William Barclay (1907-1978) was a biblical scholar, writer and broadcaster who was Professor of Divinity and Biblical Criticism from 1963 to 1974.
Born in Wick, the young Barclay moved with his family to Motherwell and graduated from the University with an MA with First Class Honours in Classics (1925) and a BD with distinction (1932). He was minister of Trinity Church in Renfrew from 1933 until 1947, when he was appointed Lecturer in New Testament Language and Literature at the University. He was subsequently appointed Senior Lecturer in New Testament and Hellenistic Greek, before his appointment to the Chair of Divinity and Biblical Criticism.
Barclay wrote more than seventy books, including the million-selling The Daily Study Bible and was a popular broadcaster on television and radio. In 1974 he was appointed Visiting Professor of Ethics at the University of Strathclyde. He was awarded a CBE in 1969.