Robert McL Wilson, R.I.P.

ROBERT MCLACHLAN WILSON, requiescat in pace. I am very sorry to inform you that St Andrews Professor Emeritus Robert ("Robin") McL Wilson, renowned scholar of the New Testament, New Testament Apocrypha, and Gnosticism, passed away yesterday as the result of a massive stroke he suffered last week. He was ninety-four years old.

At the time of his 90th birthday celebration in February of 2006 I discussed Professor Wilson's career in detail, so I will not repeat that here. Suffice to say that he was a scholar of the highest international standing who continued his research long after retirement, publishing what turned out to be his last book just in time for it to be celebrated alongside his 90th birthday.

Robin Wilson was a PaleoJudaica reader, and a couple of times he e-mailed me in response to a post. I was fortunate enough to see and chat with him a few times in 2010. During one of our recent conversations he reminded me that just after his birthday celebration he received an e-mail from a friend in New York who knew all about it from reading the PaleoJudaica account of it linked-to above.

The last time I saw him was at the beginning of June end of May, when I visited a service at St Leonard's Parish Church in St Andrews, where Robin was a regular attender. It happened that the Old Testament scripture reading that morning was Proverbs chapter 8:1-4, 22-31, the chapter that tells how Lady Wisdom was present with God at the creation of the world. I commented to Robin that the chapter was a fine foundational text for the Gnostic Sophia mythology and he agreed. I quote it here (RSV) in his honor.

[1] Does not wisdom call,
does not understanding raise her voice?
[2] On the heights beside the way,
in the paths she takes her stand;
[3] beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
[4] "To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the sons of men.
[22] The LORD created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of old.
[23] Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
[24] When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
[25] Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth;
[26] before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
[27] When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
[28] when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
[29] when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
[30] then I was beside him, like a master workman;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
[31] rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the sons of men.

UPDATE (5 June): I found the order of service and have accordingly corrected the date above and the details of the scripture reading.