Ethelbert William Bullinger was born on December 15 1837 in Canterbury, England. He was a direct descendent of Johann Heinrich Bullinger, a theologian who succeeded Zwingli in Zurich in December of 1531.

Educated at King's College, London, he was a recognized scholar in the field of biblical languages. The Archbishop of Canterbury granted him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1881 in recognition of his biblical scholarship.