Robert Louis Wilken

Robert Louis Wilken (born November 20, 1936) is an American historian and former Lutheran minister who is the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of the History of Christianity emeritus at the University of Virginia.

Career
Robert Louis Wilken was born in New Orleans. He was raised in a Lutheran family and took his religion very seriously, having wanted to become a priest 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. Currently he is 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 in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Wilken is 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.

Personal life
Wilken married Carol Faith Weinhold on June 4, 1960. He has two children, Gregory and Jonathan.

Membership and awards

 * American Academy of Arts and Sciences;
 * American Historical Association;
 * American Academy of Religion;
 * American Society of Church History;
 * National Endowment for the Humanities grant.

Selected publications

 * (Editor)
 * (with Wayne A. Meeks)
 * (Editor, with William R. Schoedel)
 * (Editor)
 * (with Wayne A. Meeks)
 * (Editor, with William R. Schoedel)