Calendar

The calendar of the Divinity School is coordinated with the schedule of the University. The school year normally begins immediately after Labor Day, and the first term ends just before Christmas. The second term begins in mid-January and ends in early May.

The President and Fellows of Yale University

President
Richard Charles Levin, B.A., B.Litt., Ph.D.

Fellows
Her Excellency the Governor of Connecticut, ex officio
His Honor the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, ex officio
George Leonard Baker, Jr., B.A., M.B.A., Palo Alto, California
Edward Perry Bass, B.S., Fort Worth, Texas
Roland Whitney Betts, B.A., J.D., New York, New York
Jeffrey Lawrence Bewkes, B.A., M.B.A., New York, New York
Gerhard Casper, LL.M., Ph.D., LL.D., Atherton, California
Donna Lee Dubinsky, B.A., M.B.A., Portola Valley, California
Charles Daniel Ellis, B.A., M.B.A., Ph.D., New Haven, Connecticut
Mimi Gardner Gates, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Seattle, Washington (June 2013)
Jeffrey Powell Koplan, B.A., M.D., M.P.H., Atlanta, Georgia (June 2009)
Maya Ying Lin, B.A., M.Arch., D.F.A., New York, New York (June 2008)
Margaret Hilary Marshall, B.A., M.Ed., J.D., Cambridge, Massachusetts (June 2010)
William Irwin Miller, B.A., M.B.A., Columbus, Indiana (June 2011)
Indra Nooyi, B.S., M.B.A., M.P.P.M., Greenwich, Connecticut
Barrington Daniels Parker, B.A., LL.B., Stamford, Connecticut
Margaret Garrard Warner, B.A., Washington, D.C. (June 2012)
Fareed Zakaria, B.A., Ph.D., New York, New York

The Officers of Yale University

President
Richard Charles Levin, B.A., B.Litt., Ph.D.

Provost
Andrew David Hamilton, B.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S.

Vice President and Secretary
Linda Koch Lorimer, B.A., J.D.

Vice President and General Counsel
Dorothy Kathryn Robinson, B.A., J.D.

Vice President for New Haven and State Affairs and Campus Development
Bruce Donald Alexander, B.A., J.D.

Vice President for Development
Ingeborg Theresia Reichenbach, Staatsexamen

Vice President for Finance and Administration
Shauna Ryan King, B.S., M.B.A.

Yale Divinity School Board of Advisors

Chair
Christopher Sawyer, B.A., M.Div., J.D., Atlanta, Georgia

Advisors
Wesley Avram, B.S., M.Div., Ph.D., Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania
George P. Bauer, B.A., M.A., B.S.I.E., New Canaan, Connecticut
Stephen Bauman, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., New York, New York
Jeffrey Braun, B.A., M.Div., Redding, Connecticut
Timothy C. Collins, B.A., M.B.A., New York, New York
John Cook, B.D., Ph.D., Guilford, Connecticut
Martin Copenhaver, B.A., M.Div., Wellesley, Massachusetts
Ronald T. Evans, B.A., B.D., Claremont, California
Julie Smucker Fuller, B.A., M.A.R., New York, New York
Nora Gallagher, B.A., Santa Barbara, California
Roberto Goizueta, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
F. Lane Heard III, ’73 B.A., ’78 J.D., Washington, D.C.
J. Bryan Hehir, B.A., M.Div., Th.D., Boston, Massachusetts
Megan Jessiman, A.B., M.A.R., New York, New York
Frances Hall Kieschnick, B.A., M.Div., Palo Alto, California
Philip Lader, A.B., M.A., J.D., LL.M., Washington, D.C
Douglas Lawson, B.A., B.D., Ph.D., New York, New York
Harold E. Masback, ’94 M.Div., New Canaan, Connecticut
Joon Surh Park, B.D., Ph.D., Seoul, South Korea
Stephen S. Peterson, B.A., M.Div., M.B.A., Ph.D., Chicago, Illinois
J. Scott Pidcock, B.S., M.A., M.A.R., Allentown, Pennsylvania
David Price, B.A., B.D., Ph.D., Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Andrew A. Sorensen, B.A., B.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., Columbia, South Carolina
A. Knighton Stanley, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Baldwin, New York
Brenda J. Stiers, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., Old Greenwich, Connecticut
Janet W. Tanner, B.A., M.B.A., M.A.R., Washington, Connecticut
Barbara Brown Taylor, B.A., M.Div., D.Div., Clarksville, Georgia
Krista Tippett, B.A., M.Div., Saint Paul, Minnesota
Clyde C. Tuggle, B.A., M.Div., Atlanta, Georgia
Michael P. Williams II, B.A., M.A.R., J.D., M.B.A., Houston, Texas

Ex Officio
Harold W. Attridge, A.B., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Dean; New Haven, Connecticut
Alan Blanchard, B.A., M.S., New York, New York
Samuel G. Candler, B.A., M.Div., Atlanta, Georgia
Ann Dewey, M.A., Ph.D., New York, New York
John B. Lindner, B.S., M.Div., Director, Department of External Relations; New Haven, Connecticut
George M. Noonan, M.Div., Kansas City, Missouri

Yale Divinity School Alumni Board

President
George M. Noonan ’79 M.Div., Kansas City, Missouri

Vice President, President-Elect
Mary Ellen T. O’Driscoll ’02 M.Div., New York, New York

Secretary
J. Kenneth Kuntz ’59 B.D., Iowa City, Iowa

Talitha J. Arnold ’80 M.Div., Santa Fe, New Mexico
Fred R. Brooks, Jr. ’61 M.Div., Vestal, New York
Joan Cooper Burnett ’04 M.Div., New Haven, Connecticut
Thomas E. Duggan ’59 B.D., Claremont, California
Winston E. Gooden ’73 M.Div., ’77 M.S., ’80 Ph.D., Pasadena, California
L. Ann Hallisey ’75 M.Div., Davis, California
Jerry W. Henry ’80 M.Div., Atlanta, Georgia
Paul L. Hodel ’92 M.Div., New Haven, Connecticut
Carol Rose Ikeler ’50 B.D., Clarksville, Indiana
Susan W. Klein ’77 M.Div., Los Angeles, California
Arthur H. Latimer ’98 M.Div., Bethany, Connecticut
Bert W. Marshall ’97 M.Div., Plainfield, Massachusetts
Clinton Miller ’94 M.Div., Brooklyn, New York
Alice de V. Perry ’80 M.Div., New Haven, Connecticut
Timothy L. Poston ’93 M.A.R., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Kwame Osei Reed ’79, M.Div., Reston, Virginia
Javier Alexis Viera ’00 S.T.M., Mamaroneck, New York

Ex Officio
Harold W. Attridge, Dean; New Haven, Connecticut
James Douglas Ebert ’97 M.Div., Chair, Yale Divinity School Annual Fund; West Hartford, Connecticut
John B. Lindner, Director of External Relations; New Haven, Connecticut

Trustees of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale

Chair
Carl T. Anderson, J.D., Los Angeles, California

Vice Chairs
Ann Dewey, M.A., Ph.D., New York, New York
The Very Rev. Samuel G. Candler, B.A., M.Div., Atlanta, Georgia
Judith Holding, B.A., M.A., M.A.R., Darien, Connecticut

Secretary
The Rev. Clayton Thomason, A.B., M.Div., Chicago, Illinois

Treasurer
David E. A. Carson, B.B.A., Hartford, Connecticut

Dean and President
The Very Rev. Joseph H. Britton, A.B., M.Div., Th.D., New Haven, Connecticut

Counsel
J. Truman Bidwell, Jr., B.A., LL.B., New York, New York

Trustees
Harold W. Attridge, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., New Haven, Connecticut
Alan Blanchard, B.A., M.S., New York, New York
Steven E. Bush, M.D., Albuquerque, New Mexico
Marion Dawson Carr, B.S., Greenwich, Connecticut
Bethany Davidson, B.A., New Haven, Connecticut
G. William Haas, B.A., J.D., New York, New York
*The Rev. Katherine Harrigan, M.Div., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
*The Rev. Daniel Heischman, M.Div., New York, New York
*Robert Hirschfeld, B.A., M.Div., Amherst, Massachusetts
Chandler Howard, B.A., M.S., Farmington, Connecticut
Willis Jenkins, M.A., Ph.D., New Haven, Connecticut
Robert Kass, M.D., Los Angeles, California
Wilmot Kidd, M.B.A., New York, New York
Linda Koch Lorimer, B.A., J.D., New Haven, Connecticut
The Rev. Cn. Anne Mallonee, B.A., M.Div., New York, New York
Fred W. Pardee III, B.S.E., Littleton, Colorado
The Rev. Nicholas Porter, M.Div., Southport, Connecticut
Fred D. Scott, Jr., J.D., Indianapolis, Indiana
Barbara Shailor, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., New Haven, Connecticut
The Rt. Rev. Andrew Smith, B.A., B.D., D.D., Hartford, Connecticut
*The Rev. Caroline Stacey, G.B., M.A., M.Div., New York, New York
Thomas Troeger, B.D., New Haven, Connecticut
Charles Tyson, B.A., Darien, Connecticut
The Rev. Ralph Warren, Jr., B.A., S.T.B., D.D., Palm Beach, Florida
William Wright, B.A., M.B.A., New York, New York

Honorary Trustees
David H. Crandall, B.A., H.L.D., Norwalk, Connecticut; Chair Emeritus
George A. Fowlkes, B.A., M.B.A., H.L.D., New York, New York
Christian Sonne, B.A., M.I.A., H.L.D., Tuxedo Park, New York
The Rt. Rev. Arthur Walmsley, B.A., M.Div., D.D., Hillsboro, New Hampshire

*Elected by the alumni.

Yale Divinity School Administration and Faculty

Administration
Richard Charles Levin, B.A., B.Litt., Ph.D., President of the University
Andrew D. Hamilton, B.Sc., M.Sc., Ph.D., F.R.S., Provost of the University
Harold W. Attridge, A.B., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Dean of Yale Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament
Joseph H. Britton, A.B., M.Div., Th.D., Associate Dean of Yale Divinity School and Dean of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale
Martin D. Jean, B.A., A.Mus.D., Director of the Institute of Sacred Music and Professor of Organ
Emilie M. Townes, B.A., M.A., D.Min., Ph.D., D.D., Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Studies in Religion and Theology
Barbara J. Blodgett, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Director of Supervised Ministries and Lecturer in Pastoral Ministry
Frank Brown, B.A., Assistant Director, Publications
Carmen Germino, B.A., M.Div., Director of Alumni/ae Affairs
William Goettler, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., Assistant Dean for Ministerial Studies and Assessment
Kathy Gritzbach, B.S., Accountant
Campbell B. Harmon, B.A., M.A.R., Web Coordinator
Lisabeth Huck, B.A., M.Div., Registrar
John B. Lindner, B.S., M.Div., Director of External Relations
Sandra Lynch, B.S., Director of Finance and Administration
Kenneth Pieter Minkema, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Executive Editor of the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards Center
Susan Olson, B.A., M.A.R., M.Div., Director of Career Counseling
Grace M. Pauls, B.A., M.A., Executive Assistant to the Dean
Dale Wood Peterson, B.A., M.Div., Associate Dean of Students, Lecturer in Baptist Polity and History, and Fellow of Jonathan Edwards College
Ann-Marie Piscitelli, Associate Director of Finance and Administration
Melissa A. Pucci, B.A., M.A.R., Assistant Director of Admissions and Recruiting
Anna Ramirez, B.A., M.Div., Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
Constance L. Royster, B.A., J.D., Director of Development
Gustav Spohn, B.A., M.A.R., Director of Communications and Publications
Harry S. Stout, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., General Editor of the Works of Jonathan Edwards, Jonathan Edwards Center
Paul F. Stuehrenberg, B.A., M.Div., S.T.M., M.A., Ph.D., Divinity Librarian and Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Theological Literature
Alfred Tisdale, B.A., S.T.M., D.Min., Director of Anglican Studies and Formation
Brian Vinci, B.A., Facilities Manager
Miroslav Volf, B.A., M.A., Dr.Theol., Dr.Theol.Habil., Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture
Ray Waddle, B.A., M.A., Editor, Reflections
Pamela Wesley-Gomez, B.A., M.S., Director of Development and External Affairs, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale
Sherry Zesner, A.S., Financial Analyst

Faculty Emeriti
Harry Baker Adams, B.D., Horace Bushnell Professor Emeritus of Christian Nurture and Fellow of Trumbull College
David L. Bartlett, B.A., B.D., Ph.D., J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor Emeritus of Christian Communication
John Wesley Cook, B.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Religion and the Arts and Fellow of Ezra Stiles College
James E. Dittes, B.D., M.S., Ph.D., Roger J. Squire Professor Emeritus of Pastoral Theology and Fellow of Calhoun College
Margaret A. Farley, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Gilbert L. Stark Professor Emerita of Christian Ethics and Fellow of Pierson College
Charles William Forman, B.D., S.T.M., M.A., Ph.D., D. Willis James Professor Emeritus of Missions and Fellow of Calhoun College
Rowan Allen Greer III, S.T.B., M.A., Ph.D., Walter H. Gray Professor Emeritus of Anglican Studies and Fellow of Jonathan Edwards College
Norvin Jacob Hein, B.D., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Comparative Religion and Fellow of Branford College
Dwayne E. Huebner, M.A., Ph.D., Horace Bushnell Professor Emeritus of Christian Nurture
Leander Earl Keck, B.D., Ph.D., S.T.D., D.H.L., D.Litt., D.D., Winkley Professor Emeritus of Biblical Theology and Fellow of Silliman College
David Kelsey, B.A., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Luther A. Weigle Professor Emeritus of Theology
George Arthur Lindbeck, B.D., Ph.D., LL.D., L.H.D., Pitkin Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology and Fellow of Silliman College
Abraham Johannes Malherbe, S.T.B., Th.D., LL.D., L.H.D., S.T.D., D.D., Buckingham Professor Emeritus of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation and Fellow of Trumbull College
E. William Muehl, J.D., M.A., LL.D., D.D., Stephen Merrell Clement Professor Emeritus of Christian Methods and Fellow of Branford College
Gaylord Brewster Noyce, M.Div., Professor Emeritus of the Practice of Pastoral Theology
Nicholas P. Wolterstorff, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Noah Porter Professor Emeritus of Philosophical Theology
Richard J. Wood, A.B., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Dean Emeritus, Professor Emeritus (Adjunct) of Philosophy, and Fellow of Saybrook College

Faculty
Harold W. Attridge, A.B., B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Dean of Yale Divinity School and Lillian Claus Professor of New Testament
Joel S. Baden, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Old Testament.
Christopher A. Beeley, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Walter H. Gray Associate Professor of Anglican Studies and Patristics
§Teresa Berger, L.Th., M.Th., Dr.Theol., Dipl.Theol., Dr.Theol., Habilitation, Professor of Liturgical Studies
Adela Yarbro Collins, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Buckingham Professor of New Testament Criticism and Interpretation
John J. Collins, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Holmes Professor of Old Testament Criticism and Interpretation
§Patrick Evans, B.M.E., B.M., M.M., D.M., Associate Professor (Adjunct) in the Practice of Sacred Music
§‡Margot E. Fassler, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Robert Tangeman Professor of Music History and Liturgy, Divinity School; and Professor of Musicology, School of Music
§‡Siobhán Garrigan, B.A., S.T.M., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Liturgical Studies and Assistant Dean for Chapel
Frederick Bruce Gordon, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Professor of Reformation History
‡John E. Hare, B.A., Ph.D., Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology
§Peter S. Hawkins, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Professor of Religion and Literature
M. Jan Holton, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Jeremy F. Hultin, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of New Testament
Willis Jenkins, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Margaret A. Farley Assistant Professor of Social Ethics
§Jaime Lara, B.A., M.A., M.Div., S.T.M., Ph.D., Lecturer in Christian Art and Architecture
Kristen J. Leslie, B.A., M.Div., M.A., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling
Thomas W. Ogletree, B.A., B.D., Ph.D., Frederick Marquand Professor of Theological Ethics
Gene Outka, B.A., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., L.H.D., Dwight Professor of Philosophy and Christian Ethics and Fellow of Branford College
§Sally M. Promey, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Professor of Religion and Visual Culture and Professor of American Studies
Lamin Sanneh, M.A., Ph.D., D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity and Professor of History
Carolyn J. Sharp, B.A., M.A.R., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Hebrew Scriptures
Frederick Simmons, B.A., M.Div., M.A., M.Phil., Assistant Profesor of Ethics
†Yolanda Y. Smith, B.A.E., M.A., M.Ed., M.Div., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Christian Education
§Bryan D. Spinks, B.A., Dip.Th., M.Th., B.D., D.D., Bishop F. Percy Goddard Professor of Liturgical Studies and Pastoral Theology
Harry S. Stout, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Jonathan Edwards Professor of American Christianity; General Editor, Works of Jonathan Edwards; and Fellow of Berkeley College
*Diana Swancutt, B.A., B.S., M.Div., Ph.D., Associate Professor of New Testament
†Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, B.A., D.Min., Ph.D., Clement-Muehl Professor of Homiletics
Emilie M. Townes, A.B., A.M., D.Min., Ph.D., D.D., Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of African American Studies in Religion and Theology
§Thomas H. Troeger, B.A., B.D., S.T.D., D.D., J. Edward and Ruth Cox Lantz Professor of Christian Communication
Denys Turner, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology
†Miroslav Volf, B.A., M.A., Dr.Theol., Dr.Theol.Habil., Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and Director of the Center for Faith and Culture
Andre C. Willis, B.A., M.T.S., M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of the Philosophy of Religion
†Robert R. Wilson, B.A., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Hoober Professor of Religious Studies, Professor of Old Testament, and Fellow of Morse College

Lecturers
Tony Blair, B.A., Lecturer in Religion and Politics
Barbara J. Blodgett, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
L. Scott Brand, B.A., M.A.R., M.A., M.Phil., Lecturer in Elementary New Testament Greek
Herbert Brockman, B.A., B.H.L., M.A., D.D., Ph.D., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Barbara Cheney, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
John Grim, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Religion and the Environment
Martha Highsmith, B.S., M.S., Ed.D., M.Div., Lecturer in Church Administration
Victoria Hoffer, B.A., M.A.R., Ph.D., Lecturer in Old Testament
Shepard Parsons, B.A., M.Div., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Kyle Pedersen, B.A., M.A.R., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Alice de V. Perry, B.A., M.A., M.A.T., M.Div., D.Min., Lecturer in Pastoral Care
Dale Wood Peterson, B.A., M.Div., Lecturer in the History/Polity of the Baptist Church
John L. Selders, Jr., B.A., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Lynda Lea Snyder, B.A., M.Div., Lecturer in Practical Theology
Patrick Speer, B.A., M.A., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Shelly Stackhouse, B.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Lecturer in Supervised Ministries
Mary Evelyn Tucker, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Senior Lecturer, Religion and the Environment

Visiting and Adjunct Faculty
Randall Balmer, B.A., A.M., M.A., M.Div., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of American Religious History
Jonathan Bonk, Dip.Th., B.R.E., M.A., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Missions and Evangelism
§John W. Cook, B.D., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Religion and the Arts
Harlon Dalton, A.B., J.D., Professor (Adjunct) of Law and Religion
Anna M. Gade, B.A., A.M., Ph.D., Visiting Associate Professor of Ritual Studies
Judith Gundry, B.A., M.A., Th.D., Associate Professor (Adjunct) of New Testament
David Kelsey, B.A., B.D., M.A., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Theology
Donald Kirkham, B.A., M.Ed., B.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Methodist Studies
Ralph Walter Klein, B.A., M.Div., Th.D., Visiting Professor of Lutheran Studies
Robin A. Leaver, Theol.Dip., D.Theol., Visiting Professor of Music History
Marvin McMickle, B.A., M.Div., D.Min., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Homiletics
Kenneth Pieter Minkema, B.A., M.A., Ph.D., Assistant Professor (Adjunct) of American Church History
William G. Rusch, B.A., M.Div., D.Phil., Professor (Adjunct) of Lutheran Studies
Salama Shaker, B.A., M.A., M.A., Ph.D., Visiting Professor of Islamic Studies
Frederick J. Streets, B.A., M.Div., M.S.W., D.S.W., Associate Professor (Adjunct) of Pastoral Theology

*On leave of absence, fall 2008.
†On leave of absence, spring 2009.
‡On leave of absence, 2008–2009.
§Appointed through the Institute of Sacred Music.

General Information

Nature of the Divinity School

The Divinity School is interdenominational and completely nonsectarian. The faculty is drawn from the major Christian traditions, and the students represent almost forty denominations and faith groups. Instruction is provided in the history, doctrines, and polity of all the major church bodies.

Since 1971, Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, an Episcopal seminary, has been affili­ated with Yale Divinity School. Berkeley Divinity School retains its identity through its board of trustees, its dean, and the Berkeley Center located at 363 St. Ronan Street. Episcopal students come under the care of the dean of Berkeley Divinity School for spiritual formation and counseling, but are not otherwise differentiated from other Yale Divinity School students. As a result of the affiliation, there is one integrated student body and faculty.

The Institute of Sacred Music was founded in 1973. It is affiliated with both the School of Music and the Divinity School.

The Divinity School offers programs of study leading to the degrees of Master of Divinity (M.Div.), Master of Arts in Religion (M.A.R.), and Master of Sacred Theology (S.T.M.). Programs for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) are offered by the Department of Religious Studies in the Graduate School.

A number of Divinity School faculty hold joint appointments in the Department of Religious Studies, others regularly participate in the doctoral program, and some Religious Studies faculty regularly offer courses in the Divinity School.

The Divinity School is a graduate professional school of Yale University, which also includes Yale College, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the School of Medicine, the Law School, the School of Art, the School of Music, the School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, the School of Architecture, the School of Nursing, the School of Drama, and the School of Management.

The Divinity School’s Web site can be accessed at www.yale.edu/divinity.

History of the Divinity School

Training for the Christian ministry was a main purpose in the founding of Yale College in 1701. As expressed in its original charter, it was to be a school “wherein Youth may be instructed in the Arts & Sciences who through the blessing of Almighty God may be fitted for Publick employment both in Church & Civil State.” That purpose has always been recognized at Yale, and the history of the University is one of increasing development in the facilities for training for religious service.

During the early years of Yale College its general curriculum, supplemented in some cases by a year or two of reading under the direction of its instructors, was deemed sufficient for ministerial preparation. In 1746 an enlarged recognition of the needs of the ministry led to the establishment of a professorship of divinity through the efforts of President Thomas Clap. By 1822 this had developed into a separate department, later known as the Yale Divinity School.

The degree of Bachelor of Divinity (B.D.) was first conferred in 1867. In June 1971, by vote of the Yale Corporation, this degree was replaced by the Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree. In a reaffirmation of the University’s commitment to the Divinity School, a $49 million renovation of Sterling Divinity Quadrangle was completed in 2003 as the School rededicated itself to serving faith and intellect.

The Berkeley Divinity School at Yale was founded by Bishop John Williams and opened its doors on May 3, 1854, in Middletown, Connecticut. The school took its name from George Berkeley, bishop of Cloyne, Ireland, philosopher, educator, and missionary, who spent three years in Rhode Island (1728–30) seeking to establish a theological college in the New World. His plans failed, but he became a benefactor of Yale College, establishing graduate scholarships and donating books to the library. John Williams, while president of Trinity College in Hartford, established a theological department for ordinands. After his election as assistant bishop of Connecticut, he moved to Middletown, taking this department with him as the nucleus of his new divinity school. Bishop Williams was dean of Berkeley until 1899, at the same time serving as bishop of Connecticut and also as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church.

The Berkeley Divinity School was founded on the one-hundredth anniversary of Bishop Berkeley’s death, and its move to New Haven in 1928 commemorated the two-hundredth anniversary of his coming to America. Berkeley was moved to New Haven in order to better fulfill its mission by being in touch with the resources of an urban center and a great university, a purpose fulfilled by its affiliation with Yale Divinity School in 1971.

The Yale Institute of Sacred Music is also affiliated with Yale Divinity School. ISM was established at Yale in 1973 through a gift from Clementine Tangeman and her brother J. Irwin Miller. The Institute is a successor to the renowned School of Sacred Music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City; the first director of ISM was organist Robert Baker, who had also been director of the School of Sacred Music. Over the decades at Yale, ISM has continued in its primary purpose of training musicians for the churches, and it supports programs in choral conducting and organ performance (both with the Yale School of Music) and in liturgical studies and religion and the arts (both with the Divinity School). A focus on the arts and worship within theological education is possible at the Divinity School because of the support given by ISM. ISM also offers generous scholarships to candidates for the M.Div. and M.A.R. in the Divinity School and to musicians in the School of Music.

Yale Divinity School Mission Statement

Yale Divinity School has an enduring commitment to foster the knowledge and love of God through critical engagement with the traditions of the Christian churches in the context of the contemporary world. It furnishes resources for the churches to reflect critically on their identity and mission in response to changing social and cultural realities and other religions of the world. It offers a university setting for the scholarly assessment of the religious features of human existence. Ecumenical and university-based, the School recognizes as indispensable to its mission a communal environment that combines rigorous scholarly inquiry, public worship and spiritual nurture, practical involvement with the churches’ ministries, and mutual regard among human beings across the diversities of gender, sexual orientation, race, class, nationality, and culture.

The Divinity School pursues its mission through three principal activities: (1) it enables women and men to prepare for the lay and ordained ministries of the Christian churches; (2) through its own programs and through the participation of members of its faculty in programs of the Graduate School, it shares in the education of those who will become scholars and teachers on the faculties of theological schools and departments of religious studies; and, (3) in conjunction with other professional schools of the University, it equips persons anticipating professional service in education, law, health care, social work, community organizations, public life, or the arts to understand more fully the theological basis of their vocations.

Adopted by the Yale Divinity School faculty, April 2, 1991.

Next: Faculty Profiles