assignment guide for thbb 220

8/7/2019 Assignment Guide for THBB 220

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Assignment Guide for THBB 220Assignment 1: Research Essay (Background and Themes)

Date Due Fri 1st

April

Word Length: 1500 words

Double-spaced and typed. You should follow the normal conventions with regard to

footnotes (see Style Manual or Resources for Budding Theologians) and include an

alphabetical bibliography.

For the marking criteria, please see handout Marking Scheme for Research Essays

For general information related to background, you might like to start with thefollowing works: These books may or may not include specific information related to

your topics.

Everett Ferguson, Backgrounds to Early Christianity, 2nd edn

J. Julius Scott, Jr., Jewish Backgrounds of the New Testament

Helmut Koester, Introduction to the New Testament Vol 1: History, Culture, and

Religion of the Hellenistic Age

Calvin J. Roetzel, The World that Shaped the New Testament

John E. Stambaugh, The New Testament in its Social Environment

John E. Stambaugh and David Balch, The Social World of the First ChristiansCraig A. Evans and Stanley E. Porter, Dictionary of New Testament Background

Joel Green, et al., Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels

David Noel Freedman, Anchor Bible Dictionary(6 vols)

Consultation of the indexes of major Historical Jesus works may also assist. See

J.D.G. Dunn, Jesus Remembered

J.P. Meier, A Marginal Jew (4 vols.)

N.T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God

Craig Keener, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels

Question 1

What are the historical problems that surround Luke 2:1-5? To what degree have

evangelicals provided satisfying answers to these problems?

Examine commentaries on Luke 2:1-5, in particular those by I.H. Marshall, D. Bock, J.

Fitzmyer and J. Green (it should be noted that Marshall, Bock and Green are all

evangelical commentators).


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See the article on Birth of Jesus in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels.

See also:

Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah (New York: Doubleday, 1977).

P.W. Barnett, Apographe and apographesthai in Luke 2:1-5, Expository Times 85

(1973): 377-380.

Wayne Brindle, The Census and Quirinius: Luke 2:2, Journal of the Evangelical

Theological Society27 (1984): 43-52 available online at

http://www.etsjets.org/files/JETS-PDFs/27/27-1/27-1-pp043-052_JETS.pdf

Mark D. Smith, Of Jesus and Quirinius, Catholic Biblical Quarterly62 (2000): 278-

293.

Question 2

Assess the benefits and deficits of the reign of King Herod the Great. How is he

presented in the gospel of Matthew and is the portrait accurate?

See Dictionary of New Testament Backgroundarticle on Herodian Dynasty. Also

consult Anchor Bible Dictionaryarticle on Herod the Great or Herodian Dynasty.

Examine commentaries on the gospel of Matthew 2:1-12, to see if they say anything

on Herod (remember to research Herod the Great, not Herod Antipas or Herod

Agrippa, etc). Consider also:

Paul W. Barnett, Jesus and the Rise of Early Christianity(Downers Grove:

InterVarsity, 1999), 67-89

Peter Richardson, Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans (Minneapolis:

Fortress Press, 1999).

Byron R. McCane. "Simply Irresistible: Augustus, Herod, and the Empire." Journal of

Biblical Literature 127 (2008): 725-735.

M. Grant, Herod the Great(New York: American Heritage, 1971)

R.T. France, Herod and the Children of Bethlehem, Novum Testamentum 21 (1979)

98120.


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Assignment 2 Exegesis Paper on Luke

Due: Fri 6th

May, 2011

Word Length: 2000 word

Task Provide a detailed exegesis of a passage from the English text of the Gospel of

Luke. (Your chosen passage must not be cover the same material as that of your

Minor Essay topic. Your exegesis should reflect an understanding of the historical,

literary, and theological setting of the book. Your paper should display familiarity

with advanced exegesis tools and utilise relevant detail from advanced

commentaries. Double-spaced and typed. You should follow the normal conventions

with regard to footnotes (see the Style Manualor Research Methods and Resources

for Budding Theologians) and include an alphabetical bibliography. Be sure to

explore not only the set readings but also commentaries, other books, and articles in

the general bibliography.

Passages to pick from:

Luke 4:16-30 (Aland 33) Luke 5:17-26 (Aland 43) Luke 7:1-10 (Aland 85)

Luke 7:36-50 (Aland 114) Luke 16:19-31 (Aland 228) Luke 18:1-8 (Aland 236)

Luke 20:20-26 (Aland 280)

Marking Criteria:

Clear and detailed approach to the task of exegesis, giving due weight tomatters of translation, historical context, literary context, passage structure,

and detailed commentary.

Clear evidence of comprehensive research on the passage using bibliography,library books, and journals.

Evidence of critical evaluation of sources (both primary and secondary), andknowledge of alternative positions.

Appropriate formatting of essay, in particular the proper use of citation. An additional guide will be distributed on how to do the exegetical paper

A further guide to doing the exegesis paper will be issued later.

Bibliography (n.b. not all of these are evangelical commentaries)

D. Bock, Luke Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker, 1994; 1996). 2

vols.

J. Green, The Gospel According to Luke. New International Commentary on the New

Testament (Eerdmans, 1997).

I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke. New International Greek Commentary on the

Greek Text (Eerdmans, 1978).J. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke. Anchor Bible. (Doubleday, 1981-85). 2 vols.


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L. Morris, The Gospel According to St Luke. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand

Rapids, 1974)

John Nolland, Luke. Word Biblical Commentaries (Dallas, 1989-93). 3 vols.

Robert H. Stein, Luke. New American Commentary (Nashville, 1992).

Michael Wilcock, Luke. The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, 1997)

Francois Bovon, Luke 1:1-9:50. Hermeneia (Minneapolis, 2002).

R. Alan Culpepper, Luke in The New Interpreters Bible: volume 9: Luke and John

(Minneapolis, 1995)

Walter Liefeld, Luke in The Expositors Bible Commentary(Grand Rapids, 1984)

George B. Caird, Luke. Pelican Commentaries (London, 1963)

If you are studying a parable of Jesus in Luke, you should definitely consult:

Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove, 2008)

Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent(Grand Rapids, 2008)

Craig Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables (Leicester, 1990)

For the Gospel of Luke, some general accounts of Lukan theology can be found in:

David A. deSilva, An Introduction to the New Testament, pp.316-333.

D. L. Bock, Luke, Gospel of in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, pp.502-510.

Good commentaries on Luke will also have a section in their introductions

summarising Lukes unique theology (look for it as a subheading)

Also, I. Howard Marshall wrote an older, but still relevant work, called Luke:Historian and Theologian. If you use the index judiciously, you could find much here

to benefit you (i.e. looking at index topics relevant to your passage).

Also, you can search on ATLA using a field called Scripture Citation. In addition, if that

doesnt work, try searching on some of the topics you have discovered.

Assignment 3 Exam

Length: 1.5 hoursDue Date: 30 May 2011

Format:

You will be asked to pick a series of questions from a larger group. This exam will test

your knowledge of the lecture material and the reading of the textbook by

Blomberg.

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