Davis, Ellen F. 1950- (Ellen Frances Davis)

PERSONAL:

Born November 20, 1950. Education: Attended Hebrew University, Jerusalem, 1969-70; University of California, Berkeley, A.B., 1971; Oxford University, Certificate in Theology, 1982; Church Divinity School of the Pacific, M.Div., 1983; Yale University, Ph.D. (with distinction), 1987.

ADDRESSES:

Office—Duke Divinity School, Box 90967, Durham, NC 27708-0967; fax: 919-660-3473. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER:

Writer, educator, scholar, editor, and theologian. Union Theological Seminary, New York, NY, assistant professor, 1987-89; Yale Divinity School, New Haven, CT, assistant professor, 1989-91, associate professor of Old Testament, 1991-96; Virginia Theological Seminary, Alexandria, VA, associate professor, 1996-99, professor of Old Testament and Language, 1999-2001; Duke Divinity School, Durham, NC, associate professor, 2001-04, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology, 2004—. Lecturer and presenter at conferences, workshops, and symposia. Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, member of national advisory council, 2000—. Community of the Holy Spirit (a New York Anglican religious order for women), member of board of directors, 1995—.

MEMBER:

Society of Scriptural Reasoning.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Episcopal Church Foundation graduate fellowship, 1984-87; Shalom Hartman Institution Fellowship, 1985-86; Pattillo Foundation and the Conant Fund, research travel grant, 1991; Association of Theological Schools, research travel grant, 1994; Conant Fund, Board of Theological Education, research travel grant, 1995-96. Recipient of honorary degrees from Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific.

WRITINGS:

Swallowing the Scroll: Textuality and the Dynamics of Discourse in Ezekiel's Prophecy, Almond Press (Sheffield, England), 1989.

Imagination Shaped: Old Testament Preaching in the Anglican Tradition, Trinity Press International (Valley Forge, PA), 1995.

Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of Songs, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 2000.

Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament, Cowley Publications (Cambridge, MA), 2001.

(Editor, with Richard B. Hays) The Art of Reading Scripture, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 2003.

(Translator and author of notes) Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth through Image and Text, woodcuts by Margaret Adams Parker, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 2003.

Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 2005.

Contributor to books, including Reading between the Texts: Intertextuality and the Hebrew Bible, edited by Danna Nolan Fewell, Westminster John Knox Press (Louisville, KY), 1992; Character and Scripture: Moral Formation, Community, and Biblical Interpretation, edited by William P. Brown, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 2001; Biblical Texts in Community: Jewish and Christian Textual, Liturgical, and Artistic Traditions, edited by Harold Attridge and Margot Fassler, Society of Biblical Literature (Atlanta, GA), 2003; Touching the Altar: Connecting the Old Testament and Worship, edited by Carol Bechtel and Jon Witvliet, Eerdmans (Grand Rapids, MI), 2005; Bearing the Word: Prophecy in Biblical and Qur'anic Perspective, edited by Michael Ipgrave, Church House Publishing (London, England), 2005; Scrolls of Love, edited by Peter S. Hawkins and Lesleigh Cushing, Fordham University Press, 2005; and Preaching from Psalms, Oracles, and Parables, edited by Roger Alling and David J. Schlafer, Morehouse Publishing (Harrisburg, PA), 2006.

Contributor to periodicals, including Faith and Form, Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, Duke Magazine, Land Report, Christian Century, Anglican Theological Review, Pro Ecclesia, Virginia Seminary Journal, Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Bulletin of the Institute for Biblical Research, Scottish Journal of Theology, Theology Today, Journal of Biblical Literature, Jewish Quarterly Review, and the Anglican.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ellen F. Davis is a writer, scholar, theologian, and educator. She is a professor of Biblical and practical theology at Duke University, and has been an educator at prominent theological schools such as Union Theological Seminary, Yale Divinity School, and Virginia Theological Seminary. She holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, a Certificate in Theology from Oxford University, and an M.Div. from the Church Divinity School of the Pacific, all earned with honors. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. with distinction, from Yale University. She is a prolific contributor of articles and reviews to scholarly journals and other publications, as well as book chapters to collections and related volumes. Her scholarly and research interests revolve around Old Testament languages and literature, and also include topics in Biblical interpretation and ecological responsibility.

Davis is the author of numerous books on religious and theological topics. In Getting Involved with God:Rediscovering the Old Testament, Davis turns to the Old Testament as a resource for guidance and instruction for the faithful in their life with God. She interprets and applies Old Testament Scripture differently than traditional conservative and liberal approaches, and in doing so helps readers understand their depth of involvement with God and God's depth of involvement with them. "With beautiful writing and with clarity of thought, Ms. Davis guides the reader through the psalms as a way of prayer enabling an honesty leading to intimacy with God," observed an Anglican Journal reviewer. She comments on numerous Old Testament passages and verses, particularly ones that are relevant to a "spiritually engaged reading" of the Bible, noted Marty E. Stevens in Interpretation. She helps readers to develop an understanding of the wisdom contained in the ancient words, assisting in the development of spiritual habits that will sustain someone over a lifetime. Throughout the book, "Davis's writing style is fresh and engaging, and preachers and teachers will find useful ideas for proclamation and education," Stevens observed. Stevens further noted that Davis's work and writing style are "easily accessible by persons who are not biblical scholars."

The Art of Reading Scripture, edited by Davis and Richard B. Hays, assembles essays and scholarly works by participants in the "Scripture Project," a four-year collaboration at the Center of Theological Inquiry at Princeton, noted reviewer Gordon Matties in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly. The scholars, ministers, theologians, and researchers who were involved in this project looked for a cooperative, communal method of reading Scripture, one that allowed them to benefit from a mutual, combined approach to interpretation of Biblical works. "In recovering the church's varied interpretive practices, the participants demonstrate that reading Scripture is an art that cannot be constrained by modern approaches," Matties reported. "If there is a unified theme to the essays it is that Christian interpretation of Scripture is an art as opposed to a technique-driven activity, and it is best learned through proper attention to gifted interpreters," observed Stephen Fowl, writing in Theological Studies. With this work, Davis and Hays "have edited a volume exploring the interpretation of Scripture, including how the academic, historical criticism of the Bible relates to the faith of the ongoing Christian community," commented reviewer R.H. Mortimer in the Journal for the Study of the Old Testament. "Those who seek a hermeneutic that fosters the formation of Christian community and identity will surely appreciate this collection," Matties concluded. Mortimer found that "this thoughtful collection explores important questions and deserves significant study."

In Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth through Image and Text, Davis and collaborator Margaret Adams Parker present an illustrated translation of the Book of Ruth. Illustrated with woodcuts by Parker and enriched by Davis's notes and annotations, the book not only presents the profound biblical story of Ruth, but also demonstrates how translation, art, and scholarship can combine as mutually complementary forms of interpretation of the Bible. Reviewer Michael H. Floyd, writing in the Anglican Theological Review, noted that "the three basic elements of translation, commentary, and illustration are pleasingly balanced" throughout the book. Floyd further observed: "Although the notes are considerably longer than the text itself, they do not overwhelm it. They gently guide the reader through the story without displacing it as the main object of attention." Davis's "comments show a gentle sophistication. Although they take the form of notes on particular words or phrases, they amount to a sustained reading of the entire narrative," Floyd continued. In the end, Floyd found Who Are You, My Daughter? to be a "work of uncommon gracefulness that repays repeated reading and viewing."

Davis addresses a factor of biblical interpretation that she considers the church's greatest scandal in Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament. For Davis, this scandal is the shallow and minimally thought-out reading and interpretation of Old Testament passages. Scripture, Davis believes, contains great depth in which can be found "surprising beauty and unexpected meaning," noted a Christian Century reviewer. In large part, Davis's goal is to "teach the church how never to be bored with scripture and preaching again," commented Interpretation contributor Paul H. Hooker. When the Old Testament is read minimally, it stands as little more than a collection of moral rules, homilies, and proverbs. Davis urges ministers, theologians, students, and others to steer away from such bland, utilitarian reading and interpretation of the Old Testament. "Instead, she would restore an appreciation for the Old Testament as a complex literary creation, endlessly fascinating, endlessly productive, and endowed with an endless variety of interpretive nooks and crannies into which the curious reader/listener can peek," Hooker reported. Davis endorses the benefits of ap- proaching the Old Testament as a work of sacred literature designed to spark the imagination and create a sense of wonder and enthusiasm for the rich stories contained within it. In this context, the "wondrous depth" of the Old Testament, the text's multiple levels of interpretation, and its engaging literary style creates a deeply satisfying, spiritually enriching, and theologically educating experience for the reader. Ralph W. Klein, writing in Currents in Theology and Mission, called Davis an "important and distinctive voice" in biblical interpretation and scholarship.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Anglican Journal, February, 2002, review of Getting Involved with God: Rediscovering the Old Testament, p. 9.

Anglican Theological Review, winter, 2004, Michael H. Floyd, review of Who Are You, My Daughter? Reading Ruth through Image and Text.

Catholic Biblical Quarterly, July, 1991, Ralph W. Klein, review of Swallowing the Scroll: Textuality and the Dynamics of Discourse in Ezekiel's Prophecy, p. 462; April, 2005, Gordon Matties, review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 380.

Christian Century, December 13, 2005, review of Wondrous Depth: Preaching the Old Testament, p. 22.

Currents in Theology and Mission, June, 2005, Wilhelm C. Linss, review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 207; June, 2007, Ralph W. Klein, review of Wondrous Depth, p. 224.

Expository Times, October, 2004, Michael Wadsworth, "Interpreting Scripture," review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 29.

Interpretation, January, 2003, Marty E. Stevens, review of Getting Involved with God, p. 80; October, 2004, review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 439; January, 2006, Paul K. Hooker, review of Wondrous Depth, p. 96.

Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Volume 28, issue 5, 2004, A.H.W. Curtis, review of Who Are You, My Daughter?, p. 82; Volume 28, issue 5, 2004, R.H. Mortimore, review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 116.

Journal of Biblical Literature, spring, 1991, Daniel I. Block, review of Swallowing the Scroll, p. 144.

Journal of Theological Studies, April, 1991, Paul Joyce, review of Swallowing the Scroll, p. 169.

Theological Studies, December, 2005, Stephen Fowl, review of The Art of Reading Scripture, p. 883.

Theology, March-April, 2003, Mike Butterworth, review of Getting Involved with God, p. 119; July-August, 2007, C.S. Rodd, review of Wondrous Depth.

Theology Today, January, 2007, Sally Brown, review of Wondrous Depth, p. 542.

ONLINE

Duke Divinity School Web site,http://www.divinity.duke.edu/ (May 22, 2008), author profile.