred Years'', by Sir Alexander Grant, 2 vols, Longmans, Green, and Co., 1884
*''Robert Rollock: First Principal of the University of Edinburgh'', by
William Garden Blaikie
William Garden Blaikie FRSE (5 February 1820, in Aberdeen – 11 June 1899) was a Scottish minister, writer, biographer, and temperance reformer.
Life
His father James Ogilvie Blaikie was the first Provost of Aberdeen following its reformed ...
, Religious Tract Society, 1884
References
;Citations
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rollock, Robert
Academics of the University of Edinburgh
Principals of the University of Edinburgh
Alumni of the University of St Andrews
1550s births
1599 deaths
Scottish Calvinist and Reformed theologians
Moderators of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland
16th-century Calvinist and Reformed theologians