Richard Bevan Hays (born May 4, 1948) is an American New Testament scholar and George Washington Ivey Professor Emeritus of New Testament Duke Divinity School in Durham, North Carolina. He is an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

Hays received his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Yale College, his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from Emory University.

Hays returned to Yale Divinity School as an Assistant Professor of New Testament in 1981 and taught there until 1991, when he moved to Duke Divinity School. He was named George Washington Ivey Professor of New Testament in 2002. In 2010, he became Dean of the Divinity School. He stepped down from the role of Dean in 2015 and went on medical leave following a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. After successful treatment, he was able to return to teaching, and retired in 2018.^[2][3]

Hays is considered one of the world's leading New Testament scholars,^[4] with Stanley Hauerwas writing "There are few people I would rather read for the actual exposition of the New Testament than Richard Hays."^[5] Hays' work focuses on New Testament theology and ethics, the Pauline epistles, and early Christian interpretation of the Old Testament.

In the field of New Testament studies, Hays has often been identified with figures such as N. T. Wright^{[citation needed]} and Luke Timothy Johnson^{[citation needed]}. Some of Hays' studies surround the narrative interpretation of Scripture, the New Testament's use of the Old Testament, the subjective genitive reading of pistis Christou ("faith(fulness) of Christ") in Paul, and the role of community in the New Testament. Hays is well known for his criticisms of the Jesus Seminar and the modern Historical Jesus movement. Hays has also been vocal about his criticisms of Dan Brown's best-selling The Da Vinci Code for its controversial historical claims.

Christianity Today named Hays's book Moral Vision of the New Testament one of the top 100 most important religious books of the 20th century.^[6] As a theologically conservative Methodist, he has throughout the course of his career remained committed to his Wesleyan roots in emphasizing the importance of charity and friendship in the Christian life. Moreover, Hays is a committed pacifist. He makes his position clear in The Moral Vision of the New Testament, in which he argues that Jesus Christ taught his disciples to be non-violent.

Hays and his son, Christopher, have published a new book, The Widening of God's Mercy, "a fresh, deeply biblical account of God’s expanding grace and mercy, tracing how the Bible’s narrative points to the full inclusion of LGBTQ people in Christian communities," which "closes with Richard Hays’s epilogue reflecting on his own change of heart and mind."^[7] He and his son Christopher were interviewed about the book and its genesis on All Things Considered^[8]

In 2008, a Festschrift was published in his honor. The Word Leaps the Gap: Essays on Scripture and Theology in Honor of Richard B. Hays included contributions from Stanley Hauerwas, E. P. Sanders, James D. G. Dunn, Francis Watson, N. T. Wright, and Ellen F. Davis.

• Hays, Richard B. (1989). Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300044713.^[9]
• ——— (1996). The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco. ISBN 978-0-0606-3796-5. OCLC 34409994.^[10]
• ——— (1997). First Corinthians. Interpretation. Louisville, KT: Westminster, John Knox Press.^[11]
• ——— (1998). New Testament Ethics: the story retold. J. J. Thiessen lectures. Vol. 1997. Winnipeg, OT: CMBC Publications. ISBN 978-0-9207-1861-2. OCLC 40052874.
• ——— (2002). The Faith of Jesus Christ: The Narrative Substructure of Galatians 3:1-4:11 (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.
• ——— (2005). The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul as Interpreter of Israel's Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.^[12]
• ——— (2014). Reading Backwards: figural Christology and the fourfold gospel witness. London: SPCK Publishing. ISBN 978-0281074082.
• ——— (2016). Echoes of Scripture in the Gospels. Baylor University Press. ISBN 9781481305242.
• ——— (2020). Reading with the Grain of Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802878458.
• ——— (2024). The Widening of God's Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300273427.

• ———; Davis, Ellen F., eds. (2003). The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802812698. OCLC 53287862.^[13]
• ———; Alkier, Stefan, eds. (2005). Die Bibel im Dialog der Schriften: Konzepte intertextueller Bibellektuere. Tübingen/Basel: Francke.
• ———; Gaventa, Beverly Roberts, eds. (2008). Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Pilgrimage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802824714. OCLC 213452269. ^[14]
• ———; Alkier, Stefan; Huizenga, Leroy Andrew, eds. (2009). Reading the Bible intertextually. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. ISBN 9781602581807. OCLC 213599385.
• ———; Perrin, Nicholas, eds. (2011). Jesus, Paul and the People of God: A Theological Dialogue with N. T. Wright. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic. ISBN 978-0-830-83897-4. OCLC 666492764.
• ———; Alkier, Stefan, eds. (2012). Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. ISBN 9781602585614. OCLC 773273276.

• ——— (2003). "Reading Scripture in Light of the Resurrection". In ———; Davis, Ellen F. (eds.). The Art of Reading Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. pp. 216–38. ISBN 9780802812698. OCLC 53287862.
• ——— (2008). "The Story of God's Son: The identity of Jesus in the letters of Paul". In ———; Gaventa, Beverly Roberts (eds.). Seeking the Identity of Jesus: A Pilgrimage. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans. pp. 180–99. ISBN 9780802824714. OCLC 213452269.
• ——— (2009). "The Liberation of Israel in Luke-Acts: intertextual narration as countercultural practice". In ———; Alkier, Stefan; Huizenga, Leroy Andrew (eds.). Reading the Bible intertextually. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. pp. 101–18. ISBN 9781602581807. OCLC 213599385.
• ——— (2012). "Faithful Witness, Alpha and Omega: the identity of Jesus in the Apocalypse of John". In ———; Alkier, Stefan (eds.). Revelation and the Politics of Apocalyptic Interpretation. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press. pp. 69–83. ISBN 9781602585614. OCLC 773273276.

• ——— (1999). "The Conversion of the Imagination: Scripture and Eschatology in 1 Corinthians". New Testament Studies. 45 (1): 391–412. doi:10.1017/S0028688598003919. S2CID 170337907.
• ——— (2007). "Reading the Bible with Eyes of Faith: The Practice of Theological Exegesis". Journal of Theological Interpretation. 1 (1): 5–21. doi:10.2307/26421375. JSTOR 26421375.

• Hays' Profile at Duke Divinity School