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David Aers

James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of English
English
Box 90015, Durham, NC 27708-0015
402 Allen Bldg, Durham, NC

Overview


David Aers is James B. Duke Professor of English and Historical Theology, with appointments in both the English Department and the Divinity School. His work on medieval and early modern literature, theology, and political culture ranges across disciplinary and temporal boundaries, with a deep interest in tracing the nuances and complexities of Christian tradition and its relations to culture, politics, and ethics across the medieval/early modern divide. His most recent publications include Versions of Election: From Langland and Aquinas to Calvin and Milton (Notre Dame UP, 2020), which explores concepts of Predestination and Reprobation in Christian tradition from the Middle Ages through the Reformation; and (with co-editor Sarah Beckwith) a special issue of the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies on “Imagining the Virtues: Medieval and Early Modern Histories” (July 2022), devoted to examining the aftermaths of the Reformation on habits, practices, and conceptualizations of virtue and virtue ethics. Currently, Aers is working on a broad-ranging exploration of how the Reformation transformed understandings of God and humanity in relation to medieval Christian teachings. A forthcoming essay related to this project, “The Letter Kills but the Spirit Gives Life (2 Corinthians 3:6): Or, What Happened to Enemy Love?,” will appear in a volume honouring Prof. James Simpson in 2024.

David Aers continues as co-editor of the Journal of Medieval and Early Modern Studies. He was also co-editor, with Sarah Beckwith (Duke) and James Simpson (Harvard), of the Notre Dame University Press series entitled ReFormations, devoted to work that bridges the institutionalized division between medieval and early modern studies. David Aers is currently Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Duke.

Office Hours


Spring 2024 Semester:

Thursdays 1:00-2:30 PM (402 Allen)

Current Appointments & Affiliations


James B. Duke Distinguished Professor of English · 1998 - Present English, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of English · 1994 - Present English, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Director of the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Center · 2019 - Present English, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Religion · 1995 - Present Religious Studies, Trinity College of Arts & Sciences
Professor of Historical Theology · 2006 - Present Divinity School

Education, Training & Certifications


University of York (United Kingdom) · 1971 Ph.D.
University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) · 1968 B.A.