May 1946 - November 2024
1) Excerpt from her Wikipedia page:
Jo Cheryl Exum (May 1946 - November 2024) was a feminist biblical scholar. She was Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield. (England)
Exum studied at Wake Forest University, where she received her BA, and Columbia University, where she received her MA and PhD. Previously, she taught at Boston College. She served as part of the translation team for the New Revised Standard Version. While at Sheffield, Exum served as Director of the university's Centre for the Study of the Bible in the Modern World. In 2004, Exum co-founded Sheffield Phoenix Press, an academic publisher of books in biblical studies, along with David J. A. Clines and Keith W. Whitelam.
Exum held a number of notable leadership positions in academia, including president of the Society for Old Testament Study. She has been the editor of a number of journals in her field. She was the Executive Editor of Biblical Interpretation for more than a decade and co-edited the journal Biblical Reception.
2) Excerpt from the
Memorial Page from the
Sheffield Centre for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies*
at at the University of Sheffield. (England):
(* "We're one
of the leading global institutes for innovative, multidisciplinary research on
the Bible. Our research is internationally recognised and we explore a variety
of interests in ancient and contemporary contexts.")
5 December 2024: In Memoriam -- J. Cheryl Exum
We are saddened by the news of Prof. Cheryl Exum’s recent passing.
Prof Exum was Professor Emeritus at the University of Sheffield, after a vibrant career in the Department of Biblical Studies. Cheryl’s research and teaching impacted the field of Hebrew Bible studies, especially her work on Song of Songs, feminist biblical studies, and the reception of the Bible in culture and art history.
In 2004, Cheryl also founded, together with the late Prof. David Clines and Keith W. Whitelam, Sheffield Phoenix Press, which remains a leading publisher of biblical studies books. Prof Exum served as the president of SOTS, and held an honorary doctorate from the University of Uppsala. She will be remembered for her mentorship and her scholarship, in particular her books Fragmented Women: feminist (sub)versions of biblical narratives (1993); and Plotted, Shot, and Painted: cultural representations of biblical women (1996).
May her memory continue to inspire a new generation of scholars.
3) Also see this tribute (pdf) to her by Francis Landy.
4) Earlier 2015 Source from Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University:
Dr. Cheryl Exum Presents Tate-Willson Lectures: “The Bible and the Arts” March 17, 2015.J. Cheryl Exum, Professor Emerita of Biblical Studies at the University of Sheffield [in England] and a Director of Sheffield Phoenix Press, will be featured speaker for the 2015–16 Willis M. Tate-Willson Lectures at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. The theme of this year’s lectures is “The Bible and the Arts.” Dr. Exum will present a lecture on “Why Bible Readers Should Visit the Art Gallery,” Monday, March 23, at 7:00 p.m., in the Great Hall of Elizabeth Perkins Prothro Hall, 5901 Bishop Boulevard, on the SMU campus in Dallas. The Monday lecture is free and open to the public, and no reservations are required.
Dr. Exum received her B.A. from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York. In January 2015 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Uppsala [in Sweden].
Dr. Exum has done pioneering work in the areas of literary criticism of the Hebrew Bible; feminist and gender criticism; cultural studies; the Bible in art, music and film; and the Song of Songs and ancient Near Eastern love poetry. The author of numerous articles and edited volumes, her books include Tragedy and Biblical Narrative: Arrows of the Almighty (1992); Fragmented Women: Feminist (Sub)versions of Biblical Narratives (1993); Song of Songs: A Commentary (2005); and Plotted, Shot, and Painted: Cultural Representations of Biblical Women (2d ed., 2012). She currently is completing a book on the Bible in art, with attention to figures from Hagar to Mary the mother of Jesus. A former President of the Society for Old Testament Study (2010), Dr. Exum’s responsibilities at Sheffield Phoenix Press include serving as editor of the series Hebrew Bible Monographs and Bible in the Modern World, and co-editor of the journal Biblical Reception.
