Dr. Abigail Ann Young is a Medieval scholar with a particular interest in the history of biblical exegesis. She earned a B.A. in Latin from The University of Texas at Austin, M.A. in Classical Languages and M.A. in Late Ancient History from University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Licenciate in Medieval Studies from Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, St Michael’s College, University of Toronto, and Ph.D. in Medieval Studies from University of Toronto. Prior to her retirement Young worked as palaeographer, Latinist, and general research associate and editor at the Records of Early English Drama project at Victoria College in the University of Toronto. She can be found at her website, on Academia.edu, and on Twitter.

How did you decide to become a biblical scholar? Share your autobiographical journey.

I suppose it was my family that sowed the seeds, so to speak. When I was 8 years old my great aunt gave me a King James Bible, which set me to trying to read the Bible myself. I didn’t have very great success until my mother brought home the New Testament in the New English Bible translation when I was in high school. Suddenly I could understand the language, which was tremendously exciting, even though I couldn’t understand most of the concepts!

So when I joined the church as a university student, it seemed natural to want to use the language and textual skills I was learning in Classical Studies to study the Bible. It took me some time to figure out that, as a mostly-closeted gay woman with a partner, the clergy was not at that time an open path. (I have come to realise that this was a good thing in the end, since my gifts are far more for teaching and preaching than they are pastoral: I would not have made a good priest.) A course in Byzantine History started me in the direction of history of theology. Eventually at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies I found a way forward: the history of exegesis with professors who encouraged me to look at contemporary exegesis as well as mediaeval exegesis.  More→