6 page scripture analysis Scripture Analysis. Matthew 16: 13-20 o Avoid writing in first pers
6 page scripture analysis
Scripture Analysis.
Matthew 16: 13-20
o Avoid writing in first person until the end of the paper when you, the student, are directed to provide a personal reflection on the passage.
o When it comes to providing
background information on your passage (author, purpose, date, etc.), please see either the introduction(s) to the commentaries or an article on the writing in a bible dictionary. It would be best if you consult more than one of these sources and compare each of them.
o
Spell out each translation the first time you make a reference to it in your paper. After the first reference, please use the abbreviation:
§
New Revised Standard Version the first time and NRSV for each time afterward.
o The New Oxford Annotated Bible is not a translation but uses the New Revised Standard Version.
Therefore, refrain from mentioning the NOAB in your paper but refer to it as the NRSV instead.
o Scripture analysis papers should cover the following topics.
1.
Introduction to Passage
• What is the passage about?
• Passage summary (Do Not “Merely” Recite the Passage)
• What are the
key themes and movements with the passage that you will examine throughout the paper?
2.
Background of Passage
• What is the background of the “particular” writing?
• How does the passage fit into the larger scheme of the writing/context?
3.
Analysis of Passage
• Comparison of translations
• How do scholars interpret the passage?
• Do you agree or disagree with the scholarly interpretations?
4.
Connection with Contemporary Use
• How has the modern-day church interpreted this passage?
5.
Personal Impressions and Interpretation of Passage
• How has the student been effected by the passage?
Appendix 1: Scripture Analysis Paper
Students will sign up for a scripture passage from the New Testament to study. Papers are due
Thursday, DECEMBER 1st. Per departmental policy, a passing grade on the scripture analysis paper is REQUIRED to pass the course.
To ensure proper study and research time for the paper, the following steps may be helpful to plan a successful and well-written scripture analysis paper.
1. Become familiar with your selection by comparing it in at least four (4) different translations of the NT. One of these translations must be the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) found in your NOAB. Read the text aloud. Make notes on the following: What is the selection about? Write a brief summary of the passage; and what are the differences between translations? Identify and make note of these differences. Acceptable translations include: New International Version, New Living Translation, King James Version, Common English Bible, English Standard Bible, New American Standard Version, New King James Version (please do not use both King James and New King James).
2. Read 2 or 3 chapters before and after your passage. You may benefit from reading the entire book. This is called checking the literary context. Make notes on the following: a brief summary of the broader context; how does checking the context in this way help you understand your passage? How does your passage fit with what happens before and after your passage or how does the message of your passage fit with what is taught in the literary context?
3. Look at the footnotes and study notes relating to your text in your NOAB. Be sure to examine parallels of your text which may appear in other NT books. Do not attempt to cite footnotes from the NOAB or any other study bible. Simply skim through them to obtain some ideas as to what you might find when you read commentaries.
4. It gets tough here so PAY ATTENTION! Are there textual or translation questions you need to understand? That is, are there questions about what the wording of the original Greek text or about how to translate a word or phrase in English? Use the margin and footnotes in NOAB. Be careful to read the text with each option applied. How is the reading of the text affected with each option?
5. What key terms or loaded words are used by the author or suggested by the text? Make a list. Look up these words in a Bible dictionary. How are these words used in your passage? Remember, you must cite at least one bible dictionary in your final paper. Please see syllabus for a list of bible dictionaries.
(Be careful while taking notes to avoid plagiarism. The source must be given credit for ideas, words, and phrases you borrow. Use quotation marks even in your notes to identify what you have borrowed. Record the full citation for the Bible dictionary you used here. Remember to record the name of the person who wrote the article not just the editor of the volume.)
6. In your NOAB is an introduction to the book itself. Read this introduction and make notes of any insights you gained from learning about the situation of the writing or the author. Also, using the Bible dictionary, read the introductory article for your book of the Bible. Make careful notes and remember to give the writer credit for ideas and words you borrow.
7. Write a paraphrase of your passage. In other words, restate the passage, line by line, sentence by sentence, in your own words. Answer the following: What is it saying? What issues or questions arise in this passage that need further attention? Identify these.
8. Now it is time to test your thoughts and impressions. Study the comments on your passage in no more than
two (2) one-volume commentaries, looking for answers to your questions and suggestions about the passage’s meaning. Please see syllabus for a list of commentaries.
9. Make careful notes with full citations for each commentary you use. When you borrow ideas, words, phrases, etc, of another you MUST give credit to the one from whom you borrow the information. And, be sure to give the name of the author, not just the editor of the volume. Give the page number when the information is borrowed. Don’t wait until the end of the note-taking to give the range of pages.
10. Study the comments in
at least three (3) full-scale commentaries, comparing the conclusions to which the commentators come. Make careful and complete notes. You will be graded on thoroughness. Please see the syllabus for a list of commentaries.
11.
Write a
minimal five-page exegetical paper (double-spaced).
Please remember this paper is an academic study of the New Testament. This is not a sermon to be preached or a bible study to be taught. The “personal application” section of the paper is not your goal but is, rather, a byproduct of the research. After all, this text is still “living and active.” This is a paper utilizing exegetical tools. This means you are researching to pull meaning
out of
the text.
12. Citations: Please note citations should be made in the following form. Below are examples bibliographic entries with a corresponding footnote. After the initial citation of a reference, please use the short form for each subsequent citation of the reference. The footnotes below are followed by the short form.
Please follow this example of bibliographic entry, footnote and short-form citation for the submitted bibliography:
Hurtado, Larry W. “Worship, NT Christian.” Pages 910-923 in Vol. 5 of
The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. Edited by Katharine Doob Sakenfeld. 5 vols. Nashville: Abingdon, 2009.1
1 Larry W. Hurtado, “Worship, NT Christian” in
The New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible
(Nashville: Abingdon, 2008), 5:910. (Short form: Hurtado, “Worship,” 911.)
USE THESE COMMENTARIES
Bibliography
Adeyemo, Tokunboh, Solomon Andria, Kwame Bediako, Isabel Apawo Phiri, and Yusufu Turaki.
Africa Bible Commentary. Second ed. Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive, 2010.
[1]
Boring, M. Eugene. “The Gospel of Matthew: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections.” Pages 343-347 in
New Testament articles, Matthew, Mark. Vol. 8 of
The New Interpreter’s Bible. Edited by Leander E. Kneck. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1995.
[2]
Hagner, A. Donald.
Matthew 14-28. Word Biblical Commentary 33B. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1995.
[3]
Mills, Watson E, and Roger Aubrey Bullard, eds.
Mercer Dictionary of the Bible. Second and corrected printing ed. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1991.
[4]
Society of Biblical Literature.
The Harpercollins Bible Commentary. Edited by James Luther Mays and Joseph Blenkinsopp. Revised ed. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000.
[5]
Witherington, Ben.
Matthew. Pages 461-475. Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary. Macon, Ga.: Smyth & Helwys Pub, 2006.
[6]
[1]
Tokunboh Adeyemo,
Africa Bible Commentary (Nairobi, Kenya: WordAlive, 2010), ______.
(Short Form: Adeyemo, Africa Bible Commentary, _____.)
[2]
Eugene M. Boring, “The Gospel of Matthew: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections.” In
The New Interpreter’s Bible (Nashville: Abingdon, 1995), 8: 343-347.
(Short Form: Boring, “The Gospel of Mathew,”343-347.)
[3]
Donald A. Hagner,
Matthew (WBC 33B: Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1995), 461-475.
(Short Form: Hagner,
Matthew, 461-475.)
[4]
Watson E. Mills and Roger Aubrey Bullard,
Mercer Dictionary of the Bible (Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press, 1991), ____.
(Short Form: Mills and Bullard,
Mercer Dictionary of the Bible, ___)
[5]
Society of Biblical Literature,
The Harpercollins Bible Commentary (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2000)
(Short Form: Society Of Biblical Literature,
The Harpercollins Bible Commentary, ___)
[6]
Ben Witherington,
Matthew (Macon, Georgia: Smyth & Helwys Pub, 2006), 309-318
(Short Form: Witherington,
Matthew, 309-318)