Biblical Perspectives Signature Assignment - Annotated
TASK
The signature assignment (final paper) for Biblical Perspectives is a 5-7 page paper that addresses the meaning of a biblical text. Using the skills gained in the course, develop a paper that combines an understanding of the historical, literary and contemporary worlds of the text.
The text for this assignment is the Old Testament book of Esther. Your paper should address the meaning of the book of Esther related to a biblical understanding of leadership developed throughout your course reading, Bible passage reading and class discussions.
PURPOSE
The paper is meant to demonstrate the student's own analysis and ability to work with a biblical text and as such need not utilize other resources as in a traditional research paper.
FORM
Thesis: The paper should include a clear thesis statement in the form of "the book of Esther is about..."
- Remember that a good thesis is not just a declaration of a key topic or theme, but it says something specific about that topic. Looking at the Gospel of John for an example, one could say that a key theme is the life of God breaking into the world, and to make this more specific a thesis could state, "The book of John is about the life of God breaking into the world through the person and work of Jesus the Messiah, which culminates in his work on the Cross."
Body: The body of the paper should demonstrate a recognizable structure that articulates why the thesis is viable. The body of the paper may take the form of a verse by verse, or section by section analysis, following the categories of historical/literary/contemporary worlds, or use any thematic analysis that is most useful.
- Since this assignment is about interpreting the text, the main focus should be on the literary world, which is the most accessible, as it is how the story takes shape in your imagination through the literary qualities the author uses to convey the meaning of the text. Regarding the historical world (the world behind the text) you can draw upon this to help you deepen or elaborate upon your understanding of what is going on in the text. So for example if the story mentions kingship, then you can refer to historical work to help you understand what kingship typically looked like in that culture beyond what the text expresses. Regarding the contemporary world, it will likely be easiest to address this near the end of your paper, where you will attempt to identify features of the story regarding the nature of faith and the character of God that continue to be relevant for today.
Conclusion: The conclusion should restate the thesis and the support in summary fashion. The conclusion is also a place for reflection on the implications of Esther for your life and work.
- As I stated above, the conclusion is not just a summary, but also a time to establish the significance of your analysis for you and your reader who live in the contemporary world. In doing this, you want to keep in mind the differences between the culture you live in, and the culture of the textual world, and in acknowledging these differences you should identify what carries over from that world to our world, and why it carries over. In short, the question you are addressing is how we can translate the message from there to here.