John J. Skinner John Skinner studied in Scotland and Germany at the end of the 19th century. He held pulpits in the Free Church of Scotland from 1880 until 1890, when he was elected to the faculty of what is now Westminster College, Cambridge. There he became one of the earliest English-language scholars to incorporate the documentary hypothesis in his teaching and writing. His lectures were described as clear, illuminating, and impressive. Skinner was elected Principal (i.e., Dean) in 1908, and given Principal Emeritus status in 1922. His 1910 Genesis was for many years the standard English-language text. He died in 1925 while revising it.