Comprehensive Examination
M.A. in Biblical Exegesis
Wheaton College Graduate School
Exam Time: Fall Semester, October 31, 2015 8:45 AM – 4:45 PM, BGC 569
Spring Semester, April 2, 2016 8:45 AM – 4:45 PM, BGC 130
General Instructions
The Comprehensive Examination in the MA in Biblical Exegesis program tests the
student's ability to exegete the original text of Scripture -- which is, of course, the ultimate goal
of the program. Since facility in Hebrew and Greek is fundamental to this goal, one part of the
examination will test the student's understanding of basic morphology and grammar and their
ability to translate from the original languages into idiomatic English. The other part of the
examination will focus on exegesis itself. The expectation in both parts of the test is that students
will be able to demonstrate an adequate grasp of the languages and of the process of exegesis.
Specific Guidelines
Translation Sections.
The intent is to insure that students have a grasp of the languages adequate to serve as a
foundation for exegetical work. Students will be asked to parse particular words, and to translate.
In their translations, students should steer a middle course. The translations should be in
accurate, standard, grammatical English, thereby reflecting their understanding of the basic
structures of the original languages and their relationship to English. On the other hand, there is
no expectation that translations will be in polished or literary English.
Exegesis Sections.
The intent in this part of the Exam is to determine whether students have a basic grasp of
exegetical procedures and resources. The very wide scope of material on which the test is based
(no less than all of Scripture, with exception of the portions in Aramaic!) requires that there be
no expectation that exegeses will be comprehensive or final. Students should seek to comment
on as much as they can within the time allotted – time is a factor in the test. They should seek to
be as specific as possible. On the other hand, there will not be time to pursue every point;
students will have to content themselves at places with simply indicating lines of investigation
that they would pursue had they adequate time. At the same time, of course, students will not
have access to all the resources that they would normally use in their exegesis. They are
therefore required to indicate, as specifically as possible, which resources they would use in
pursuit of a particular point, and what reasoning and priorities will drive them.
Specifically, students should be prepared to comment on and, where relevant, evaluate,
the following issues:
1. Textual variants (choosing only the most significant for comment);
2. The genre of the text and its significance for interpretation;
3. The literary context of the passage in the book (rhetorical strategy);
4. The development of thought in the text in terms of its argument or structure (discourse
analysis);
5. Critical issues pertinent to text
6. Specific lexical, grammatical, and syntactical issues (again, focusing on those of
greatest significance);
7. Points in the text that may be illuminated by reference to background material, whether
that be OT in the OT, OT in the NT, other kinds of relevant parallel references within the Bible,
ANE, Jewish or Greco-Roman parallels;
8. The relationship of the text to themes within the book and to biblical theology in
general (including both testaments);
9. The significance of the passage for wider theological and practical concerns.
Again, it needs to be stressed that students will have to make decisions about where to spend
their time. But the ability to make good decisions about what to focus on in exegesis is itself an
important exegetical skill that this exam is designed to test. Therefore, the student should
comment on any of the above nine areas only when they are significant for exegetical
consideration.
Please note that there is a difference in the materials that are provided for the OT and NT
exegesis portions of the exam: For the Old Testament exegesis portion of the exam, students
will be given an English translation of the text (from the ESV) as well as a photocopy of their
own English translation to work from along with their Hebrew Bible. For the New Testament
portion of the exam, students will be given a photocopy of the translation that they completed
during the NT translation portion of the exam and will work from their own translation to
exegete the text.
Preparation
Since the test is a true "comprehensive," the only adequate preparation is the
accumulation of exegetical prowess throughout the program. Students may find it useful to
review this material, especially focusing on 1) exegetical methodology; 2) Greek and Hebrew
translation skills and grammar; and 3) basic Hebrew and Greek vocabulary (students should
strive to be able to know all words used in the NT more than ten times, along with irregular
principal parts [for which see the Metzger lists]; in the OT, students should know words used
more than fifty times [for which see, e.g., Van Pelt/Pratico]).
The comprehensive exam is designed to determine whether students have attained the
level of expertise in translation and exegesis appropriate to a masters' degree in this discipline.
The exam tests the students’ abilities in Hebrew OT translation, OT exegesis, Greek NT
translation, and NT exegesis. Course work will, of course, help students prepare for the
comprehensive exam, but the exam does not test course content as such. Students can
conceivably earn high grades in courses and perform poorly on or even fail the comprehensive
exam. It is also possible to demonstrate strong language skills and do poorly in exegesis, or to
excel in the writing of exegetical papers while having a poor grasp of the biblical languages.
Furthermore, it is one thing to read Hebrew and Greek; it is quite another to read the Scriptures.
Our program tries to teach both. Accordingly, students should, in addition to their course work,
prepare independently for the comprehensive exam. Additional information about the exam and
suggestions for preparation will be made available on this website, in courses, and in
informational meetings.
Resources
Students will be allowed to use the following resources:
1. A critical edition of the Greek New Testament (preferably the 27th ed. of
Nestle-Aland's The Greek New Testament);
2. A critical edition of the Hebrew text (preferably BHS);
3. The Bauer-Arndt-Gingrich Danker Greek Lexicon of New Testament Greek;
4. One of the following: Hebrew-Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament
(HALOT); Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon; Holladay, Lexicon.
Note: Only hard copies of these resources will be allowed. For security and fairness
purposes, students will not be allowed the use of computers.
The Examination will proceed according to the following schedule:
8:45: Introduction and Orientation to the Exam
9:00-10:00: Translation of a text from the Hebrew Bible
10:00-10:15: Break
10:30-12:30: Exegesis of a text from the Hebrew Bible
12:30-1:30: Lunch Break
1:30-2:30: Translation of a text from the Greek New Testament
2:30-2:45: Break
2:45-4:45: Exegesis of a text from the Greek New Testament
Full Disclosure
Texts chosen for translation and/or exegesis may be from books that particular students have
worked on in other contexts (for instance, a student may have taken a Wheaton course on the
book). Students are therefore required to indicate when they have done significant work on a
book from which a text is drawn (whether that work was done at Wheaton or elsewhere).
Comprehensive Exam Policy:
The comprehensive exam is offered by the BITH department twice during the academic year, in
the fall and in the spring. Comps are not offered in the summer for August graduates of the
Master of Arts programs, so students completing requirements and anticipating graduation in
August should be prepared to take the comprehensive exam in March. The comp may be
attempted at any point the student feels prepared to sit for the exam (usually after all core courses
are completed) but must be passed within the 5-year deadline to earn the degree by traditional
students, and within the 7-year deadline for MPPM students. If a semester or more has passed
since the student’s last enrollment in the Graduate School, the student should submit a
Supplementary Application to the Graduate Admissions department in order to become eligible
to register for BITH 692, Comprehensive Exam, in the semester of their choosing. The
comprehensive exam fee is $25.
Once a student has registered for BITH 692, s/he will be informed of study guides, exam dates
and locations, special instructions, proctor agreements, and any additional information by the
graduate BITH department office coordinator. It is the student’s responsibility to verify that the
graduate BITH department has all necessary contact information including an email address, to
use to communicate with the student. If the student decides to withdraw from the comprehensive
exam that semester, s/he must drop it from their registration for that semester in the Registrar’s
Office no later than 2 weeks prior to the exam date. No refund is given after the second week of
the semester. Further, it is the student’s responsibility to communicate to the department no later
than two weeks prior to the exam date that they have withdrawn from the comprehensive exam
for that semester, or if they qualify for special accommodations due to documented special needs
or learning disabilities. The documents for special needs must be on file in the Registrar’s Office.
Failure by the student to withdraw before the deadline of two weeks prior to the exam date
results in the exam being recorded as an “F” for that attempt.
Students may attempt any section of the comprehensive exam for their master’s program only
twice. A student failing a particular exam may retake the exam only at the announced time in the
following semester. Students who have failed parts of the exam are required to retake only the
failed questions or sections, and the retake will involve the same subject matter with revised
questions (or biblical passages). Failure to pass any area of the comprehensive exam on the
second attempt results in failure to have the master’s degree conferred.
Students that fail or withdraw from the comprehensive exam will be precluded from participating
in commencement activities for that academic year.