The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
in 1847. This professorship in the
critical interpretation or explanation of
biblical texts, a field known as
exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...
, was instituted by
John Ireland, who was
Dean of Westminster from 1816 until his death in 1842.
[ He founded scholarships in his lifetime at the University of Oxford, which are still awarded after an examination to undergraduates "for the promotion of classical learning and taste".][ The second Dean Ireland's Professor, Robert Scott, had won an Ireland scholarship in 1833 while studying at Christ Church.][
, 13 men have held the position of Dean Ireland's Professor, with differing interests in scriptural ]exegesis
Exegesis ( ; from the Ancient Greek, Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation (philosophy), interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Bible, Biblical works. In modern us ...
(critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts). Hawkins was elected on the strength of his reputation gained opposing the Oxford Movement (a group within the Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
, sometimes called "Tractarians", who aimed to reform the church by reasserting its links with the early Catholic church).[ In contrast, the third professor, Henry Liddon (elected nine years after Hawkins resigned), was a prominent member of the Oxford Movement.][
Between 1932 and 2014, the holder of the chair held a fellowship at The Queen's College. , Markus Bockmuehl is the current professor, having been appointed in 2014; he is a professorial fellow of Keble College.]
Professors
See also
Other professorships in Oxford University's Faculty of Theology:
* Lady Margaret Professor of Divinity
* Oriel Professor of the Interpretation of Holy Scripture
* Regius Professor of Divinity
* Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History
* Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture, Ireland's, Dean
Exegesis of Holy Scripture, Ireland's, Dean
Exegesis of Holy Scripture, Ireland's, Dean
1847 establishments in England
Lists of people associated with the University of Oxford
The Queen's College, Oxford