Religion and Theology
Religion and Theology
Choose any Hebrew Bible narrative from book of Exodus, It can be as short or as long as you choose but it would be a good idea to select a more or less rounded piece dealing with a well-defined event or sequence of events (examples: Genesis 22; Judges 19-21). Discuss as much or as little as you want of the following: 1. Is it ?history? in the 19th ? early 20th century sense, in other words, how possible is it that this actually happened? In answering these questions, consider the following: a. Is the narrative compatible with what we otherwise know about the time and place? b. Do the details fit the period described or perhaps they better reflect the world of the author? c. If there is divine/supernatural involvement (there usually is in the Bible), can it be simply a metaphor or a cipher for natural events? 2. If it is history, why did the author choose this particular event to recount in the Bible? 3. If it is not, is it possible that the author knew as much and still chose to tell the story this way? Why? Thesis and conclusion: A thesis is actually two things: 1) generally speaking, what you argue in your essay and 2) more specifically, a clearly recognizable statement of intent that shows up no later than the bottom of page two. The thesis should not necessarily be original; but neither should it be lifted whole from a single book or article. In quantitative terms, if you base your paper solely or primarily on what other people have said you should discuss, at comparable lengths, AT LEAST THREE different publications Sources cannot be online sources unless the online sources are academic or books Quotations: If you quote, directly or indirectly, a primary or secondary text, be sure to provide an appropriate reference, in a footnote or endnote. I leave the style of the references at your discretion, but it should be consistent throughout and allow for a fast identification of the source.