2,500-3,200 words (8-10 pages)
Your paper must have a thesis statement printed in italics. A thesis is an argument or a claim, which you will then back up with evidence in your paper.
Audience: aim toward a critical audience.
Perspective/Focus: historical-literary, not theological. The genre you are writing in is the historical genre. You are approaching the material as a historian. That means you are setting aside completely what the text might mean for us today. Your only interest is what the material might have meant to ancient people who heard it for the first time, using the tools you will learn in class. Your ability to demonstrate accomplished writing as a historian, leaving out theological or devotional claims, will strongly affect your grade. Keep your historical distance. In order to keep historical distance, avoid phrases such as “we should;” “we must.” Take on the persona of a “Sherlock Holmes”-type” detective relaying information that you observe. Cultivate a persona of objectivity.
Sources include at least one source representing a diverse (non-Western and/or female) author’s perspective.
Faith Reflection: At the end of each paper, and included in the overall word count, include a 160-word, self-reflective, critical faith reflection. Here is where you are asked to discuss how the text that you have analyzed has significance for you in your own spiritual/faith/ethical life.
Logic and Comprehension:
a. comprehension:
1) is your thesis stated as a claim?
2) is it a contested thesis?
3) are all your major arguments stated as claims?
4) do they support the thesis?
b. logical flow:
1) do you have clearly stated claims?
2) do your arguments support those claims?
3) do you back up your arguments with clear evidence?
4) are your arguments pertinent to your conclusion?
5) do your conclusions follow from your claims?
FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY:
8. Accepted Sources:
a. You must use a minimum of eight sources in addition to the Bible and/or textbooks, at least one of which represents a diverse (non-Western and/or female) author’s perspective.
b. sources must be academic sources (see below for details)
9. No sources older than 1985 (including the first edition).
10. Internet sources:
a. No internet sources allowed unless they are accessed through:
1) Proquest Religion
2) ATLA
3) Academic Search Premier
4) JSTOR
5) Proquest Research Library
b. Within those databases, you may only use the following journals:
1) Bible Review (BR)
2) Biblical Archaeology Review
3) Biblical Interpretation
4) Catholic Biblical Quarterly
5) Currents in Biblical Research
6) Evangelical Quarterly
7) Harvard Theological Review
8) Interpretation
9) Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus
10) Journal for the Study of the New Testament
11) New Testament Studies
12) Novum Testamentum
13) Revue de Qumran
14) Semeia
11. When you quote the Bible, use only the New Revised Standard Version (the one that our NOAB Bible uses). No other version will be allowed unless you are comparing and contrasting.
STYLE, FORMAT, AND GRAMMAR
12. Font: Times New Roman 12 for body of text, page numbers, heading and footers; Times New Roman 10 for footnotes.
13. Margins: 1″ on all sides.
14. Use footnotes, not Endnotes.
15. Spacing:
a. Double-spaced, except for Name, Course Number, and Date [Heading], which are single-spaced
b. No extra line breaks between paragraphs.
16. Page numbers must be included.
17. Style Manual: Use Turabian or Chicago Manual of Style.
Use the 7 sources from the annotated bibliography pasted below, excluding this one source *Barton, Stephen C. 2018. “Jesus on Justice and Mercy in Constitutional Perspective.” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 16 (2–3): 213–42. doi:10.1163/17455197-01602008.*
Find one source that meets the criteria mentioned above.
Category: Biblical Studies
2,500-3,200 words (8-10 pages)
Your paper must have a thesis statement printed in italics. A thesis is an argument or a claim, which you will then back up with evidence in your paper.
Audience: aim toward a critical audience.
Perspective/Focus: historical-literary, not theological. The genre you are writing in is the historical genre. You are approaching the material as a historian. That means you are setting aside completely what the text might mean for us today. Your only interest is what the material might have meant to ancient people who heard it for the first time, using the tools you will learn in class. Your ability to demonstrate accomplished writing as a historian, leaving out theological or devotional claims, will strongly affect your grade. Keep your historical distance. In order to keep historical distance, avoid phrases such as “we should;” “we must.” Take on the persona of a “Sherlock Holmes”-type” detective relaying information that you observe. Cultivate a persona of objectivity.
Sources include at least one source representing a diverse (non-Western and/or female) author’s perspective.
Faith Reflection: At the end of each paper, and included in the overall word count, include a 160-word, self-reflective, critical faith reflection. Here is where you are asked to discuss how the text that you have analyzed has significance for you in your own spiritual/faith/ethical life.
Logic and Comprehension:
a. comprehension:
1) is your thesis stated as a claim?
2) is it a contested thesis?
3) are all your major arguments stated as claims?
4) do they support the thesis?
b. logical flow:
1) do you have clearly stated claims?
2) do your arguments support those claims?
3) do you back up your arguments with clear evidence?
4) are your arguments pertinent to your conclusion?
5) do your conclusions follow from your claims?
FOOTNOTES AND BIBLIOGRAPHY:
8. Accepted Sources:
a. You must use a minimum of eight sources in addition to the Bible and/or textbooks, at least one of which represents a diverse (non-Western and/or female) author’s perspective.
b. sources must be academic sources (see below for details)
9. No sources older than 1985 (including the first edition).
10. Internet sources:
a. No internet sources allowed unless they are accessed through:
1) Proquest Religion
2) ATLA
3) Academic Search Premier
4) JSTOR
5) Proquest Research Library
b. Within those databases, you may only use the following journals:
1) Bible Review (BR)
2) Biblical Archaeology Review
3) Biblical Interpretation
4) Catholic Biblical Quarterly
5) Currents in Biblical Research
6) Evangelical Quarterly
7) Harvard Theological Review
8) Interpretation
9) Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus
10) Journal for the Study of the New Testament
11) New Testament Studies
12) Novum Testamentum
13) Revue de Qumran
14) Semeia
11. When you quote the Bible, use only the New Revised Standard Version (the one that our NOAB Bible uses). No other version will be allowed unless you are comparing and contrasting.
STYLE, FORMAT, AND GRAMMAR
12. Font: Times New Roman 12 for body of text, page numbers, heading and footers; Times New Roman 10 for footnotes.
13. Margins: 1″ on all sides.
14. Use footnotes, not Endnotes.
15. Spacing:
a. Double-spaced, except for Name, Course Number, and Date [Heading], which are single-spaced
b. No extra line breaks between paragraphs.
16. Page numbers must be included.
17. Style Manual: Use Turabian or Chicago Manual of Style.
Use the 7 sources from the annotated bibliography pasted below, excluding this one source *Barton, Stephen C. 2018. “Jesus on Justice and Mercy in Constitutional Perspective.” Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus 16 (2–3): 213–42. doi:10.1163/17455197-01602008.*
Find one source that meets the criteria mentioned above.
Write an inquiry-driven research paper of at least 5 double-spaced pages in which you (1.) ask a focused question about an aspect of the New Testament that you would like to discover more about, (2.) research scholarly books, articles, and commentaries to inform yourself about your question, (3.) answer your own question with the help of information learned from your scholarly sources, and (4.) conclude with a paragraph-length pastoral, theological, or moral application that grows directly out of your research findings.
Because biblical studies, theology, and religious studies scholarly writings are done predominantly per the Chicago Manual of Style, students must learn and correctly apply this style in the research paper.
Paper must include:
1. An engaging opening paragraph in which you explain the background for your focused research question and personal reasons for wanting to answer it.
2. An introductory paragraph in which you preview the conclusion you have arrived at and introduce the issues and subtopics your research has uncovered.
3. A logical flow with transitions and logical thinking.
4. Interaction with sources showing critical thinking and connected knowing.
5. A clear conclusion in which you recapitulate the evidence discussed in your paper and answer your research question succinctly, along with a paragraph-length application.
A bibliography with at least 5 scholarly sources.
My research question is how does persecution affect church structure and leadership? You can use scripture, like Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy, and revelations as well as commentaries for sources, but also primary sources from martyrs like Ignatius, polycarp, felicity and perpétua.
Write an inquiry-driven research paper of at least 5 double-spaced pages in which you (1.) ask a focused question about an aspect of the New Testament that you would like to discover more about, (2.) research scholarly books, articles, and commentaries to inform yourself about your question, (3.) answer your own question with the help of information learned from your scholarly sources, and (4.) conclude with a paragraph-length pastoral, theological, or moral application that grows directly out of your research findings.
Because biblical studies, theology, and religious studies scholarly writings are done predominantly per the Chicago Manual of Style, students must learn and correctly apply this style in the research paper.
Paper must include:
1. An engaging opening paragraph in which you explain the background for your focused research question and personal reasons for wanting to answer it.
2. An introductory paragraph in which you preview the conclusion you have arrived at and introduce the issues and subtopics your research has uncovered.
3. A logical flow with transitions and logical thinking.
4. Interaction with sources showing critical thinking and connected knowing.
5. A clear conclusion in which you recapitulate the evidence discussed in your paper and answer your research question succinctly, along with a paragraph-length application.
A bibliography with at least 5 scholarly sources.
My research question is how does persecution affect church structure and leadership? I decided to write this paper because I find that my church doesn’t fully prepare us for facing persecution and just grazes on the subject. They only caution us that as christians, we will face persecution. I wanted my findings to be used as a practical explanation. You can use scripture, like Titus, 1 and 2 Timothy, and Revelations (and any other scripture you feel might help answer the research question) as well as credible commentaries for sources, but also primary sources from martyrs like Ignatius, polycarp, felicity and perpétua. ( you can find the primary sources at this link https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/). I’m going to attached what I started writing, maybe it might be useful.
Upload your Rough Draft of Essay #3. You should have at least 3 pages (double spaced) done at this point, with any remaining sections outlined. The more you get done by this point, the more feedback you’ll receive and the more useful this workshopping week will be. You can upload a file to your post by clicking the paper clip button, then selecting your file.
And for the sake of compatibility, please only upload .doc, .docx, or a .pdf file.
In the same post as your essay, indicate 2 questions or areas of concern that you’d like for a peer (or myself!) to address. This can range from things like, “Is my introduction attention-grabbing enough?”, “Is my thesis clear?”, “Do I have enough evidence?”, “I’m not sure if I’m on the right track – does this seem interesting to you? Am I meeting the goals of this assignment?”, or anything else you’re concerned about.
Respond (by Saturday, April 13): 15 points, 150 – 175 words
Choose at least 1 student’s essay to read and reply to, answering the questions/concerns they posted, as well as the questions found on the peer review guidelines. Be thoughtful and thorough with your reply, giving your peer the same level of feedback you would want for your own essay. ALSO, when choosing a peer’s essay to review, please select a student who DOES NOT yet have any replies!
For example, don’t just say, “Great job!” or “It looks good to me.” Be specific with your comments, directly addressing the author’s concerns, and referring to specific sections or sentences as evidence.
Also, do NOT bring any kind of nonconstructive criticism or negativity. No one’s writing is perfect (not even yours!), and at this stage in the writing process, we all understand that our drafts still need work. Don’t be a jerk!
This peer response counts for half of your points for this assignment, so make it count!