A survey of biblical theology, including methodological issues of debate during the last two centuries. Emphasis on the Bible's storyline, examining how the books and corpora of the Bible contribute to the unfolding history of redemption. Attention is given to themes of temple, sacrifice, priest, rest, kingship, exile, idolatry, promise, messiah, wisdom, and others. Finally, the relationship of biblical theology with other disciplines, especially exegesis and systematic theology, is considered. Required for all MA in CM, MA in MHC, and MDiv students. Should be taken during first year of enrollment. Offered fall and spring. Three hours.
The course Introduction to Biblical Theology (ID 5000) culminates in a paper that traces a theme through the redemptive storyline in Scripture. The purpose of this guide is to provide an approach to your research and writing that you may find helpful. Below you will find steps to the process, recommended resources to use, and helps for citing and formatting your paper. If you have any questions, please reach out to libref@tiu.edu.
Begin by choosing a Biblical theme or motif in Scripture. Check your syllabus and your course’s Canvas page to see if your professor has a list of topics to choose from. Common themes in past papers have included temple, blood/sacrifice, adoption, clothing, and mannah/bread. If you are uncertain if your topic is a good fit for this assignment, please ask your professor before continuing with your research and writing.
After choosing a topic, the next step is to consult academic resources. These can help you choose your four passages for your paper and will also serve as conversation partners in your paper. Please be careful to cite the resources you use. More information on that can be found in the “Formatting Your Paper” section of this guide.
This paper is not a full research paper, so interacting with a few (4-6) sources is often sufficient. Here are some quality biblical theology resources available electronically through the library:
If you need additional resources, please click on the “Additional Resources” tab on the left-hand side of this page.
Your paper should be organized around four key passages of Scripture, two from the Old Testament and two from the New Testament. A key aspect of this assignment is tracing how the theme develops through the redemptive storyline in Scripture. As you come to each passage, what are the ways in which this theme stays the same (continuity)? What are the ways in which it changes (discontinuity)? In the conclusion of your paper, summarize your findings and answer the “so what?” question. How is the theme relevant for Christian life and ministry?
Format your paper is formatted in Chicago/Turabian Notes and Bibliography style. A guide for this can be found at this link.
Please see the attached example for how the cover page, paper, and bibliography should be formatted.
From SBL Handbook of Style 8.3:
Use the following abbreviations without periods. Example: 1 Cor 13:1
Include the Bible version you are using the first time you reference a passage. Example: 1 Cor 13:1 (NIV)
| Old Testament abbreviations: | New Testament abbreviations: |
|
|
