Early Christianity: Texts and Thought - Second Take-Home Essay Assignment: Gospels
Due Nov 7, 2008 by 2 PM in my mailbox in the
Philosophy Office on the fourth floor of Morrill Hall or via email attachment with a
return receipt attached. If
you only use Windows Live e-mail, there is no way to add a return receipt. Be sure
to ask me to reply to your e-mail indicating I have received your files. If via email,
must be in Word 2007 or below, WordPerfect X3 or below, or a pdf file readable by Adobe
Acrobat Reader. If late, please send via e-mail so I have a date and time sent.
Requirements:
1. Your research project questions and the essay should be word-processed, double-spaced, one-inch to one and one-half inch margins. It should be spell-checked. Pages Numbered. Font no smaller than 12 point.
2. You should staple the research project and the essay
separately with a cover page (title, date,
Phil/RelS 303, and your name) for each.
3. For the essay: Number each paragraph. Bold your thesis. After the end of the essay, attach an OUTLINE of the essay with the thesis clearly stated and at minimum a line for each paragraph.
4. The research project questions will likely take about four to six pages. The essay should be approximately three pages long (not including the title page or Works Consulted page).
5. You must include a Works Consulted/Cited Page for the research project and a separate one for the essay. Any sources you consult must be included in your Works Consulted/Cited and cited in-text or in footnotes/endnotes. CAREFUL AND CORRECT CITATION IS REQUIRED. WHEN IN DOUBT, CITE. Remember that simply paraphrasing or changing every third word is not OK. Quote and cite or radically summarize and cite. Use quotation marks when quoting or indent if quote is five lines or longer. Guessing at where your information comes from is not OK. Use page numbers in your in-text citations, footnotes or endnotes. Book or journal titles are italicized or underlined. You may consult Citation for Biblical Studies for information related to citing biblical studies sources.
6. I will grade for both form and content. Click here for the Grading Rubric for the essay. I strongly recommend setting and using your grammar checker in your word-processing program. Instructions are at http://www.class.uidaho.edu/jcanders/Philosophy%20Tools/grammarreadingease.htm
Remember: The introductions and annotations in the New Oxford Annotated and Barr are helpful secondary sources that should be consulted along with the primary texts.
Two Essays 50 points each. 100 Points Total
A. Required Question:
1. Compare and contrast the portraits of Jesus painted by two of the five gospels we have studied. Be sure to examine the words, actions (Thomas won’t have actions per se), and functions of Jesus as well as the use of Christological titles in each. Cite specific texts and examples to illustrate your answer. n addition to the gospels you should consult Barr as a resource (and the assigned reading on Thomas if you use that Gospel). Aland's Synopsis of the Four Gospels or Marshall's The Five Gospels Parallel on-line (which has Thomas parallels) may very likely be helpful as well.
B. Select a second question from the following:
2. Compare and contrast the portrait of the disciples and the concept of discipleship in two of the gospels we have studied. Cite specific texts and examples to illustrate your answer. Be sure to include a discussion of the functions the disciples fulfill in the narrative. In addition to the gospels you should consult Barr as a resource (and the assigned reading on Thomas if you use that Gospel). Aland's Synopsis of the Four Gospels or Marshall's The Five Gospels Parallel on-line (which has Thomas parallels) may very likely be helpful as well.
3. Select either Matthew or John. In your view is this gospel anti-Judaic? Be sure to cite specific passages to explain why or why not and discuss the considerations Barr offered. Consider both evidence in favor of your view and possible counter-evidence. You also will have to define what you mean by anti-Judaic.
4. Discuss the historical and social situation of one of the gospels. Explain how it is reconstructed and how the reconstruction affects the interpretation of that gospel. Be sure to point to key gospel passages scholars use in recontruction. Use Barr, the Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, and the introduction and annotations from the New Oxford Annotated as resources.
5. Select one of the articles or book chapters I will provide. Write an analysis of the argument/interpretive position and discuss at least one key strength and one key weakness. Here are four available through the UI library's article databases or on the web: