Specs: 8-page paper, 12-point Times Roman font, double-space, 1inch margins on all sides. Cover sheet (not included in 8-page count) with Name, Title of paper, class name introduction to the New Testament, Date. Pages numbered at the bottom, and essay stapled. All papers must cite at least five recent (i.e., post-1975) scholarly sources (this does not include class textbooks, the Bible [or study Bible notes], or anything you find on the internet.) John Holberg in the Library is fount of knowledge in finding good sources. Bibliography page (also not included in page count) at the end, giving the sources cited in your paper. Value of the essay is equivalent to one exam, so a very good paper could be worth up to a whole letter grade, depending on your current grade in the class. Possible Topics: One choice: Book Study: Pick a New Testament book and 1) cover issue of date, authorship, and provenance, giving the evidence and arguments for different answers to these questions. 2) Discuss the major themes/emphases of the book. 3) Pick a particular passage or two from the book and discuss how this passage develops or resonates with one of the major themes/theological emphases of the book, and how it fits in its immediate context and the context of the book as a whole. Or Second Choice: Thematic Study: Pick a particular theological or ethical theme and 1) Define it, taking into account its theological development in the history of the church and noting differing definitions or disputes surrounding this theme. 2) Pick two or three passages in the New Testament relevant to this theme. Demonstrate exegetically how these passages develop/articulate this theme.
