Dr Lee, presently Frank Woods Distinguished Lecturer in Biblical Studies at Trinity, is a world-renowned teacher and author whose work on the interpretation of the Gospel of John has been widely acclaimed. Her recent publications include the books Flesh and Glory: Symbol, Gender and Theology in the Gospel of John (Crossroad, 2002) and Transfiguration (Continuum, 2004).
She is a member of the Doctrine Commission of the Anglican Church of Australia, of the Society of Biblical Literature, and of the prestigious Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas.
Before ordination as an Anglican priest in 2008, Dr Lee was a minister in the Uniting Church of Australia and taught New Testament studies at the United Theological College in Sydney and the Uniting Church Theological Hall in Melbourne.
She holds a first-class honours degree in Arts and a Diploma of Education from the University of Newcastle, and also received first-class honours and the University Medal on graduating with her Bachelor of Divinity from the University of Sydney. She completed her PhD in 1990 at the same university.
In May 2011 Dorothy had a paper published in the Australian Theological Studies Journal: Pascal Imagery in the Gospel of John: A Narrative and Symbolic Reading. It reflects on how Passover imagery is central to the narrative structure and theological content of the fourth Gospel.
Trinity’s Warden and Acting Dean of the Theological School, Associate Professor Andrew McGowan, has welcomed Dr Lee’s appointment: “Dorothy Lee brings a wealth of gifts to this important position. As a theological scholar of international distinction she models a serious and faithful engagement with the Bible to which all students and colleagues can aspire.”
Dr Lee, who takes up her new role on 14 March, expressed her own hopes for the position: “I am delighted to be offered this challenging position at Trinity College. The Theological School has a long tradition of commitment to scholarship and ministry, and we are currently well placed to expand and develop that tradition.”
Trinity’s Theological School was founded in 1877 within the College to provide clergy with a “large and liberal” education alongside students of other disciplines. Today, Trinity staff and students are part of the United Faculty of Theology, an ecumenical consortium within the Melbourne College of Divinity.
