Sentence:  More emphasis was put upon the fact that international law was the law of `` civilized nations '' ; Kent and Story , the great early American <WSD>scholars</WSD> , repeatedly made use of this phrase , or of `` Christian nations '' , which is a substantial equivalent . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines