Rel.
122b
S
2010
Interpretive Essay on
a Passage, Theme, or Topic
in the study of Paul
& Pauline tradition, GJohn, or other early Christian literature
Each
of you will be writing a 5-6 page essay on a passage, theme, or topic in the
letters of Paul, Post-Pauline tradition, the Gospel of John, or other early
Christian literature read for class (e.g., Gospel of Mary; Gospel of Truth).
Your paper should consist primarily of close textual and conceptual analysis
of the text, and that analysis should be in the service of a specific interpretive
claim you are making about the material.
A
reader of your essay should be able to discover within the first paragraph
exactly what claim you are advancing and defending, and the structure of your
essay should illustrate and defend that claim with frequent reference to and
quotation from the text (the evidence) in a manner that makes sense and is easy
for a reader to follow. Remember to use the textual evidence to support,
illustrate, and extend your analysis and interpretation. The paper should be
5-6 pages, double-spaced.
Due
Date: Wednesday, 4/21, 4 p.m. (earlier submissions welcome). Dop papers off
in Gest or send by email attachment.
Some Suggested Topics
A.
Analysis and Interpretation of A Single Passage.
Select
a short passage from one of the texts we've read since the middle of the semester.
Choose a passage that reveals some important and interesting dimension of the
text. Analyse the passage carefully to uncover the significance of the passage
and pur forward your own claim about its significance.
Among
the issues you should consider: the form or genre of the passage and the
composition in which it's found; the original social/historical context of the
text; the literary context of the
passage (how it fits into the larger text, how the surrounding passages shape
your sense of its meaning). What is the significance of the passage - in
literary, historical, and/or theological terms? What does it tell us about the
perspectives and meaning of the text?
B.
Analysis and Interpretation of A Single Theme in one of the texts.
Select
a theme that is central to a particular text or author (e.g., Paul). Analyse
closely the way in which the text as a whole presents and develops this theme,
especially in relation to other important themes of the text. Focus your
analysis on a few passages, even as you relate those passages to the larger
literary structure and theological perspectives of the whole text. Put forward
your own interpretation of the significance of the material.
C.
Comparative Analysis and Interpretation of a Theme Appearing in Two Texts.
Select
an important and interesting theme that appears in two of the texts we've read.
Select the relevant passages from each. Compare these passages closely, considering
carefully: their relation to one another; their placement and function within
each text; their structure and wording.
As
you write, be careful to structure your paper carefully, being sure to organize
your interpretive analysis in an orderly fashion that the reader can follow.
It's usually more effective to offer an analysis of each version as a whole,
paying particularly close attention to the second text's revision of an earlier
version or source. In some cases, however, it might be useful to go through a
verse by verse comparison of the versions.Choose one method of organization and
stick to it.
D.
The Representation of Jesus in a New Testament or Post-New Testament Work
Analyse
and interpret the representation of Jesus in any New Testament or post-New
Testament religious work or work of art. You may select
from any kind of work (literature, theology, music, poetry, film, theater,
painting, history) from any period. Whatever kind of work you select, be
attentive to its genre and to its various contexts (esp. its social, historical,
cultural, and religious or non-religious contexts). If you select a post-NT
work, be sure to include in your analysis some attention to the work's relation
to the representation of Jesus in at least one New
Testament source.