Published March 11, 2025

A Service of Death and Resurrection was held at Duke University Chapel on Feb. 28 for Richard B. Hays, former dean and George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. Hays died on Jan. 3, 2025, from pancreatic cancer at age 76. 
 
The service was led by the Rev. Meghan Benson, chaplain at Duke Divinity School; the Rev. Dr. Edgardo Colón-Emeric, dean and Ruth and A. Morris Williams Jr. Professor of Theology and Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School; and the Rev. Dr. Gloria Winston, executive director of the NCCU Wesley Campus Ministry and former pastor of CityWell UMC in Durham, N.C., where Hays and his wife, Judy, were members. The lectors—the Rev. Dr. Christopher B. Hays, D. Wilson Moore Professor of Old Testament and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary and Hays’ son; the Rev. Dr. Ross Wagner, associate professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School; Dr. Kavin Rowe, vice dean for faculty and George Washington Ivey Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Duke Divinity School; and the Rev. Lloyd (Whis) Hays, executive director of Rock the World Youth Mission Alliance and Hays' brother—read Scripture passages selected by Hays before his death for the service. The preacher, the Rev. Dr. Richard Lischer, James T. and Alice Mead Cleland Professor Emeritus of Preaching at Duke Divinity School, delivered a stirring sermon from Romans 8 titled “A Magnificent Closing Argument.”

Personal tributes and remembrances were given by Hays’ children, Sarah E. Hays Coomer and the Rev. Dr. Christopher B. Hays, and by a colleague and friend the Rev. Dr. Susan Eastman, associate research professor emerita of New Testament at Duke Divinity School. Music was provided by Chad Fothergill, Duke Chapel and Goodson Chapel organist; soloist Jesse Huddleston, director of music ministry at CityWell UMC and chair of Pride for the LGBTQ Center of Durham; and pianist Angie Kay Hong, director of educational programs for Leadership Education at Duke Divinity. 

A reception was held at the Divinity Café, and the family received friends in Goodson Chapel, where two volumes of the Heritage Edition of The Saint John’s Bible were displayed. These volumes were part of a gift to Duke University by Ken Krebs L’84 and his wife Jackie Krebs. A series of Haitian Oil Drum Art panels by artist Jean Sylvestre, a gift to the Divinity School from Richard and Judy Hays, were also displayed.

Watch a recording of the service.

"Richard Hays was a serious scholar. Serious first because he believed he held and interpreted the most serious and sacred of objects, the Holy Scriptures. He was serious because he labored over every word in his writing. He also took those sacred words to heart and lived his life as a faithful husband, father, colleague, friend to those around, including Sherrill and me. Richard left a legacy which will not quickly fade because he laid its foundations deliberately and seriously. Finally, he took life seriously when he sang, joked and enjoyed a good meal with friends for the gift of life requires all to live our blessed life to the fullest." — Dan G. Blazer, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., JP Gibbons Professor Emeritus at Duke University School of Medicine and emeritus member of Duke Divinity Board of Visitors

Dan Blazer and Richard Hays stand on Bovender Terrace

"Since Richard’s death I’ve recalled how deeply encouraging he was of me from the earliest conversations. When I met him as a first-year student, seeking to place out of his Intro to New Testament class, he was eager to engage my moxie and nurture my interests, even though I was all historical method and wildly uncertain in my Christian faith. Later, after I graduated and faced a professional disappointment, he made a point to reach out to me and took me to lunch to share in my disappointment and give me some insight and hope for the future. As time passed, I began to appreciate his work more and more, and his literary approach to scripture cracked open the Bible in new ways that resisted the flat-footed literalism of fundamentalist and historical critics alike. 

"My delight at starting the role as chaplain at Duke Divinity School was limited only by knowing Richard would be stepping down as dean within the year. But instead, on my second week on the job, the news of the pancreatic cancer came. The first service I led was a prayer service for Richard, and I recall that as I was presiding over communion the heavens opened with a deluge of rain, and the large windows behind me were dark with clouds and streaks of water. It felt as if all creation were groaning in grief that we were all feeling. 

"Richard had been so open and vulnerable with me (and others) about his own grief at the diagnosis. But then he lived! And lived some more. And in so many ways, the last decade was filled with so much joy and purpose. It is often the case that as people age, they become more and more hardened in their views, but Richard seemed to become more and more tender and open to the ongoing and gentle transformation of the Spirit. I found that to be profoundly beautiful, but at its core, it is reflective of who he was—a curious and generous listener, a careful and discerning scholar, and a wise and deeply kind man of faith. It has been such a joy to know him all these years, and such an honor to participate in his service." — The Rev. Meghan Benson M.Div.’02, Chaplain

"Richard was largely responsible for convincing me to come to Duke, though he did not do it through any kind of recruitment campaign. He simply revisited the possibility periodically over nearly a decade, in the normal course of being a close professional friend, a friend who thought carefully about what might be best for me. This was my first exposure to an aspect of Richard’s character and vocation that I would come to know well yet still find surprising: in addition to being a world-class scholar and one of the most impactful teachers I have ever known, he was a dedicated institution builder. 

"We at Duke are all blessed beyond measure by his commitment to bringing the School to a higher level of academic distinction, and doing that selflessly; recruited to the deanship at the height of his career, Richard cut deeply into years that might have been devoted to his own writing and scholarship, as well as to the family he loves so dearly. When I count the blessings that have touched me most closely, I see also what was most rare in his 'leadership style': even as he made great sacrifices, he never distanced himself from the things that made him such a profound human being and Christian, friendship being among the chief of them. This is his witness as a disciple of Jesus Christ, and therefore it may be the most important thing that Richard still has to teach us. May we ourselves be worthy of what we have seen in and received from him." — Ellen F. Davis, Amos Ragan Kearns Distinguished Professor of Bible and Practical Theology

Ellen Davis looks at Richard Hays in Goodson Chapel with his dean portrait

"Dean Hays became the permanent dean of the divinity school during my first year. I still remember the signs adorning elevators, stairwells, and walls extolling, 'God save the Dean.' I was sitting alone in what was then the Refectory on a particularly difficult day. While praying for guidance and consolation, I planned to eat lunch quickly and get back to work. A voice came from behind me asking, 'May I join you?' I said turned around to see Dean Hays carrying a tray of his lunch. He sat across from me, noting that he had planned to eat in his office until he saw me sitting alone and decided to ask to join me. We talked about our families, and I resisted the temptation to sing 'Oklahoma!' As we departed to return to our beckoning work, I understood the signs adorning the halls. 

"I remember our conversation fondly and with gratitude. It was one of many sign posts that lead me to hear my vocational call. I am grateful for Dean Hays’ life, scholarship, faithful witness, and pastoral care. His memory is a blessing." — The Rev. Ebony J. Grisom M.Div.'13, Director for Protestant Life at Georgetown University and former member of Divinity National Alumni Council
 

"Richard Hays was a remarkable person. The substance of his scholarship was matched by his integrity and intellectual humility. He spoke thoughtfully and carefully, and he had a seriousness about his work that is rare. His service to the Divinity School and Duke University was long and effective. His care for his friends and colleagues was at once both focused and encompassing. To say that he will be missed is completely inadequate." — C. Kavin Rowe, Vice Dean for Faculty and George Washington Ivey Distinguished Professor of New Testament

Portrait of Richard Hays displayed in nave of Duke Chapel

Tributes and Remembrances

Engaging Scripture with Dr. Nijay K. Gupta: A Remembrance

Disseminary by A.K.A. Adam: Richard B. Hays

Bible, Sex, and Gender by Karen Keen: Richard Hays' Last Word

Writing in the Dust by Wesley Hill: Remembering Richard Hays

Insights, by John Squires: A Fine Man, A Great Scholar

Baptist News, by Carey Newman: Poet, Scholar, Theologian, Preacher

Faith & Leadership, by Angie Hong: My Friend Richard