Karen L. King

Karen L. King

Hollis Professor of Divinity
Karen L. King

On Leave

Fall 2023, Spring 2024

Education

  • BA, University of Montana
  • PhD, Brown University

Profile

Karen L. King was appointed to the Divinity School in 1997 and from 2003 to 2009 served as the Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History. In October 2009, she became the first woman appointed as the Hollis Professor of Divinity, the oldest endowed chair in the United States (1721).

Trained in comparative religions and historical studies, she pursues teaching and research specialties in the history of Christianity. Her books include The Secret Revelation of John; The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle; and What Is Gnosticism?

Her particular theoretical interests are in discourses of normativity (orthodoxy and heresy), gender studies, and religion and violence. She has received research grants and awards for excellence in teaching and research; among them are grants from the Luce Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst, and the Graves Foundation. King is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Society of Biblical Literature, the International Association for Coptic Studies, and Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.

Full CV

Courses

View HDS courses taught by Karen King in the my.harvard Course Search.

Also view FAS courses taught by Karen King. (HDS students: for jointly offered and reading and research courses, please enroll in the HDS version of the course.)

All Harvard courses

Selected publications

See also

Support

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Contact Information

Swartz 501

Affiliation

Alpha Grouping