Name: ___________________________ The New Testament Letters Research Paper In this research paper, students will examine the background, content, and personal relevance of one of the letters of the New Testament. The purpose of this assignment is not exclusively to hunt down the correct answers but rather to gain familiarity and confidence in scriptural scholarship. Students will research the paper using academic scriptural commentaries, which are owned by Holy Family. Students are not allowed to take commentaries home, but will have ample time to work in class. This paper will make up a substantial portion of the Quarter 4 grade. Papers are due Tuesday, May 9th at 3 PM Paper outline: I. Introduction II. Historical background A. Who wrote the letter (include evidence for support)? B. Who is its audience (include evidence for support)? C. Where and when was it written (include evidence for support)? III. Content of the Letter A. Summarize the content of the letter B. What theological teachings appear in the letter? 1. Be sure to include at least two 2. Give support and evidence for these theological teachings IV. Favorite Passage A. What is your favorite passage of the letter? B. What does it mean (according to the scholars)? C. Why is it your favorite and how can you apply it to your own life? V. Conclusion VI. Works Cited Paper Writing Checklist: ● Choose the letter:______________________________________________________ ● Read the letter ● Pick your favorite passage:______________________________________________ ● Conduct your research using at least 3 commentaries ● Draft (start writing) ● Edit (fix errors) ● Final Commentary 1 Citation:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Commentary 2 Citation:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Commentary 3 Citation:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Commentary 4 (optional) Citation:_______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Grading Rubric: ____ (0-15) Development of Ideas: ● Did the writer fully engage the topic at hand? ● Is there a thoughtful exploration of the passage, authorship and meaning? ____ (0-10) Organization of Ideas: ● Did the writer organize his or her paper in a cohesive fashion? ● Do paragraphs open with topic sentences and close with clincher sentences? ____ (0-15) Support: ● Did the writer fully support his or her ideas with sources, content and quotes? ● Were ideas fully fleshed out and explored? ● Did the writer “show” his or her ideas through examples and details and move beyond identification into analysis? ● Are topics of a consistently academic nature? ● Did the writer use at least 3 commentaries? ____ (0-5) Sentence Structure: ● Is the writer using fluid, strong sentences of varying length and complexity? ____ (0-5) Miscellaneous: ● Font, size and margins match what you were taught in your English classes. ● Proper use of parenthetical citation and Works Cited page, Title Page ● 2 full pages (not counting cover page or work cited pages) minimum ● Rough draft with peer editing. ____/50 points Comments: Letters: 1 Corinthians 2 Timothy 2 Corinthians Titus Galatians Hebrews Ephesians James Philippians 1 Peter Colossians 2 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 John 2 Thessalonians 2 and 3 John 1 Timothy Jude Note: As you will see, these letters are of varying length. It is tempting to choose the shorter letters because they won’t take you as long to read. However, the longer the letter, the more material will be written on it and therefore it might be easier to research and write your paper.
