Hays, Richard

Biography

Richard B. Hays is internationally recognized for his work on the letters of Paul and on New Testament ethics. His scholarly work has bridged the disciplines of biblical criticism and literary studies, exploring the innovative ways in which early Christian writers interpreted Israel’s Scripture.

His book The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation was selected by Christianity Today as one of the 100 most important religious books of the twentieth century. His most recent books are The Art of Reading Scripture (2003, co-edited with Ellen Davis) and The Conversion of the Imagination (2005).

Professor Hays has lectured widely in North America, Great Britain, Europe, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. An ordained United Methodist minister, he has preached in settings ranging from rural Oklahoma churches to London’s Westminster Abbey. Professor Hays has chaired the Pauline Epistles Section of the Society of Biblical Literature, as well as the Seminar on New Testament Ethics in the Society for New Testament Studies. He convened the Consultation on Teaching the Bible in the Twenty-First Century and presently serves as convenor of a research group on “The Identity of Jesus,” an initiative sponsored by the Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton. He is also the chair of the Biblical Division at Duke Divinity School.