T. K. (Thomas Kelly) Cheyne

Born in London on September 18, 1841, he studied at Merchant Taylors' School and at Oxford, and later deepened his scholarship in Göttingen, where he encountered German theological methods. Ordained in 1864, he went on to hold a fellowship at Balliol College, Oxford, and became known for teaching advanced Old Testament criticism when few in the university were doing so.

His academic and church career grew steadily: he served as rector of Tendring, joined the Old Testament revision company, and in 1885 became Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture, a post linked with a canonry at Rochester. He also delivered the Bampton Lectures and co-edited the influential Encyclopaedia Biblica, a major reference work that reflected the more critical biblical scholarship of its time.

Cheyne wrote widely on the prophets, the Psalms, and other theological subjects, always arguing that scripture should be studied with literary, historical, and scientific care. Remembered as both a churchman and a bold scholar, he played a significant role in shaping how biblical studies developed in English-speaking academia.