Tyndale University’s Board of Governors, Senate, and Faculty are pleased to announce that Dr. Marion Taylor will be conferred the degree Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) at this year’s Seminary Convocation on Saturday, May 9, 2026.
Tyndale University confers the Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) on candidates for outstanding lengthy service in some avenue of Christian ministry. This degree honours a person whom the Board of Governors and Senate believe has provided outstanding service to Canada and/or the world; it recognizes their exceptional contribution to society as a person of Christian faith who models Tyndale’s mission, aspirations, and values.
Dr. Marion Taylor more than exemplifies these virtues.
“Dr. Taylor’s scholarship, personal character, and vocation resonate strongly with Tyndale’s mission and ethos.”
— President & Vice Chancellor, Dr. Marjory Kerr
Having grown up in Toronto, Dr. Taylor began her academic studies at the University of Toronto. She holds a BA from the University of Toronto and a Master of Divinity degree at Knox College. Before turning to theology, she completed an MA in Near Eastern Studies at the University of Toronto. She later attained a Master of Sacred Theology and a PhD from Yale University, where her interest in the history of the interpretation of the Bible was solidified. Dr. Taylor is currently a Professor of Old Testament and Graduate Director at Wycliffe College, University of Toronto, where she has taught for nearly forty years.
A question from a student in 2002 prompted her to begin her life’s work of researching women interpreters of the Bible. Dr. Taylor and a team of students and scholars unearthed the names and writings on scripture of hundreds of women throughout history. This has led to the publication of more than fifty articles and book chapters, as well as nine books and edited volumes.
One of her most important contributions was the landmark Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters: A Historical and Biographical Guide, published by Baker in 2012. The Handbook of Women Biblical Interpreters won The Word Guild’s 2013 Best Canadian Academic Book award and has become a standard reference work and an invaluable tool for resourcing further study on women interpreters.
“[Dr. Taylor’s] commitment to supporting and empowering women in the church aligns with our own commitments regarding women in ministry. Her fine scholarship, combined with her living faith and deep commitment to the church, exemplify the aspirations we have for the Tyndale community. She embodies the mission of Tyndale’s Seminary to equip students to pursue truth and excellence, to enrich their hearts and form their character in order that they may serve the church and the world,” celebrates Dr. Marjory Kerr.
Having demonstrated exemplary service to theological education and Christian higher education in Canada and globally, Dr. Taylor has received many honours including the 2014 Evangelical Christian Publishers Association Christian Book Award and in 2006, a Mentoring Award from the Society of Biblical Literature Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession. She served as the President of the Canadian Society of Biblical Studies from 2011 to 2012 and President of the Canadian-American Theological Association from 2016 to 2018.
With a distinguished teaching record, she has been a mentor to many scholars and church leaders, including several Tyndale faculty and alumni. Dr. Taylor has been a friend of Tyndale for many years, accepting some of Tyndale’s brightest graduates as her students. She taught for a time in one of Tyndale’s modular programs as a visiting lecturer in the late 1990s.
“We are delighted to confer the honorary Doctor of Divinity (honoris causa) on Dr. Marion Taylor in recognition of her outstanding, lengthy service to Christian ministry and education,” says Dr. Marjory Kerr.