Concordia University Irvine The Nature of God & Human History Discussion

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Theology 201 Essay: Three Major Questions

The Old Testament repeatedly addresses crucial questions about life. Three key questions we are focusing on in this course are: Who is God and what is God like? What does it mean to be human? How do God and humans relate? As we read, think, and write about the OT (and ANE texts) in this class, we will constantly keep these questions in view. To help you examine and synthesize your understanding of how the OT asks and answers these questions, you will write an essay that addresses one (1) of these questions.

How should you go about doing this? First, select the question you wish to answer. Second, identify texts in each of the four (4) parts of the Christian OT canon—Pentateuch, Historical, Poetic/Wisdom, and Prophetic books—that address this question. Even though each question is broad, you should propose and defend a narrow thesis that partially answers the big question. This means that you should focus on texts that answer the question by means of a single idea or theme (e.g., answering the question of what it means to be human by examining passages that deal with the characteristic of free will). Third, study what each text says in answering the question within the bounds of your thesis. Pay close attention to how the text’s context (i.e., the historical/biblical situation that surrounds or stands behind the text) and genre (i.e., the text’s narrative [e.g., plot and characterization] or poetic elements [e.g., imagery and parallelism]) help you understand the text’s message and, thus, its answer to the question. In this process you should consult peer-reviewed articles or biblical commentaries on your passages and/or question. Fourth, create a formal outline of your essay to clarify your question and thesis, synthesize your ideas, and arrange your material in a way that directly and coherently addresses and answers the essay question with a single, focused argument. Finally, after reviewing and refining your outline, write and edit the final draft.Rubrics:

• The essay will address a narrow thesis concerning one (1) of the three major questions and be 1,800-2,000 words in length (a bibliography or works cited page is not needed).
• To answer this question, you must use biblical passages from each of the four (4) parts of the Christian OT canon.
• The paper may use relevant secondary sources and document them appropriately. These sources can be books, articles, or essays in journals or magazines that are found in print or full-text online format on the library’s online databases. You may not use lecture notes or websites, unless approved by the professor.
• If the paper contains any plagiaris m, it will receive zero points. To avoid (un)intentionally stealing another person’s work and passing it off as your own, place quotation marks around any direct quotes and cite the source. Also cite paraphrased material or borrowed ideas/data.
• The paper’s format, citations, and bibliography or works cited page must follow The Chicago Manual of Style (CMS) or Modern Language Association (MLA) guidelines.Books in the Library:

2001.

Goldingay, John. Key Questions about the Christian Faith: Old Testament Answers. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010.

Rogerson, John W.Theory and Practice of Old Testament Ethics. Edinburgh: T & T Clark International, 2004.

Rosner, Brian S., ed. New Dictionary of Biblical Theology. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity, 2000.

Ryken, Leland, ed. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Grand Rapids: InterVarsity, 1998.

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