Carol Lyons Meyers (born 1942) is an American feminist biblical scholar. She is the Mary Grace Wilson Professor Emerita of Religious Studies at

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist ...

. Meyers' field of research is focused on

biblical studies Biblical studies is the academic application of a set of diverse disciplines to the study of the Bible (the Old Testament and New Testament).''Introduction to Biblical Studies, Second Edition'' by Steve Moyise (Oct 27, 2004) pages 11–12 F ...

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts ...

in the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

, and the study of women in the biblical world.

Biography

Carol Meyers was born in

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the sec ...

. She went to Kingston High School,

Kingston, Pennsylvania Kingston is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located on the western bank of the Susquehanna River opposite the city of Wilkes-Barre. Kingston was first settled in the early 1770s; it was incorporated as a borough in ...

; earned her B.A. with honors at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficia ...

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Commun ...

, and her Ph.D. at

Brandeis University , mottoeng = "Truth even unto its innermost parts" , established = , type = Private research university , accreditation = NECHE , president = Ronald D. Liebowitz , p ...

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, ...

in 1975. Meyers started to teach at Duke University in 1977. She writes and teaches in the areas of biblical studies, archaeology, and the study of women in the biblical world. She has been described as "one of today's leading historians and field archeologists". Her 1988 book, ''Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context'', was the "first comprehensive effort to present a female-centred view of the Bible using

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

rather than

literary criticism Literary criticism (or literary studies) is the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Modern literary criticism is often influenced by literary theory, which is the philosophical discussion of literature's goals and methods. T ...

". Meyers has also written commentaries on

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

Haggai Haggai (; he, חַגַּי – ''Ḥaggay''; Koine Greek: Ἀγγαῖος; la, Aggaeus) was a Hebrew prophet during the building of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, and one of the twelve minor prophets in the Hebrew Bible and the author of ...

, and Zechariah. Meyers was served as president of the

Society of Biblical Literature The Society of Biblical Literature (SBL), founded in 1880 as the Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis, is an American-based learned society dedicated to the academic study of the Bible and related ancient literature. Its current stated mi ...

in 2013. She also served as part of the revision team for the 2010

New American Bible The New American Bible (NAB) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1970. The 1986 Revised NAB is the basis of the revised Lectionary, and it is the only translation approved for use at Mass in the Latin-rite Catholic dioces ...

. She is married to fellow biblical scholar and Duke professor Eric M. Meyers.

Awards and honors

* P. E. Macalister Field Archaeology Award,

American Schools of Oriental Research The American Society of Overseas Research (ASOR), founded in 1900 as the American School of Oriental Study and Research in Palestine, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization based in Alexandria, Virginia which supports the research and teaching of ...

, November 2014. * Outstanding Service in Mentoring, Society of Biblical Literature Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession, November 2008. * Alumnae Achievement Award, Wellesley College, 1999. * Severinghaus Award, Wellesley College, 1991.

Publications

* ''Rediscovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context''. New York: Oxford University Press, 2012 * ''Households and Holiness: The Religious Culture of Israelite Women''. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005. * ''Exodus''. New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. * ''Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. * ''The Tabernacle Menorah: A Synthetic Study of A Symbol from the Biblical Cult''. 1972. Reprint edition, Piscatawny, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyers, Carol Living people Old Testament scholars Translators of the Bible into English Feminist biblical scholars Wellesley College alumni Brandeis University alumni Duke University faculty Bible commentators American biblical scholars American archaeologists American women archaeologists People from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 1942 births Female biblical scholars Female Bible Translators