Scholars@Duke
Ellen F. Davis

Ellen F. Davis

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

Selected 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

Heart Language

Journal Article Duke Divinity Magazine · 2013 Cite

The Binding or Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19),”

Journal Article the SBL Bible Odyssey Website and their electronic newsletter, Teaching the Bible · 2013 Cite

Dominion among the Non-Human Creatures (Gen. 1:1-2:4a)

Journal Article the SBL Bible Odyssey Website and their electronic newsletter, Teaching the Bible · 2012 Cite

A Future of Hope

Journal Article Divinity · 2012 Cite

Witnessing to god in the midst of life: Old testament preaching

Journal Article Expository Times · January 1, 2012 The Bible is rigorously realistic in its representations of human character, the conditions and contingencies of life in this world. Therefore the aim of Old Testament preaching is to invite Christians to grow toward spiritual maturity in circumstances tha ... Full text Cite

Tikkun of the Fertile Soil

Journal Article Tikkun: A Bimonthly Critique of Politics, Culture & Society · 2011 Cite

A Living Creature: A Biblical Perspective on Land Care and Use

Journal Article The Bible in Transmission · 2010 Cite

Our proper place

Journal Article The Christian Century · 2010 Porter translates the creatures with notes of praise, following her spiritual and poetic model, St. Francis: "Give praise with psalms that tell the trees to sing," she writes, and with the little peepers "when they fill the marsh with a shimmer of belllike ... Link to item Cite

Scriptural texts: 3.1 Two psalms

Chapter · December 1, 2009 Cite

Surprised by wisdom: preaching Proverbs

Journal Article Interpretation · July 1, 2009 Link to item Cite

Hebrew without whining: teaching biblical languages in Sudan

Journal Article Christian Century · January 13, 2009 Link to item Cite

Reasoning with scripture

Journal Article Anglican Theological Review · June 1, 2008 Link to item Cite

Reading the song iconographically

Chapter · January 1, 2006 Cite

Poised: A response to bonaventure's the soul's journey into god

Journal Article Theology Today · January 1, 2006 Full text Cite

The tabernacle is not a storehouse: building sacred space

Journal Article Sewanee Theological Review · January 1, 2006 Link to item Cite

Feeling Your Way: Preaching the Psalms

Journal Article The Clergy Journal · 2005 Link to item Cite

The Bible and Our Topsoil

Journal Article Tikkun · 2004 Davis presents several biblical account of the old covenant including the creation and the blessedness of Abraham and the Israelites that serves to be a vision for the proper use of land. He contends that the ancient Israelites who are agrarian people occu ... Link to item Cite

Reading the Bible confessionally in the Church

Journal Article Anglican Theological Review · December 1, 2002 Link to item Cite

Slaves or Sabbath-keepers: a biblical perspective on human work

Journal Article Anglican Theological Review · December 1, 2001 Link to item Cite

Preserving Virtues: Renewing the Tradition

Journal Article Studies in Christian Ethics · 2001 Full text Link to item Cite

Critical traditioning: seeking an inner Biblical hermeneutic

Journal Article Anglican Theological Review · September 1, 2000 Link to item Cite

Romance of the Land in the Song of Songs.

Journal Article Anglican Theological Review · September 1, 1998 Link to item Cite

Sabbath : The Culmination of Creation.

Journal Article Living Pulpit · April 1, 1998 Link to item Cite

And in Him all things hold together

Journal Article Virginia Seminary Journal · 1997 Cite

Reading Leviticus in the Church

Journal Article Virginia Seminary Journal · 1996 Cite

Psalm 98.

Journal Article Interpretation · April 1, 1992 Link to item Cite

Exploding the limits : form and function in Psalm 22.

Journal Article Journal for the Study of the Old Testament · March 1, 1992 Link to item Cite

Self-consciousness and conversation: reading Genesis 22

Journal Article Bulletin for Biblical Research · January 1, 1991 Link to item Cite

A strategy of delayed comprehension : Isaiah 54:15.

Journal Article Vetus testamentum · April 1, 1990 Link to item Cite