In addition to such personal explanations, you could add a series of comments that tell what research you will need to do in order to understand and explain the passage. For example, you could provide a list of words that you need to explore in Bible dictionaries and commentaries, such as "fallen asleep": Was this a common expression used by early Christians to describe death? If so, did it only refer to Christians, who have hope for afterlife, or was it used to refer to everyone who died?
You could also set forth other questions that you are unable to answer on your own, as well as speculate on what resources you think might prove helpful in this search.
Finally, present your tentative conclusions on the meaning of the passage. You may or may not alter these perceptions as you do further research, but they provide a basis for you to build upon. After reaching your own conclusions, you will be able to dialogue with the secondary sources you employ for your final exegesis paper.
Stage Two: Developing a Bibliography
Once you have worked intensely with your passage, making your own observations,
you will be in a much stronger position to evaluate what further resources
you need to complete your study. The next step is to spend some fun
filled hours in the library, locating books, journal articles and
commentaries appropriate for your exegesis.
Your bibliography must follow correct form. Alphabetically arrange your resources according to the last names of the authors (do not number bibliography entries) and use the following examples as guides for proper form. The first line of the entry begins at the left margin; the following lines are indented.
For a Commentary in a Commentary Series: Note that the title of the individual commentary is italicized or underlined but the commentary series title is not.
Fee, Gordon D. The First Epistle to the Corinthians. New International
Commentary on
the New Testament.
Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987.
Hays, Richard B. First Corinthians. Interpretation. Louisville:
John Knox, 1997.
For a Book About Biblical Materials:
Cosby, Michael R. Sex in the Bible: An Introduction to What the Scriptures
Teach Us
About Sexuality.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
_____. Portraits of Jesus: An Inductive Approach to the Gospels.
Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999.
_____. The Rhetorical Composition and Function of Hebrews 11 in
Light of Example Lists in Antiquity. Macon, GA:
Mercer University Press,
1988.
For a Book Edited by Someone:
Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels, 5th Edition.
Edited by Burton
H. Throckmorton, Jr. Nashville:
Thomas Nelson, 1992.
For a Journal Article:
Cosby, Michael R. "Hellenistic Formal Receptions and Paul's Use of APANTHSIS
in
1 Thessalonians 4:17." Bulletin
for Biblical Research 4 (1994): 1-19.
_____. "The Rhetorical Composition of Hebrews 11." Journal
of Biblical Literature 107
(1988): 257-273.
For an Article in a Book of Collected Essays:
Cosby, Michael R. "Paul's Persuasive Language in Romans 5," in Persuasive
Artistry:
Studies in New Testament
Rhetoric in Honor of George A. Kennedy. Edited by
Duane F. Watson. JSNT
Supplement Series #50. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press,
1991, pp. 209-226.
For a Dictionary Article: Note that the name of the author of the article comes first and the main editor of the dictionary later. To find the name of the author, look at the end of the dictionary article. Often you will find only his or her initials and will then have to turn to the list of contributors in the front of the dictionary to find the person's full name.
Baab, O. J. "Divorce." In Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible,
vol. 1. Edited by G. A.
Buttrick. Nashville: Abingdon,
1962, p. 859.
Exegesis
The word "exegesis" comes from the Greek word exegeomai, which
basically means "to lead out of." When applied to the interpretation
of written texts, it means "to read out" or explain the meaning.
Any time you interpret the meaning of a statement you hear or a sentence
you read, you are involved in the task of exegesis. The following
guidelines are designed to sharpen your skills in interpreting the Bible
as well as to make clear how to go about writing an exegesis paper.
After carefully studying your passage in 1 Corinthians, take the following approach to writing your exegesis paper:
A. Literary Setting: Briefly explain the significance
of the location of the passage in its larger literary context. State how
it fits into its setting and explain the importance of the material immediately
preceding and following it for interpreting the passage.
B. Analysis of the Passage: As you explain the meaning
of your passage, give attention to matters such as the following: (although
not in any pre-set order. Use them as they best fit)
1. the significance of its literary structure.
Does the passage repeat certain words or groups of words? Repetition
of words or phrases often indicates emphasis.
2. use of rhetorical techniques to strengthen
the message. For example, does Paul use rhetorical questions?
If so, why?
3. words that need to be defined carefully
for a proper understanding of the passage (for example, "redemption," or
"justification"). [Determine the significant words in your passage
and look these up in several Bible dictionaries in the library's reference
room. Understanding the meaning of particular words can substantially
influence your interpretation of some passages, although you must be careful
of interpreting your text on the basis of dictionary articles. Determine
which meaning of the word best fits the context. Consult reference
works such as Anchor Bible Dictionary, The New International Dictionary
of New Testament Theology, The New Bible Dictionary, The Interpreter's
Dictionary of the Bible, etc.
4. quotations of or allusions to Old Testament
passages or other ancient literature. Where is the quotation from?
How does your passage use it and why?
5. theological significance of the passage.
Of what value is its teaching for today?
Paper Specifications
The paper must be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, and
12 point size type. Do not write the paper at the last second and submit
your first draft. Compose your paper; set it aside for a time; read and
edit, making your prose stronger; and then print out a final form that
is clearly written.
Use at least five commentaries in your study, but do not use ones that cover the entire Bible in one volume. For example, for your passage in 1 Corinthians, use commentaries that devote their entire contents to 1 Corinthians. Use volumes from recognized series such as New International Commentary on the New Testament, International Critical Commentary, Hermeneia, New Century Bible, Tyndale NT Commentary, The Anchor Bible, and Harper's NT Commentary.
Do not limit your research to reading works that state the position you presently hold. You will strengthen your case by reading opposing views, for they will help you to think through your position and bring greater clarity to your thought.
Maintain an openness to the biblical material. Do not merely seek to prove what you already believe; that is a dishonest approach to research. Study the text carefully, become aware of the issues involved, formulate your conclusions, and then write your paper to demonstrate what you have discovered.
Do not simply report what someone else has written on your biblical text. Researching and writing the paper will help to develop your ability to read carefully, sift the evidence and reach your own conclusions. Your paper should demonstrate that you have considered the data presented in the secondary literature and formulated your own conclusions on the meaning and implications of the passage.
Organizing and Writing
After reflecting upon the significance of your passage and mentally
dialoguing with the explanations of it presented in the secondary literature,
you will begin to formulate your own ideas on what the text means. Before
you compose these into a formal paper, however, construct an outline of
what you want to communicate, sketching out the sequence and content. This
outline will help your thoughts to flow smoothly in the exegesis paper,
for you will know your direction and avoid figuring out where you are going
as you write.
Citing Primary and Secondary Sources
When quoting or referring to a biblical passage, there is no need to
use a footnote. Merely place the needed information in parenthesis: "Moses
allowed you to divorce your wives because of your hard heart" (Matt. 19:8).
(Note the placement of the period after the citation in parenthesis.) When
quoting or providing information taken from a secondary source, however,
you must show where you obtained the material. When relying on the work
of another, even if you do not quote his or her words exactly, you must
give credit to that person. If you fail to do so, you are committing plagiarism.
For example, if you were studying Mark 10:2-12 on divorce, you could take
my book Sex in the Bible, note in the index where I address this
passage, and then read that material. If you decided to use some of my
information in your paper, you would indicate this in a note either at
the bottom of the page (footnote) or at the end of your paper (endnote).
Parenthetical notes are not appropriate for exegesis papers, because you
need to document your sources carefully, and such listing of data is better
placed in footnotes than in the main body of the text.
Make it your habit when citing the explanation
of the author of a commentary, journal article or other publication to
include in your footnote or endnote a listing of any primary sources he
or she used to argue for a particular viewpoint. This helps the reader
to evaluate the strength of the viewpoint without having to locate and
read the book cited.
I strongly recommend the use of Kate L. Turabian,
A
Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (University
of Chicago Press).
Footnotes or Endnotes: Use the following as guides. Notice that
the first line of a note is indented, and the second and following lines
of the note are not indented. This is opposite of the form used for
bibliographies.
For a Commentary in a Commentary Series: Note that the title
of the individual commentary is italicized or underlined but the series
title is not.
1 C. E. B. Cranfield, The Epistle to the Romans, vol. 1, International
Critical Commentary (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1975), p. 104.
2 David Hill, The Gospel of Matthew, New Century Bible (London:
Oliphants, 1972), pp. 278-82.
For a Book:
3 Michael
R. Cosby, Sex in the Bible: An Introduction to What the Scriptures teach
us about Sexuality (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984), pp.
17-20.
4 Michael
R. Cosby, Portraits of Jesus: An Inductive Approach to the Gospels
(Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1999), p. 94.
5 Michael R. Cosby, The Rhetorical Composition and Function of
Hebrews 11 in Light of Example Lists in Antiquity (Macon, GA:
Mercer University Press, 1988), p. 57.
For a Dictionary Article: Note that the name of the author of the article comes first and the main editor of the dictionary later. Look at the end of the article for the name of its author (if only his or her initials are given, consult the list of contributors in the front of the book for the person's full name).
6 O. J. Baab, "Divorce," in Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, vol. 1, ed. G. A. Buttrick (Nashville: Abingdon, 1962), p. 859.
For a Journal Article:
7 B. Vawter, "Divorce and the New Testament," Catholic Biblical
Quarterly 39 (1977): 528-42.
8 Michael R. Cosby, "The Rhetorical Composition of Hebrews 11," Journal
of Biblical Literature 107 (1988): 257-273.
For an Article in a Book of Collected Essays:
9 Michael R. Cosby, "Paul's Persuasive Language in Romans 5," in Persuasive Artistry: Studies in New Testament Rhetoric in Honor of George A. Kennedy, JSNT Supplement Series #50, ed. Duane F. Watson (Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1991), pp. 209-226.
For Sources take from the Internet, consult the guide provided
by the following hyperlink.
Guide
for Noting Internet Sources
Things to Note
1. Any quotation of five or more lines should be indented and single
spaced in your paper. Do not put quotation marks around such block quotations.
2. When quoting a source, be careful to reproduce the exact wording.
3. All foreign words (e.g., Heilsgeschichte) and terms transliterated
into English (e.g., agape) should be italicized or underlined.
4. Numbers designating notes in the text should be raised (word processors
do this automatically when you click on the footnote icon).
Avoid such common mistakes as
1. the use of clichés and other overly informal means of expression.
What is acceptable in everyday conversation is not always desirable in
a formal paper.
2. concluding a sentence with a preposition: "Who are you going with?"
Instead, say, "With whom are you going?"
3. the use of contractions, like can't, don't, won't.
5. Do not confuse the spelling of "its" and "it's"; "accept" and "except";
and "affect" and "effect." Know the differences between the meanings of
such words.