thumb|upright|Rowland Williams
thumb|right|upright|Reverend Professor Rowland Williams
Rowland Williams (16 August 1817 – 18 January 1870) was a Welsh theologian and educationalist. He was vice-principal and Professor of Hebrew at St David's College, Lampeter, from 1849 to 1862 and one of the most influential theologians of the nineteenth century. He supported biblical criticism and pioneered comparative religious studies in Britain. He was also a priest in the Church of England, and the vicar of Broad Chalke in Wiltshire, where he is buried. Williams is also credited with introducing rugby football to Wales; Lampeter's team was the first to be established in the nation.
Early life
Williams was the son of the Welsh clergyman and writer Rowland Williams (d. 1854). He was born at Halkyn, Flintshire and educated at Eton and then King's College Cambridge. Following in his father's footsteps, he was ordained deacon in 1842 and priest in 1843. He was classical tutor of King's College for eight years; at this time he developed an interest in oriental studies. In 1848 he was awarded a university prize for a dissertation which compared Christianity and Hinduism. He was appointed vice-principal and Professor of Hebrew at St David's College, Lampeter in 1850.
Theological controversy
In December 1854, as select preacher in Cambridge, Williams delivered a course of sermons, entitled Rational godliness.' He argued that everything that was doubtful in the Bible could be surrendered, with little or no disadvantage to Christian essentials. Williams's views were regarded as not altogether orthodox, although the work appears fairly conservative to later generations. The younger Christian interlocutor, Blancombe, is generally thought to represent Williams's own opinions. Williams compared those opposed to the new biblical criticism to "degenerate senators before Tiberius." Williams was tried and condemned for heresy in the Court of Arches, together with Henry Bristow Wilson, the editor of Essays and reviews.