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Ellen F. Davis

Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology in the Divinity School
Divinity School
Duke Box 90967, Durham, NC 27708-0967
303 Old Divinity, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Ellen F. Davis is Amos Ragan Kearns Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke University Divinity School in North Carolina.

The author of eight books and many articles, her research interests focus on how biblical interpretation bears on the life of faith communities and their response to urgent public issues, particularly the environmental crisis and interfaith relations. Her most recent book, Scripture, Culture, and Agriculture: An Agrarian Reading of the Bible (Cambridge University Press, 2009), integrates biblical studies with a critique of industrial agriculture and food production.  Her other publications include Wondrous Depth: Old Testament Preaching (Westminster John Knox, 2005); Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth through Image and Text (Westminster John Knox, 2003), an annotated translation accompanying woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker; Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament (Cowley, 2002); and The Art of Reading Scripture (Eerdmans, 2003), co-edited with Richard Hays.

She has long been involved in inter-religious dialogue and is now cooperating with the Episcopal Church of Sudan to develop theological education, community health, and sustainable agriculture.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology in the Divinity School · 2009 - Present Divinity School
Professor of Bible and Practical Theology · 2004 - Present Divinity School
Affiliate of the Duke Initiative for Science & Society · 2014 - Present Duke Science & Society, University Initiatives & Academic Support Units

In the News


Published May 19, 2016
Duke University starts search for new president
Published March 8, 2016
Elaine Heath Named Dean of Duke Divinity School
Published August 19, 2015
Book Review: ‘Biblical Prophecy,’ by Ellen Davis

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Recent Publications


Dancing as creatures do

Chapter · April 24, 2025 Cite

Ecology and Postcolonial Biblical Criticism

Chapter · January 1, 2018 This article outlines an eco-agrarian perspective on the Hebrew Bible. Countless passages treat the multifaceted interdependency of arable land, animals, and human communities, as well as the social dynamics of force, which deprived small farmers of land t ... Full text Cite

Identity and Eating: A Christian Reading of Leviticus

Journal Article Studies in Christian Ethics · February 1, 2017 Israelites lived intimately with their livestock, as members of a single household, and this had an effect on their understanding of human identity—as Leviticus expresses it, of God’s call to Israel to be holy. Leviticus treats eating and ritual sacrifice ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


African Biblical Interpretaion course credit

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Issachar Fund · 2016 - 2017

2017 Field Education Academic Year Student Pastors Program

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2016 - 2017

2017 Field Education Summer Assistant Pastors Program

Institutional SupportPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2016 - 2017

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Education, Training & Certifications


Yale University · 1987 Ph.D.
Church Divinity School of the Pacific · 1983 M.Div.