Final Comparison Paper Directions Due 10/30/22
Use the following books below to complete this assignment. I also added all the versus of the Bible we’ve already compared during this course below.
Attridge, Harold W. et al. (eds.) The Harper Collins Study Bible: Student Edition (Revised Edition; San Francisco: Harper-Collins, 2006).
Kaminsky, Joel S., Joel N. Lohr and Mark Reasoner. The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible: Understanding Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Nashville: Abingdon, 2014).
Held Evans, Rachel. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again (Nashville: Thomas, Nelson, 2018).
Final Comparison Paper (80 points,)
Drawing together all that we have done, you will be required to compare two biblical texts of your own choice. These comparisons will apply the interpretive skills honed throughout the course, to answer the same questions as in the regular Textual Comparisons, but more fully which I have uploaded an example of in the files section.
You are expected to choose two passages at least ten verses long each that we have not compared in class which are posted below. For example, you could compare two similar stories, two retelling of the same story, two texts with similar subject matter but opposing conclusions, two accounts of the same events in different genres, two texts on the same topic in different books or genres, and so on. Be creative and choose texts that interest you, just make sure that they are sufficiently similar to compare, and sufficiently different to be interesting (you must be able to find at least ten similarities and 10 differences between them).
1. What is the main point of each passage in context? What is the literary context of each text, and what is the main point of each within those contexts? Explain the structure of the book in which each passage appears, where it appears within that structure, and how it fits into the book as a whole.
2. What are the most important similarities and differences between the texts? Identify and summarize as many as possible, then highlight at least two of the most important similarities and differences, and explain why they matter. Be as specific as possible, focus on concrete details rather than abstractions, and include verse numbers for each detail.
3. How could you explain why these texts share such similarities and differences? Are they independent, or does one draw from the other? In what ways do they complement one another, or stand in tension? Can they be harmonized? Why or why not? What do these texts imply about how the biblical texts were written, edited or transmitted? What might they imply about the theology, significance, authority, inspiration or meaning of the Bible as a whole? You do not need to answer all of these questions, but you should address at least two of them in detail.
4. The paper must use the textbooks above or below and at least one further secondary source and (at least 3 quotations). Use the textbooks and at least one additional commentary, book or article (not a web page) as conversation partners in your analysis of the passages, their contexts, and/or their relation. All sources used (including the textbooks and sources on the internet!) must not only be properly cited within the review or comparison, but also included in a separate bibliography. Failing to properly identify all of your sources everywhere that you draw from them is plagiarism. Make sure that all sources are properly credited, and all quotations are word-for-word, in quotation marks, and followed by a reference (with page numbers). These sources must be listed in the bibliography and properly credited within the paper wherever you use them. Further information regarding proper citation will be provided on Blackboard.
5. The paper should be well written APA, Times Roman Numeral 12′ Font double spaced and at least 1200 words. It should be free of typos, spelling and grammatical errors, have a clear structure and argument, and flow in such a way that it is clear how the sentences and paragraphs are connected. Attempt to write simply and directly what you mean, and read it out loud to yourself before submitting, fixing whatever sounds strange.
The Final paper must be submitted through Safe Assign on BB (which checks for plagiarism) in Word or PDF format, by the end of the day on 10/30. Late papers will be penalized 10% for each day they are late.
Below are the books, pages, versus, and the scriptures we have read and compared throughout the course.
When choosing texts you will be comparing in this paper from the study Bible and the text books below do not use any of the Scriptures listed below that we’ve already compared throughout the course. They must be new Scriptures from The Harper Collins Study Bible that you choose to compare.
Attridge, Harold W. et al. (eds.) The Harper Collins Study Bible: Student Edition (Revised Edition; San Francisco: Harper-Collins, 2006).
Kaminsky, Joel S., Joel N. Lohr and Mark Reasoner. The Abingdon Introduction to the Bible: Understanding Jewish and Christian Scriptures (Nashville: Abingdon, 2014).
Held Evans, Rachel. Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2018).
Already Compared Scriptures during class
Compared: Gen 1:1-2:4 and Gen 2:5-25
Compared: 2 Kings 18-19, and Sennacherib’s Prism
Compared: Psalm 37 and Job 21
Compared: Mark 15 and Psalm 22
Compared: Romans 4 and James 2
