HON240: Exegesis Paper: Exegetical Assignment

Need some additional help understanding what it means to do biblical exegesis and how that relates to writing your paper? Gorman's book below (available as a library ebook through the link below) is a wonderful, easily accessible overview of the process.

The appendix to the above also contains some sample papers so you can get a better idea of what a finished product looks like and the kinds of information that is commented on when writing. The following is a sample of one of them. NOTE: This is meant to give you a general idea of how to write an exegetical paper. It is not meant to supersede the formatting and guidelines provided by your instructors for this assignment.

In this course, you will be asked to complete an exegetical assignment. Michael J. Gorman, in his book "Elements of Biblical Exegesis", says that exegesis "may be defined as the careful historical, literary, and theological analysis of a text. Some would call it “scholarly reading” and describe it as reading in a way that “ascertains the sense of the text through the most complete, systematic recording possible of the phenomena of the text and grappling with the reasons that speak for or against a specific understanding of it.” Another appropriate description of exegesis is “close reading,” a term borrowed from the study of literature. “Close” reading means the deliberate, word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase consideration of all the parts of a text in order to understand it as a whole. Those who engage in the process of exegesis are called exegetes (ch. 1 para. 4)."

In this guide, you will find on overview with suggestions to help you write your paper. In addition to the tips for doing observations, research, and writing structure; there are also recommended resources to use for your research and where to find them in the library.