Silas Vermilya

Silas Vermilya is a Ph.D student in Hebrew Bible. His research primarily focuses on biblical poetry, especially texts that deal with lament, trauma, and theodicy. He is particularly interested in the books of Psalms and Lamentations, exploring how ancient understandings of divinity and human suffering developed in response to the crisis of exile. Beyond examining their historical legacy in the contexts from which they emerged, Silas’s work also engages the afterlives of these texts in dialogue with survival literature from other communities impacted by various catastrophes throughout history. His additional interests include Israelite religion, Jewish biblical interpretation, literary-critical approaches to biblical studies, and the study of Hebrew and other NW Semitic languages.

 

Prior to coming to SMU for doctoral studies, Silas received bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Philosophy from Indiana Wesleyan University (2021), an M.Div from Emory University (2024), and a Th.M in Biblical Studies from Emory University (2025).

 

Course Advisor: Roy L. Heller

 

Publications:

 

“Licking Ilu’s Wounds: The Hair of a Dog as the Hangover Cure in KTU 1.114. Aula Orientalis (2026): [Forthcoming].

 

“Overclouding Daughter Zion in Anger: Reconsidering יָעִיב with a Religio-Historical Perspective.” Vetus Testamentum (published online ahead of print, 2025).

 

“A Mixed-Methods Experience Sampling of a Posttraumatic Growth Model for Addiction Recovery.” Co-authored with Jason D. Runyan, Megan St. Pierre, Nate Brooks, Avery Fowler, & Tia Brewer. Scientific Reports 14, no. 3511 (2024).

 

Presentations:

 

“Plotting Daughter Zion’s Ruin: The Destruction of Cities, Ritual Theory, & the Symbolic Razing of Jerusalem in Lam 2:1-9.” Paper Presented in the Ritual & the Biblical World Section. Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting. Boston, MA—November 24, 2025.

 

Fellowships/Awards:

 

(2025-Present) - GPRS Ph.D Fellowship (SMU)

(2025-Present) - GPRS Ph.D Scholarship (SMU)

(2023-2024) - Holy Trinity Centennial Scholarship (Holy Trinity Episcopal Parish)

(2024) - Orme McAllister Miller Scholarship (Emory University)

(2024) - Master of Theology Scholarship (Emory University)

(2024) - Boone M. Bowen Award for Studies in Biblical Hebrew (Emory University)

(2023-2024) - Robert W. Woodruff Fellowship (Emory University)

(2021-2023) - Felix Robertson Hill Scholarship (Emory University)

(2020) - Daktronics Cross-Country Scholar-Athlete Honors (NAIA)

(2020) - Daktronics Track & Field Scholar-Athlete Honors (NAIA)

(2020) - Men’s Track & Field All-Academic Honors (Crossroads League Conference)

(2019-2020) - Men’s XC All-Academic Honors (Crossroads League Conference)

(2017) - Willard B. Gemmill Scholarship (Indiana Wesleyan University)