LG1200-50 | Final Project 2012
Final Project
DUE DATE
This project is due by at noon on Thursday, December 13. Please upload your completed
project in the exams-submissions area in MyLutherNet.
GUIDELINES



Your project is an individual and not a group exercise.
Do your work for Sections I through VI first, before proceeding to Section VII. Otherwise
the sections may be done in any order that facilitates your work with the text.
For Sections II-VI, do not use English translations. English translations come into play in
Section VII.
RESOURCES
In Parts I-VI, use any resources (except English translations) that you find helpful. This
includes textbooks, course handouts, BibleWorks, Accordance and so on.
I. TEXT
Choose one of the following New Testament passages with which to work:
Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Heals a Paralytic.
John 10:7-18
Jesus as Good Shepherd.
John 20:1-18
The Empty Tomb & Mary Magdalene.
1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5
God Chose What Is Foolish.
II. TRANSLATION
Translate your chosen passage into English that accurately reflects the Greek but is not
wooden. In other words, the English translation should sound good when read out loud. For
this portion of the exam you may make use of the resources noted above as necessary, but
you may not make use of a published translation. Feel free to revise your translation
throughout your work on sections III through VI as corrections or changes occur to you [15
pts].
III. GRAMMAR & SYNTAX
In conjunction with your translation work above, choose any five points at which you consider
attention to details of grammar or syntax to be important for or to enhance the understanding
of the text and its message. Analyze fully the words or phrases or constructions and then
explain the significance for translation or meaning of each of the points you have selected: [5
points each; total 25 points].
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Mounce sections titled, “Exegesis,” will help you determine what constitutes a grammar or
syntax question. Here is a partial list of things you might discuss in this section:
 The use of a verb tense to signify aspect of an action.
 The use of a case to signify something (e.g. a subjective genitive, or a dative of
means).




The use of an adverbial participle to describe the circumstances under which an action
takes place.
The use of a conditional clause (say what kind of condition it is and what significance it
has in context).
The use of the subjunctive mood and its significance in context.
The use of an infinitive construction.
2
IV. LEXICON
Next, select three words or phrases which you think merit more extended exploration of the
kind that the Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker lexicon provides. Look them up in the BAGD
lexicon and briefly summarize your findings about a) the overall use of the word and b) what
the lexicon's suggestion for its meaning in this particular passage adds to your understanding
of the passage.
If you do not own BDAG, you can almost certainly find a copy on your pastor’s bookshelf (ask
for “Bauer,” which is the nickname of the 2nd edition), or in a public library or college library
near you. [5 points each; total 15 points].
1.
2.
3.
V. CONCORDANCE
Now choose three words in the passage that by their significance would seem to invite further
exploration of their usage by this particular NT author, by comparison in the New Testament as
a whole, or in non-biblical literature. These words may have also appeared in your work in
parts III and IV, or they can be different from the elements you analyzed in those sections.
Using Bible software, or a site like Blueletterbible.org, or a paper Greek or Greek-English
concordance, search for occurrences of these words and summarize the findings about usage
and meaning to which your concordance search leads you. Tell us more than word counts!
Answer the “So what?” question. What is the significance of what you are finding for the
meaning of the passage? What discoveries did you make about the word and the author’s use
of it? [5 points each; total 15 points].
1.
2.
3.
VI. TEXTUAL MATTERS
Choose one textual variant in the passage that seems to you to be significant. Outline the
alternative readings listed in the textual apparatus of the Nestle-Aland 27th ed. How would
each different reading affect the meaning of the text? Finally, choose the reading you judge
best. Describe the external and internal evidence that supports your decision? If you quote
sources here or anywhere else in the exam, you must provide cite your sources accurately. [10
points].
VII. COMPARISON
Now choose any English translation and copy it or type it into Word to include with your exam.
The easiest way I have found to do this is to make a table with one row and two columns. Into
one the cell of one column, put your translation. Beside it, in the next cell, copy and paste an
English translation from a web source (like Bible Gateway) or software program. Example:
My Translation
copy and paste your translation in a box like
this
Published Translation (identify here)
copy and paste the published translation here
3
Compare the English translation with your own. Identify 3 points you consider significant at
which your translation differs in some way from that English translation. Defend or explain
how your translation or the other translation offers a better understanding or insight into the
text, better faithfulness to the original grammar or structure, and so on [5 points each; 15
points].
1.
2.
3.
VIII. SUMMARIZE YOUR FINDINGS OVERALL
In about a paragraph, summarize the specific insights you have gained for understanding this
particular passage. At what points has consideration of its grammatical, syntactical and lexical
features helped you better to understand the text? [5 points].
[Total: 100 pts]