Anneli Aejmelaeus passed away in the early hours of Tuesday, November 18, 2025. She retired in 2016 from her position as Professor of Old Testament Exegesis and Middle Eastern Culture and Literature at the University of Helsinki. Early in her career, she studied translation technique of the Septuagint under Ilmari Soisalon-Soininen. For the last 30 years, she focused on textual criticism of the Septuagint, particularly the Books of Samuel.

Shortly before her passing, Aejmelaeus completed the Septuagint edition of 1 Samuel for the Göttingen Academy of Sciences. She also compiled her articles on textual criticism of the Books of Samuel into a collection, which her closest students will edit for publication.

Aejmelaeus led two research projects funded by the Academy of Finland and a research team in the Centre of Excellence "Changes in Sacred Texts and Traditions," where she also served as deputy director. She supervised over a dozen dissertations in Finland and Germany and had a significant impact in many international contexts.