Brinley Roderick Rees (27 December 1919 – 21 October 2004)^[1] was aWelsh academic. He wrote extensively onclassics, particularly the study of theGreek language. His early work was devoted to Greekpapyri; a later publication was devoted to the life and letters ofPelagius.

Rees was born on 27 December 1919.^[1] His father was awinder in the Mynydd Colliery inGorseinon, and Brinley was one of four children including the academic and Welsh nationalistAlwyn D. Rees.^[2] Rees was educated atChrist College, Brecon, and atMerton College, Oxford. After wartime service in theRoyal Welch Fusiliers took his first academic position atCardiff High School for Boys, where he was an assistant master between 1947 and 1948.^[3][4]

Rees then started his long career in higher education. In 1948, he became lecturer in classics at theUniversity College of Wales, Aberystwyth, then senior lecturer in Greek at theUniversity of Manchester from 1956.^[3] From there, he went to theUniversity College of South Wales and Monmouthshire (which became Cardiff University), where he was Professor of Greek from 1958^[3] to 1970. During that time, he was also successively Dean of Arts (1963–1965) and Dean of Students (1967–1968). In 1970 he moved to theUniversity of Birmingham, but stayed there only five years,^[4] for in 1975, he was appointed as principal ofSt David's University College, Lampeter,^[4][5] the very first principal in the college's long history who was not inholy orders. He was aWelsh Supernumerary Fellow ofJesus College, Oxford, in 1975–1976 by virtue of his position as Principal of St David's.^[4]

Rees' time at Lampeter came to an end when he retired in 1980, but his involvement in higher education had not come to an end, for he was vice-president of theUniversity of Wales College, Cardiff, between 1986 and 1988.^[4]

In 1981, theUniversity of Wales awarded him an honoraryLLD^[4] in recognition of his service to the colleges at Lampeter, Cardiff and Aberystwyth.

In 1951 Rees married Zena Muriel Stella Mayall; they had two sons.^[3][4] Rees died on 21 October 2004.^[4]

• Ieuan Gwynedd: Detholiad o'i Ryddiaith, 1957
• The Merton Papyri, Vol. II (with H. I. Bell andJ. W. B. Barns), 1959^[6]
• The Use of Greek, 1961^[7]
• Papyri from Hermopolis and other Byzantine Documents, 1964^[6]
• Lampas: a new approach to Greek (with M. E. Jervis), 1970
• Classics: an outline for intending students, 1970
• Aristotle’s Theory and Milton’s Practice, 1972^[8]
• Strength in What Remains, 1980
• Pelagius: A Reluctant Heretic, 1988, Boydell PressISBN 0851155030^{[9][10][11][12][13]}
• The Letters of Pelagius and his Followers, 1991^[12][14]
• Pelagius: life and letters, 1998

• 1919 births
• 2004 deaths
• Welsh classical scholars
• Alumni of Merton College, Oxford
• Academics of Cardiff University
• Academics of Aberystwyth University
• Academics of the University of Manchester
• Academics of the University of Birmingham
• Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford
• People educated at Christ College, Brecon
• People associated with the University of Wales, Lampeter
• Academics of the University of Wales, Lampeter
• Classical scholars of the University of Birmingham
• Presidents of the Classical Association

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