J. Cheryl Exum

Jo Cheryl Exum (May 1946 – 13 November 2024) was a feminist biblical scholar. She was Emeritus Professor at the University of Sheffield.

Education and career 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 was 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, with David J. A. Clines and Keith W. Whitelam.

Exum held a number of leadership positions in academia, including president of the Society for Old Testament Study. She was 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.

In 2011, a Festschrift was published in her honour. A Critical Engagement: Essays on the Hebrew Bible in Honour of J. Cheryl Exum included contributions by David Clines, Ellen van Wolde, and Michael Fox. On January 30, 2015, Exum received an honorary doctorate from the faculty of theology at Uppsala University.

She died on 13 November 2024.

Selected works Books