Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture

The position of Dean Ireland's Professor of the Exegesis of Holy Scripture was established at the University of Oxford in 1847.

This professorship in the critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts, a field known as exegesis, was instituted by John Ireland, who was Dean of Westminster from 1816 until his death in 1842.

[1] He founded scholarships in his lifetime at the University of Oxford, which are still awarded after an examination to undergraduates "for the promotion of classical learning and taste".

[6] As of 2017[update], 13 men have held the position of Dean Ireland's Professor, with differing interests in scriptural exegesis (critical interpretation or explanation of biblical texts).

[5] In contrast, the third professor, Henry Liddon (elected nine years after Hawkins resigned), was a prominent member of the Oxford Movement.

A black-and-white photograph of two men wearing glasses, the man on the right writing in a book while the man on the left watches
G. B. Caird , who held the position from 1977 to 1984