Robert Louis Wilken

American historian of Christianity (1936–2026)

Robert Louis Wilken (November 20, 1936 – June 6, 2026) was an American historian and former Lutheran minister who was the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity emeritus at the University of Virginia.²

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Louis Wilken (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Oct 20, 1936, died Jun 6, 2026.¹

Companies

American Academy of ReligionChair Sep 1989 to Sep 1990¹²

Early life and education

Robert Louis Wilken was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on November 20, 1936. He was raised in a Lutheran family and took his religion very seriously, having wanted to become a pastor since childhood.

Wilken attended Concordia College, Concordia Seminary (B.A.) and the University of Chicago (M.A. and Ph.D.). From 1964 to 1967, he worked in the Lutheran Theological Seminary, later in Fordham University, the University of Notre Dame and from 1985 in the University of Virginia. He was the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity emeritus and the Distinguished Fellow at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Wilken also was the Lady Doris Professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He was an author of numerous books about the history of Christianity. Wilken has focused his research primarily on the early church, church tradition, the Roman view on early Christianity, and on Judaism and its links to early Christianity.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Louis Wilken (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: historian, theologian, church historian, religious studies scholar, university teacher.⁹

1998 to 1999President of the American Academy of Religion^{5 6}
1989 to 1990Chair, American Academy of Religion⁸
1985 to 1986Chair, North American Patristics Society⁷
Date not recordedWorked at University of Virginia^{3 4}

Personal life

BornOct 20, 1936, New Orleans¹⁰
CitizenshipUnited States¹¹

Wilken married Carol Faith Weinhold on June 4, 1960. He had two children. He converted to Catholicism from Lutheran Protestantism.

Wilken died of cancer in New Orleans, on June 6, 2026, at the age of 89.

From Wikipedia’s article on Robert Louis Wilken (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

1
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken on Wikidata
2
WikipediaRobert Louis Wilken on Wikipedia
3
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: Worked at University of Virginia, on Wikidata
4
WikidataWorked at University of Virginia, as reported
5
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: President of the American Academy of Religion, on Wikidata
6
WikidataPresident of the American Academy of Religion, as reported by website
7
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: Chair, North American Patristics Society, on Wikidata
8
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: Chair, American Academy of Religion, on Wikidata
9
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: occupation, on Wikidata
10
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: place of birth, on Wikidata
11
WikidataRobert Louis Wilken: citizenship, on Wikidata
12
WikidataAmerican Academy of Religion, Chair

Companies

Early life and education

Career

Personal life

Links

Sources