Jaroslav Pelikan

Born on December 17, 1923, in Akron, Ohio, Pelikan grew up in a multilingual home as his father was from Slovakia and his mother was from Serbia. Though he considered becoming a concert pianist, he changed his mind and joined the seminary to be ordained as a Lutheran pastor. Pelikan graduated from Concordia Seminary and then earned a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. As a teacher, Pelikan taught for many years at Yale University, beginning as the Titus Street Professor of Ecclesiastical History and then advancing to the Sterling Professor of History. He also worked as the dean of the graduate school as well. This highly respected scholar wrote over thirty books and served as the Encyclopedia Britannica's editor of the religious section. Pelikan was known as a leading authority in Christian doctrine and history, encompassing Roman, Protestant, and Orthodox Eastern theologies. At age 82, Pelikan passed away from lung cancer.