For Immediate Release

Princeton Seminary Professor Elected President of Academic Society

Princeton, NJ, December 1, 2005– Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, Princeton Seminary’s William Albright Eisenberger Professor of Old Testament Literature and Exegesis, was elected vice president of the Society of Biblical Literature at the group’s annual meeting in Philadelphia, November 19–22. She will, according to tradition, serve as vice president during 2006 and then assume the presidency of the society in 2007. This is the highest honor that can be accorded a member of the Society of Biblical Literature.

Sakenfeld, who is also director of Ph.D. studies at Princeton, focuses her research on Old Testament prophetic literature, Israelite and Judean history, and feminist biblical interpretation. She is the author of several books on Old Testament interpretation and has coedited introductory articles and annotations for the Oxford Study Bible. She is a former president of the Biblical Colloquium and has served on the Committee on Preparation for Ministry of the Presbytery of New Brunswick for many years.

The Society of Biblical Literature, founded in 1880, supports the critical investigation of the Bible. It provides a forum for conversation and resources for those interested in the religions, history, literature, and culture of the ancient Near Eastern world. More than 6,000 members from every continent provide opportunity to test ideas and advance the understanding of the Bible’s role in the public arena. Its annual meeting is the largest gathering of biblical scholars in the world.