#  Karen L. King 

Hollis Research Professor of Divinity

 

 

 



   ![Karen L. King](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/hds2/files/kingkaren-april-2011.jpg?itok=igUAGs80) 

 



 

 email <kking@hds.harvard.edu> 

 



 

## 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). She became the Hollis Research Professor of Divinity in 2024.

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.

*Professor King retired from active teaching duties at HDS in 2024 and is now working as a research professor.*

[Full CV](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/hds2/files/karen_king_cv_july_23.pdf "Karen King Curriculum Vitae")

## Selected publications

- [*The Secret Revelation of John*](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674030558) (Harvard University Press, 2006)
- [*The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle*](http://www.westarinstitute.org/store/the-gospel-of-mary-of-magdala/) (Polebridge Press, 2003)
- [*What Is Gnosticism?*](https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674017627) (Harvard University Press, 2003)

## See also

- ["The Place of the Gospel of Philip in the Context of Early Christian Claims about Jesus’s Marital Status" (PDF)](/sites/g/files/omnuum5526/files/hds2/files/king_ntsoct2013_1.pdf "Karen King article in New Testament Studies") (*New Testament Studies*)
- ["Jesus"](https://dash.harvard.edu/handle/1/37364464) (*Oxford Handbook of the New Testament, Gender, and Sexuality*)
- "[What Truth Do Martyrs Tell](https://bulletin.hds.harvard.edu/what-truth-do-martyrs-tell/)?" (*Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spring/Summer 2020*)

## Support

To reach Harvard Divinity School's faculty coordinators, email [div-faculty\_coordinators@calists.harvard.edu](mailto:div-faculty_coordinators@calists.harvard.edu).

For media inquiries or requests, please [contact Tyler Sprouse](mailto:tsprouse@hds.harvard.edu) in the Office of Communications.



 

 

 





 

 

- ## Affiliation
    
     [Faculty](/affiliation/faculty)
- ## Alpha Grouping
    
     [K-O](/alpha-grouping/k-o)
- ## Faculty Type
    
     [Research Professors and Emeriti](/faculty-type/research-professors-and-emeriti)
- ## Media Expertise
    
     [Bible](/media-expertise/bible) [Christianity](/media-expertise/christianity) [Church History](/media-expertise/church-history) [Gender and Sexuality](/media-expertise/gender-and-sexuality) [Violence and Religion](/media-expertise/violence-and-religion) [Women and Religion](/media-expertise/women-and-religion)