Xianmin (Joseph) Li, Lic.

Xianmin (Joseph) Li is a doctoral student at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome and a visiting scholar at the University of Notre Dame for the current academic year. He earned his Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (SSL) from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in 2020. During his studies, he gained proficiency in Biblical Hebrew, Greek, Aramaic, and Akkadian. His licentiate thesis focused on the fall of Jerusalem in the Book of Jeremiah, examining its historical background through extrabiblical materials alongside textual analysis.

Following his SSL, he worked on professional Hebrew/Aramaic-to-Chinese Bible translation, focusing on the Books of Ezra and Judges. He also contributed to a Biblical Hebrew/Aramaic–Chinese Lexicon, mainly editing the Aramaic section for the letter Alef.

In 2023, he began his doctoral studies (Doctor of Sacred Scripture, SSD) at the Pontifical Biblical Institute, focusing on the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. His research centers on Isaiah 14:4-21, one of the oracles against the nations. Beyond textual exegesis, his project explores the historical context of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, applies the Social Identity Approach to biblical interpretation, and compares biblical texts with Ancient Near Eastern sources, specifically Assyrian and Ugaritic texts.

During his year at the McGrath Institute, he will conduct research related to his dissertation, study the Ugaritic language with a noted scholar who teaches here at Notre Dame, and develop proficiency in academic English. In November, as part of his program, he will attend the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature in Denver.