Research Paper, Religion and Theology
Exegesis of John 13-1:17
Project description
Take note that these are Professor Mercer’s requirements that are to be included in both APA and MLA.

Title (Cover) Page – Passage reference; your name; date, etc.

Introduction? bolded title set to the far left: (Introduction counts as 20% of grade)?1 to 2pgs
• Quote the passage to be studied (indented, single spaced, italicized, and only one version) somewhere within the introduction section of the paper.
• Provide a statement of your purpose and method of research you have done.
• Indicate the major theme(s) or emphases and the type of literature (genre and subgenre if any) of the text that you are going to exegete.
• Treat introductory issues such as authorship, audience, place of writing, destination, dating for the document, life setting, etc. within the introduction section of the exegesis paper.

Exegesis ? bolded title set to the far left: This is the main body & discussion of the Scripture text: (50% of grade)?4 to 5 pages. Note that parenthetical notation must be provided for all sources with cited page numbers within the text of the paper at the appropriate places!
• Discuss the broader literary context in which the text is found. Example: Matthew 5: 17-20 is found in the Sermon on the Mount.
• Determine the meaning of the passage in both its historical and literary contexts and make an explicit statement of your findings. Relate these findings to the major themes of the passage as previously indicated in the introductory portion of the paper. How do these findings relate to the broader message of the Bible?
• Discuss the immediate literary context (what comes before and after) the passage being studied.
• Analyze the passage by paying close attention to the flow of thought in the passage; do necessary word studies such as its secular use, canonical use, use by the author in multiple works, and specific use in the passage under investigation; do synoptic comparisons for the 3 Gospels; take notice of rhetorical devices and figures of speech used; compare differences among translations (textual criticism); examine cultural practices and concepts particularly noting anything in the passage which goes against the cultural norms of that time–for example: A Samaritan is the hero in a Jewish setting).
• Look back and summarize your key points at the end of the exegesis section before moving to the conclusion.

For a further discussion of issues relating to application, consult the “Model for Applicational Interpretation” in Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard’s Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.

Conclusion ? bolded title set to the far left: (20% of grade)?3 to 5 pages
• Restate the original application or applications of the message (or messages) that were intended by the author in his time. How does the author seemingly want the audience at that time to respond?
• Consider whether or not the original application or applications are historically or culturally bound? Or, are they transferable across time and culture? If so, explain how the applications apply today.
• If the specific application or applications are historically and/or culturally bound, are there any principles reflected by the text that would transcend time and culture and are reflected in Scripture elsewhere?
• How do those principles contrast with your culture today? How should those principles shape you?
• What do those principles have to say about me living in the context of the community of faith (the Church) and the broader human community?
• For our contemporary time, consider and discuss the relevance of what the biblical text says about your understanding and relationship to God, about the meaning and purpose in life, and about the need for belonging to community in this fragmented world and society? ? This personal application should be very last where the use of personal pronouns would be acceptable.

Bibliography
Bolded title to be centered at top of a new page: (10% of grade)
Numbered: These are the works you cited and consulted written in standard bibliography form.