Martien Halvorson-Taylor

Martien Halvorson-Taylor is a professor at the University of Virginia who specializes in the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (Harvard University, PhD). In her writing and teaching, she explores how biblical narratives and poetry were interpreted—and how they continue to articulate the major human questions and provide for existential reflection. 

She has written numerous scholarly books and articles, as well as the public-facing Writing the Bible (Audible Short Course/Great Courses) and her podcast, Sacred and Profane (religionlab.virginia.edu). She is the winner of the 2025 Richards Award for Public Scholarship (Society of Biblical Literature) for demonstrated excellence in public scholarship on the Bible and religions.