Gabrielle Thomas was appointed Dean and President of Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in 2026. Her scholarly work focuses primarily on historical theology, in particular fourth-century Christian thought, and is fuelled by a commitment to considering the implications of historical theology for contemporary theology, and to enriching the life of the Church today. She is the author of three books: The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought (Cambridge University Press, 2026); For the Good of the Church: Unity, Theology, & Women (SCM Press, 2021); The Image of God in the Theology of Gregory of Nazianzus (Cambridge University Press, 2019). She has also edited a book: Women and Ordination in the Orthodox Church – Explorations in Theology and Practice (Cascade, 2020) and published over twenty-five scholarly articles and chapters. She is currently working on a book aimed at non-specialists, entitled I Renounce Satan and All His Works (Baker Academic, 2029), which makes meaning of this baptismal vow today.
Before coming to Yale, Professor Thomas was Associate Professor of Early Christianity and Anglican Studies at Emory University and Theologian-in-Community at St Luke’s Episcopal Church, Atlanta. She also served on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s Theological Reflection Group for nearly a decade and was the first woman appointed to the Anglican-Oriental Orthodox International Commission. Her public writing is published online in journals and blogs such as Wabash, Seen&Unseen, The Living Church, Earth & Altar, and SCM Press Blog. You can learn more about her story here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3yNDAoDR0