Robert Louis Wilken

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.

Early life and career 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 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 and death Wilken married Carol Faith Weinhold on June 4, 1960. He had two children.

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

Membership and awards American Academy of Arts and Sciences; American Historical Association;

Selected publications

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

Wilken, Robert, "A Christian Intellectual: Beginnings at Concordia, Austin," in Learners to Leaders: Stories About People in Process, David Zersen, ed. Concordia University Press, Austin, TX. 1999. language en isbn=1-881848-06-X.