Joel M. LeMon
- PhD, Emory University, 2007
- MDiv, Princeton Theological Seminary, 2001
- BA, Shenandoah Conservatory of Music, 1998
The Rev. Dr. Joel M. LeMon, who has been a member of Candler’s faculty since 2007, views music as a tool for engaging with Scripture. His classes combine that artistic passion with an expertise in Old Testament interpretation and ancient Near Eastern history to teach students how to interpret Scripture carefully and faithfully.
LeMon's research focuses on the Psalms, Hebrew and Ugaritic poetry, and ancient Near Eastern history, literature and art. He is the author of Yahweh’s Winged Form in the Psalms: Exploring Congruent Iconography and Texts (Academic Press, 2010) and the co-editor of Method Matters: Essays on the Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Honor of David L. Petersen (Society of Biblical Literature, 2009) and Image, Text, Exegesis: Iconographic Interpretation and the Hebrew Bible (T&T Clark/Bloomsbury, 2015). In addition, he has several books in progress, including one that focuses on violence in the Psalms and ancient Near Eastern iconography, for which he received a grant from the Emory University Research Committee.
LeMon is dedicated to the church, the academy, and the Candler community, evidenced by his frequent speaking engagements at universities, associations, and churches, his appointments as co-chair of two subcommittees of the Society of Biblical Literature, a position on the editorial board of the scholarly journal Interpretation, and his selection to numerous committees at Candler. He is an elder in the Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Selected Publications
Books
Picturing Righteous Violence in the Psalms and Ancient Near Eastern Iconography (forthcoming)
Co-editor,Image, Text, Exegesis: Iconographic Interpretation and the Hebrew Bible, Bloomsbury, 2015
Yahweh's Winged Form in the Psalms: Exploring Congruent Iconography and Texts, Academic Press Fribourg, 2010
Co-editor,Method Matters: Essays on the Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in Honor of David L. Petersen, SBL Press, 2009
Chapters and Articles
Co-author., “The Garments of God: Iconographic Case Studies from Isaiah 6:1; 59:17; and 63:1-10,” in Clothing and Nudity in the Hebrew Bible, T&T Clark, 2019
Co-author., “Religion in Eighth-Century Judah: The Case of Kuntillet ‘Ajrud (and Beyond),” in Archaeology and History of Eighth-century Judah. Society of Biblical Literature, 2018
“Epiphany of the Lord, Psalm 72:1-7, 10-14 (Isaiah 60:1-6),” “Second Sunday after Christmas Day, Psalm 147:12-20 (Jeremiah 31:7-14)” and “First Sunday after Christmas Day Psalm 148 (I Samuel 2:18-20, 26),” in Connections: A Lectionary Commentary Preaching and Worship, Year C, Vol. 1, Westminster John Knox, September 01, 2018
“Re-reading a Difficult Text: Violence against Children and Girls in the Reception History of Psalm 137,” in Reading for Faith and Learning: Essays in Honor of M. Patrick Graham, Abeline Christian University Press, 2017
“Egypt and Egyptians,” in The World Around the Old Testament, Baker Academic, 2016
"How We Teach Introductory Bible Courses: A Comparative and Historical Sampling," in Teaching Theology and Religion, Wiley, May 19, 2016
"Masking the Blow: Psalm 81 and the Iconography of Divine Violence" and "On Wings in a Prayer: Multistable Images for God in Psalm 63," in A Textbook for Iconographic Exegesis, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2015
"Psalm 118:10-12 and the Iconography of Disarticulation," in Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, vol. 126, De Gruyter, April 01, 2014
"Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Psalms," in Oxford Handbook of the Psalms, Oxford University Press, 2014
"Yahweh's Hand and the Iconography of the Blow in Psalm 81:14-16," in Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 132, SBL Press, December 01, 2013
"Saying Amen to Violent Psalms: Patterns of Prayer, Belief, and Action in the Psalter," in Soundings in the Theology of Psalms: Perspectives and Methods in Contemporary Scholarship, Fortress Press, 2010
Co-author, "The Dead and Their Images: An Egyptian Etymology for Hebrew 'ôb," in Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections, vol. 1, no. 4, University of Arizona, December 01, 2009
Selected Awards
Candler Teaching and Research Grant for “First Reading Podcast,” Candler School of Theology, 2019-2020
Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning in Theology and Religion for “Transforming Pedagogy for Religion and Theology Through Online Teaching,” 2017-2020
University Research Committee Grant for "Break the Teeth of the Wicked": Picturing Righteous Violence in the Psalms and Ancient Near Eastern Iconograph, Emory University, 2014-2015
Violence in the Psalms and Ancient Near Eastern Iconograph, Emory University, 2014-2015
Seed Grant for "Psalms for a Changing Planet," Seminary Stewardship Alliance, 2014
Candler Research and Teaching Grant for An Ugaritic Handbook, Candler School of Theology, 2015
Lilly Theological Research Grant to support the production of "Break the Teeth of the Wicked": Picturing Righteous Violence in the Psalms and Ancient Near Eastern Iconography, Faculty Fellowship, 2010-2011
Candler Research and Teaching Grant for the creation of pedagogical tools for Biblical Hebrew, Candler School of Theology, 2009
Emory University Research Committee Grant for The Iconography of Yahweh's Winged Form in the Psalms, 2009
Dissertation Fellow, Center for Humanistic Inquiry, Emory University, 2006-2007
Scripture Lesson: Psalm 1 - Service of Table, Cannon Chapel, September 3, 2019
“Student-Professor Collaboration Leads to Scholarly Duet,” 2019
Service of Word and Table, Cannon Chapel, September 4, 2018
Service of Word and Table, Cannon Chapel, October 31, 2017
Service of Word and Table, Cannon Chapel, November 1, 2016
"Lucas Cranach’s 'Law and Grace' and Scripture," Reformation Day at Emory, October 27, 2016
Service of Word and Table, Cannon Chapel, November 3, 2015
"Though the Earth Should Change: Psalms for a Planet in Crisis" - Candler Practical Ministry Webinars, December 4, 2014
"The Candler Centennial Video: Story and Prophecy" - Candler School of Theology, October 24, 2015
Selected Courses
Elementary Biblical Hebrew
Issues in Old Testament Interpretation (DMin only)
Old Testament Introducation I and II
Psalms
Scripture and Music
Scripture, Theology & Practice (DMin only)
Through the Museum with the Bible