Harvard Divinity School (HDS) is one of the constituent schools of

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. The school's mission is to educate its students either in the academic study of religion or for leadership roles in religion, government, and service. It also caters to students from other Harvard schools that are interested in the former field. HDS is among a small group of university-based, non-denominational

divinity Divinity (from Latin ) refers to the quality, presence, or nature of that which is divine—a term that, before the rise of monotheism, evoked a broad and dynamic field of sacred power. In the ancient world, divinity was not limited to a single ...

schools in the United States.

History

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

was founded in 1636 as a

Puritan The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

/ Congregationalist institution and trained ministers for many years. The separate institution of the Divinity School dates from 1816, when it was established as the first non-denominational divinity school in the United States. (

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

had been founded as a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

institution in 1812. Andover Theological Seminary was founded in 1807 by orthodox Calvinists who fled Harvard College after it appointed liberal theologian Henry Ware to the Hollis Professorship of Divinity in 1805.) During its first century, Harvard Divinity School was unofficially associated with American Unitarianism. Andover Hall

Harvard Divinity School and Unitarianism

Throughout the 18th century, Enlightenment ideas of the power of reason and free will became widespread among Congregationalist ministers, putting those ministers and their congregations in tension with more traditionalist,

Calvinist Reformed Christianity, also called Calvinism, is a major branch of Protestantism that began during the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. In the modern day, it is largely represented by the Continental Reformed Protestantism, Continenta ...

parties. When the Hollis Professor of Divinity David Tappan died in 1803 and the president of Harvard Joseph Willard died a year later, in 1804, the overseer of the college Jedidiah Morse demanded that orthodox men be elected. Nevertheless, after much struggle, the Unitarian Henry Ware was elected in 1805, which signaled the changing of the tide from the dominance of traditional,

ideas at Harvard to the dominance of liberal,

Arminian Arminianism is a movement of Protestantism initiated in the early 17th century, based on the Christian theology, theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed Church, Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic supporters known as Remo ...

ideas (defined by traditionalists as Unitarian ideas). The appointment of Ware, with the election of the liberal Samuel Webber to the presidency of Harvard two years later, led Jedidiah Morse and other conservatives to found the Andover Theological Seminary as an orthodox alternative to the Harvard Divinity School.

Today

Today, students and faculty come from a variety of religious backgrounds: Christian (all denominations), Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, and others. Its academic programs attempt to balance theology and religious studies—that is, the "believer's" perspective on religion with the "secular" perspective on religion. This is in contrast to many other divinity schools where one or the other is given primacy ( Yale Divinity School, for example, emphasizes its theological program, while the majority of students at the University of Chicago Divinity School enroll in its "religious studies" master of arts program).

Buildings

Divinity Hall

Divinity Hall, dedicated in 1826, was the first Harvard building built outside Harvard Yard. It contains classrooms, faculty and staff offices, and Divinity Chapel, also called Emerson Chapel, where Ralph Waldo Emerson gave the Divinity School Address in 1838.

Swartz Hall (formerly Andover Hall)

Completed in 1911 at a cost of $300,000, Andover Hall was designed by Allen and Collens, a firm that focused largely on neo-medieval and ecclesiastical designs, and is the only building at Harvard built in the Collegiate Gothic style of architecture. Andover Hall was commissioned by Andover Theological Seminary, which, by 1906, saw its enrollment slide and entered an affiliation with the Divinity School in 1908. The Hall contained a chapel, library, dorms, and seminar and lecture rooms. Today, the building still contains a chapel and some classrooms, but it also holds many administrative and faculty offices. On 1 May 2019, the building's name was changed to Swartz Hall in honor of philanthropists Susan Shallcross Swartz and James R. Swartz.

Jewett House

Jewett House, constructed in 1913, is named for its first occupant, James Richard Jewett, a Harvard University professor of Arabic from 1914 to 1933. Jewett's son had donated the house to Harvard for the use of the Divinity School, but it was instead used by

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

. In 1956, the house was renovated to serve as the home of the Harvard Divinity School's dean.

Carriage House

The Carriage House of Jewett House is now the home for the Women's Studies in Religion Program. In the past, it served as a home or office for a series of Divinity School faculty and staff, including the family of Brita and former dean

Krister Stendahl Krister Olofson Stendahl (21 April 1921 – 15 April 2008) was a Swedish theologian, New Testament scholar, and Church of Sweden Bishop of Stockholm. He also served as dean, professor, and professor emeritus at Harvard Divinity School. Life ...

, who lived in the Carriage House in the 1960s.

Library

Previously housed in Andover Hall, the library moved into its own two-story granite building, designed by Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott in 1960. In September 2001, the library completed an $11.5-million renovation that added two stories, enhanced its technology facilities and study areas, and improved its information systems.

Center for the Study of World Religions building

Constructed in 1960, the Center for the Study of World Religions building was designed by the Catalonian architect Josep Lluis Sert, then dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Design, for what was his first Harvard commission.

Rockefeller Hall

Rockefeller Hall, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1970, featured seminar rooms and a refectory on the ground floor and student housing above. A 2008 renovation by VSBA/Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc. transformed the upper floors into staff offices, modernized access and created the fourth LEED Gold building at Harvard.

Academics

Degrees

Harvard Divinity School is accredited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) and approved by ATS to grant the following degrees: * master of theological studies (MTS) * master of divinity (MDiv) * master of religion and public life (MRPL) * master of theology (ThM) In April 2014, the faculty of HDS voted to suspend admission to its doctor of theology (Th.D.) program, although students already enrolled in the ThD program were allowed to complete their degrees. Instead, doctoral students pursue

doctor of philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

(PhD) degrees under the auspices of the Committee on the Study of Religion, which is made up of 50% Arts and Sciences and 50% Divinity faculty members and housed in the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. While many PhD students in the GSAS take courses at HDS, and both HDS and FAS characterize the PhD as a joint program, PhD students are formally enrolled in the GSAS and not HDS; only the GSAS at Harvard may award the PhD.

Curriculum

Candidates for the MTS choose among 18 areas of academic focus: *

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n and

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

Religious Studies *

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

Studies * Comparative Studies * East Asian Religions *

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Old Testament The Old Testament (OT) is the first division of the Christian biblical canon, which is based primarily upon the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, a collection of ancient religious Hebrew and occasionally Aramaic writings by the Isr ...

* Hindu Studies *

History of Christianity The history of Christianity began with the life of Jesus, an itinerant Jewish preacher and teacher, who was Crucifixion of Jesus, crucified in Jerusalem . His followers proclaimed that he was the Incarnation (Christianity), incarnation of Go ...

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic Studies *

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

Studies *

New Testament The New Testament (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus, as well as events relating to Christianity in the 1st century, first-century Christianit ...

and Early Christianity *

Philosophy of Religion Philosophy of religion is "the philosophical examination of the central themes and concepts involved in religious traditions". Philosophical discussions on such topics date from ancient times, and appear in the earliest known Text (literary theo ...

* Religions of the Americas * Religion, Ethics, and Politics * Religion, Literature, and Culture * Religion and the Social Sciences * South Asian Religious Studies *

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

* Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Religion Candidates for the MDiv are required to take at least twelve courses in scriptural interpretation and histories, theologies, and practices. Those 12 courses must include: * Three courses in the theories, methods, and practices of scriptural interpretation * Six courses in the histories, theologies, and practices of religious traditions * No more than nine courses in the same religious tradition, or listed in no religious tradition(s) * At least six courses addressing one or more religious tradition(s); of those six, only three may be in the same tradition

Harvard Divinity School Library (previously Andover-Harvard Theological Library)

Library support for the study of religion at Harvard predates the establishment of the Divinity School; almost three-fourths of the 400 volumes that John Harvard gave to Harvard College in 1638 were theological in nature. Books on religion made up a third to a half of the college's holdings until the Divinity School was established in 1816 and duplicates from the College Library were combined with new purchases to form the beginnings of a specialized library for the school. In 1911, Harvard Divinity School and Andover Theological Seminary formed a partnership and agreed to house their collections together in a common library; when the educational partnership of the schools was dissolved in 1926, Andover Seminary's deposits remained in the library under the terms of a continuing agreement. The library's name changed from "Andover-Harvard Theological Library" to "Harvard Divinity School Library" in 2021. The library's collections include all religious traditions in order to support the many approaches to the study of religion at Harvard Divinity School. Its historical collection strengths include Protestant Christianity, Unitarian Universalism, and biblical studies. Additional areas of collecting emphasis since the second half of the twentieth century include women's studies in religion, the relation of religion to ethnicity and to LGBTQ studies, the ecumenical movement, interreligious communication, and religion and peace-making. Similarly, the rare book collection has strengths in early Protestant Christianity, Unitarian Universalism and related “nonconforming” traditions, and biblical studies. Notable special collections include the papers of Unitarian preacher and theologian William Ellery Channing, theologians Paul Tillich and H. Richard Niebuhr, and New Testament scholar Caspar René Gregory. Harvard Divinity School Library is part of

Harvard Library Harvard Library is the network of libraries and services at Harvard University, a private Ivy League university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Harvard Library is the oldest library system in the United States and both the largest academic librar ...

, whose resources are available to all faculty, staff, and students at HDS. Harvard Library's collection has over six million digitized items, 20 million print volumes, 400 million manuscripts, one million maps, tens of millions of digital images, and rare and special collections. Harvard Library collects collaboratively with peer institutions and facilitates international open access, multiplying researchers’ access to materials. The HDS Library also participates in the Boston Theological Interreligious Consortium (BTI) library program, which extends borrowing privileges to HDS students and faculty at libraries of other BTI schools.

Research and special programs

Current

Center for the Study of World Religions

Founded in 1960 after an anonymous donation in 1957, the Center for the Study of World Religions at Harvard Divinity School is a residential community of academic fellows, graduate students, and visiting professors of many world religious traditions. The center focuses on the understanding of religions globally through its research, publications, funding, and public programs. It welcomes scholars and practitioners and highlights the intellectual and historical dimensions of religious dialogue. The center sponsors a diverse range of educative programs, ranging from public lectures to colloquia and reading groups, student-initiated projects, and "religion in the news" lunches on topics of public interest. The center's meditation room is open to all members of the Harvard community. Directors of the CSWR have included Robert H. L. Slater (1958–64),

Wilfred Cantwell Smith Wilfred Cantwell Smith, (July 21, 1916 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian Islamicist, comparative religion scholar, and Presbyterian minister. He was the founder of the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Quebec and later ...

(1954–73), John B. Carman (1973–89), Lawrence E. Sullivan (1990–2003), Donald K. Swearer (2004–10), and Francis X. Clooney (2010–17). , its director is Charles Stang, a scholar of ancient Christianity, focusing especially on Eastern varieties of late antique Christianity.

Women's Studies in Religion Program

The Women's Studies in Religion Program (WSRP) at Harvard Divinity School was founded in 1973 as a response to student requests to include women's perspectives in the sources, methods, and subject matter of the HDS curriculum. The program brings five postdoctoral scholars to HDS as visiting faculty each year. Each research associate works on a book-length research project related to religion and gender and teaches a course related to their research. Since its founding, the program has supported more than 200 scholars from institutions of higher learning in the United States and around the world. Directors of the Women's Studies in Religion Program include Brinton Lykes (1973–77), Constance Buchanan (1977–97), and Ann D. Braude (1998–present).

Past

Program in Religion and Secondary Education

The Program in Religion and Secondary Education (PRSE) was a teacher education program that prepared students to teach about religion in public schools from a non-sectarian perspective. It began in 1972 as a two-year pilot project known as the "Secondary School Teaching Certificate Option," and by 1983, it had evolved into a collaboration between Harvard Divinity School and the

Harvard Graduate School of Education The Harvard Graduate School of Education (HGSE) is the education school of Harvard University, a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1920, it was the first school to grant the EdD degree and the first ...

. Students in the master of theological studies or master of divinity degree programs integrated their work in religion with courses on education and public policy to understand the relationship between religion and education and to advance religious literacy within their fields of licensure. The program stopped admitting new students in the 2009–10 academic year, although students who were already in the PRSE were able to finish their degrees in normal fashion.

Summer Leadership Institute

The Summer Leadership Institute (SLI) was a two-week training program that sought to establish theological instruction and grounding for individuals engaged in community and economic development. It was offered by Harvard Divinity School from 1998 to 2008. The program of study was divided into four modules: Theology, Ethics, and Public Policy; Organizational Development and Management; Housing and Community Development; and Finance and Economic Development. Participants also developed individual plans of action, on a case-study model, applicable to the local work in their communities. It was a full-time residential program, holding classes five days a week, with an emphasis on faith-based case studies of corporations and communities. More than 450 participants completed the program. About 50 people were selected each year from around the United States and internationally to participate in lectures, seminars, and field visits with faculty from across Harvard and other recognized experts. Directors of the program were Preston N. Williams (1998–2008) and Charles Gilchrist Adams (2008–09).

Notable professors

* James Luther Adams, ethicist and most influential theologian among American Unitarian Universalists in the 20th century * Leila Ahmed, professor of

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on Feminism, feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining Social constructionism, social and cultural constructs of gender; ...

and scholar of

* Charles Gilchrist Adams, William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of the Practice of Ethics and Ministry (2006–2011) * François Bovon, professor emeritus, prolific scholar in

and Christian

Apocrypha Apocrypha () are biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of scripture, some of which might be of doubtful authorship or authenticity. In Christianity, the word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to ...

* Sravana Borkataky Varma, lecturer on Hindu traditions, historian, educator, and social entrepreneur * Frederick Buechner, American theologian and author. Buechner's Harvard sermons, delivered at the Noble Lecture series in 1969, were published in 1970 under the title '' The Alphabet of Grace''. He also spent time lecturing on homiletics at the school. * Davíd Carrasco, scholar of Latin American religion and culture * Francis Xavier Clooney, comparative theologian and scholar of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

* Harvey Cox, Hollis Professor of Divinity emeritus, author of "The Secular City" * Diana L. Eck, scholar of

and founder of The Pluralism Project * Ephraim Emerton (1851–1935), first recipient of the Winn Professorship of Ecclesiastical History * Charles Carroll Everett, professor and dean of the Divinity School (1878–1900), also an alumnus of the school * Marla F. Frederick, dean of the school from 2024 to the present, scholar of African American religion * Peter J. Gomes (1942–2011), Pusey Minister in the

Memorial Church of Harvard University The Memorial Church of Harvard University is a building on the campus of Harvard University. It is an interdenominational Protestantism, Protestant church. History 18th century The first distinct building for worship at Harvard University was Ho ...

and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals * Janet Gyatso, scholar of

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, D ...

, history, and culture * Degalle Mahinda Thero, Emeritus Professor of Bath Spa University * William A. Graham, dean of the school from 2002 to 2012, Albertson Prof. of Middle Eastern Studies (Arts and Sciences), comparative historian and scholar of

* Charles Hallisey, scholar of Therevada Buddhism * David N. Hempton, dean of the school from 2012 to 2023, historian of

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

and Evangelical Protestantism * Amy Hollywood *

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, anthropologist and novelist * Baber Johansen, scholar of

Islamic law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...

* Ousmane Oumar Kane, Alwaleed Professor of Contemporary Islamic Religion and Society * Karen King, Hollis Professor of Divinity, author of "What is

Gnosticism Gnosticism (from Ancient Greek language, Ancient Greek: , Romanization of Ancient Greek, romanized: ''gnōstikós'', Koine Greek: Help:IPA/Greek, �nostiˈkos 'having knowledge') is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced ...

?" and " The Gospel of Mary Magdala" * Gordon D. Kaufman (died 2011), liberal Mennonite pacifist theologian and author of God the Problem * Helmut Koester (died 2016), professor emeritus, New Testament scholar * Jon D. Levenson, scholar of

Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
. '' Jewish studies * Arthur Chute McGill, (1926–1980) Bussey Professor of Theology at Harvard from 1971 until 1980 * Richard R. Niebuhr, Hollis Professor of Divinity emeritus, theologian * Henri Nouwen (1983–1985), Professor of Divinity and Horace De Y. Lentz Lecturer * Jacob K. Olupona, scholar of Indigenous Religions, Religions in Africa * Tenzin Priyadarshi, president of Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values, MIT * Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza, Krister Stendahl Professor feminist New Testament scholar, author of ''In Memory of Her'', ''Rhetoric and Ethic'', ''The Power of the Word'', and many other titles * Francis Schüssler Fiorenza, Charles Chauncey Stillman Professor of Roman Catholic Theological Studies *

, former director of the school's Center for the Study of World Religions * Ronald Frank Thiemann, Christian theologian and dean of the Divinity School from 1986 to 1998 * Paul Tillich (1886–1965),

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

theologian and Christian existentialist * Henry Ware Jr., (1794–1843), Unitarian theologian * Henry Ware Sr. (1764–1845), prominent early Unitarian theologian * C. Conrad Wright (1917–2011), historian of American Congregationalism and

Unitarianism Unitarianism () is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian sect of Christianity. Unitarian Christians affirm the wikt:unitary, unitary God in Christianity, nature of God as the singular and unique Creator deity, creator of the universe, believe that ...

* George Ernest Wright (1958–1974), Parkman Professor of Divinity; (1961–1974) Curator of the Semitic Museum, Presbyterian, leading Old Testament scholar and biblical archaeologist *

Cornel West Cornel Ronald West (born June 2, 1953) is an American philosopher, theologian, political activist, politician, social critic, and public intellectual. West was an independent candidate in the 2024 United States presidential election and is an ou ...

, public intellectual, author, philosopher, political activist, social critic and member of the Democratic Socialists of America

Notable alumni

Ralph Waldo Emerson by Josiah Johnson Hawes 1857

* Susan Ackerman, (born 1958), Hebrew Bible scholar * Charles G. Adams, Baptist pastor; William and Lucille Nickerson Professor of the Practice of Ethics and Ministry, Harvard Divinity School. * Emma Anderson, professor of Classics and Religious Studies at

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

* Chris Adrian, author and medical doctor * Horatio Alger, scholar and novelist * Paula Arai, Buddhist studies scholar, researcher, and professor *

Reza Aslan Reza Aslan (, ; born May 3, 1972) is an Iranian-American scholar of sociology, writer, and television host. A convert to Evangelicalism, evangelical Christianity from Shia Islam as a youth, Aslan eventually reverted to Islam but continued to wr ...

, author and Islamic scholar * Charles Bennison, bishop in the Episcopal Church * Rebecca Birk, English Liberal Jewish rabbi * George Madison Bodge, author, historian, and Unitarian minister * George Bradburn, Unitarian preacher and

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the political movement to end slavery and liberate enslaved individuals around the world. The first country to fully outlaw slavery was Kingdom of France, France in 1315, but it was later used ...

from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. * Neville Callam, General Secretary of the

Baptist World Alliance The Baptist World Alliance (BWA) is an international communion of Baptists, with an estimated 51 million people from 266 member bodies in 134 countries and territories as of 2024. A voluntary association of Baptist churches, the BWA accounts f ...

* Edward John Carnell, prominent neoevangelical theologian * Tom Chappell, founder of Tom's of Maine, large producer of natural personal care products * Tom Chick, actor, editor and video game journalist * Delman Coates, Senior Pastor, Mt. Ennon Baptist Church, Clinton, MD * Moncure D. Conway, Unitarian preacher and abolitionist from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. * Mary Leggett Cooke (1852-1938), Unitarian minister and member of the Iowa Sisterhood * Janet Cooper-Nelson, Chaplain of

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, first woman university chaplain in the

Ivy League The Ivy League is an American collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference of eight Private university, private Research university, research universities in the Northeastern United States. It participates in the National Collegia ...

* John Cranley, former congressional candidate in Ohio. * Demetrios, Archbishop of America, former primate of the

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (GOArch; ), headquartered in New York City, is an eparchy of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Its current Primate (bishop), primate is Archbishop Elpidophoros of America. The Greek Orthodox ...

* Gary Dorrien, American social ethicist and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

, Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and Professor of Religion at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. * Elizabeth Eaton, presiding bishop of the

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) is a mainline Protestant church headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The ELCA was officially formed on January 1, 1988, by the merging of three Lutheran church bodies. As of December 31, 2023, it ...

* William Greenleaf Eliot, co-founder of Washington University in St. Louis *

Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803April 27, 1882), who went by his middle name Waldo, was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionism, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalism, Transcendentalist movement of th ...

, philosopher, poet, and essayist * Archie Epps, Harvard University Dean of Students 1971–1999 * Greg Epstein (born 1977), president of the Harvard Chaplains Organization and Humanist Chaplain at

and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; ordained Humanist rabbi * John Figdor, Humanist Chaplain at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Richard Elliott Friedman Richard Elliott Friedman (born May 5, 1946) is an American biblical scholar, theologian, and translator who currently serves as the Ann and Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Georgia. Life and career Friedman was born in ...

(born 1946), biblical scholar and Professor of Jewish Studies at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

* Robert P. George, author, constitutional law scholar, and Princeton professor * Ronald Goetz, Niebuhr Distinguished Chair in Christian Theology and Ethics at

Elmhurst College Elmhurst University is a private university in Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. It has a tradition of service-oriented learning and an affiliation with the United Church of Christ. The university changed its name from Elmhurst College on July ...

* Peter J. Gomes, preacher and writer and Chaplain, Harvard University * Samuel Swett Green, key figure in the public library movement and the "founding father" of reference librarianship. * Aaron Gross, historian of religions who focuses on modern Jewish ethics, the study of animals and religion, and food and religion. * Stephen A. Hayner, President of Columbia Theological Seminary, ordained minister of the Presbyterian Church USA, professor, former president of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship * Chris Hedges, author and journalist * Iakovos, Archbishop of America, Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America from 1959 to 1996 * James Franklin Kay, professor of Homiletics and Liturgy at

* Ray Keck, president of Texas A&M International University in Laredo,

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

; was Rockefeller Brothers Fellow at Harvard Divinity * Muhammad Kenyatta, professor, civil rights leader and politician * Shabbos Kestenbaum (born 1999), activist * Michael Muhammad Knight, author * Scotty McLennan, Dean for Religious Life at

* C.E. Morgan, author * Tori Murden, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and to ski to the geographic South Pole * William B. Oden, bishop in the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant Christian denomination, denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was ...

* Theodore Parker, prominent Unitarian and transcendentalist Unitarian minister, scholar, abolitionist and author of the line, "...the moral...arc of history...bends toward justice..." * Rodney L. Petersen, scholar of history, ethics, and religious conflict, and executive director of the Boston Theological Institute * Richard L. Pratt Jr., Professor of Old Testament, President of Third Millennium Ministries * Maggie Rogers, musician * Letty M. Russell, feminist theologian * Edmund Sears, Unitarian theologian * Jeffrey L. Seglin, journalist, writer, and John F. Kennedy School of Government senior lecturer * Saba Soomekh, professor and essayist * Richard Tafel, founder Log Cabin Republicans, lobbyist, executive coach * Conrad Tillard (born 1964), Baptist minister, radio host, author, civil rights activist, and politician * Ross H. Trower, Chief of Chaplains of the U.S. Navy * Jones Very, poet and essayist * Liz Walker, journalist and pastor * Christopher O. Ward, Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey * Sarah Warn, Editor-in-Chief; founder of AfterEllen.com * Leland Wilkinson, statistician and computer scientist * Thomas Worcester, president of

Regis College, Toronto Regis College is a Colleges of the University of Toronto, postgraduate theological college of the University of Toronto located at the University of Toronto#St. George campus, St. George campus in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1930, it is ...

* Vanessa Zoltan, atheist chaplain

Publications

Current

''Harvard Divinity Bulletin''

''Harvard Divinity Bulletin'' is a glossy magazine published by Harvard Divinity School two times per calendar year. The magazine features nonfiction essays, opinion pieces, poetry, and reviews about religion and its relationship with contemporary life, art, and culture. The magazine often publishes the text of each year's '' Ingersoll Lecture on Human Immortality''. It is mailed to a subscriber base of approximately 10,000. The magazine is sent free to Harvard Divinity School students, faculty, alumni, staff, and supporters; others are asked to subscribe. Past contributors have included

, Martine Batchelor, Sarah Sentilles, and Christian Wiman.

''Harvard Theological Review''

Founded in 1908, ''Harvard Theological Review'' is a quarterly journal that publishes original research in many scholarly and religious fields, including ethics, archeology, Christianity, Jewish studies, and comparative religious studies.

''The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School''

Founded in 2006 as ''Cult/ure'', ''The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School'' is the print/online, student-run academic journal of Harvard Divinity School and the only graduate journal of religion at Harvard University. It publishes exemplary student scholarship in the areas of religious studies, ministry studies, and theology every year.

Past

''Harvard Divinity Today''

''HD Today'' was an alumni magazine published three times per year by the HDS Office of Communications. It included original news articles, event listings, an alumni journal, and class notes. It ceased publication in spring 2012.

''The Nave''

''The Nave'' was a newsletter of HDS student activities and events published from 1975 to 2007 by the HDS Office of Student Life. The newsletter transitioned from paper to online in 2002. ''The Nave'' included announcements of lectures, social events, important academic deadlines, and other matters.

''The Wick''

''The Wick'' was a student-run journal for literary and creative works by the HDS community. ''The Wick'' published both published and unpublished writers of fiction, poetry, essays, photography, sermons, and creative non-fiction. It was last listed as a Harvard Divinity School student organization in the 2014–15 academic year.

References

External links

Harvard Divinity School website

Harvard Divinity School Library

Center for the Study of World Religions

The Graduate Journal of Harvard Divinity School

Harvard Divinity Bulletin

Religion and Public Life

Women's Studies in Religion Program
{{Authority control 1816 establishments in Massachusetts Divinity School Seminaries and theological colleges in Massachusetts University subdivisions in Massachusetts