Interpretive Assignment: Luke 7:36-50

Remember, you need critical commentaries. These are works that are based on the original Greek text. Some authors that I like on Luke include Joel B Green, Darrell Bock, and Joseph Fitzmeyer. But there are other good commentators as well This part of the assignment is a research paper. It should have a thesis that identifies the main theme of your passage, an argument that shows why you think that is the main theme, and critical engagement with the secondary resources. Critical engagement means that you are thinking about whether or not the commentators agree with each other; whether you agree with one commentator over another and why that might be the case; and what types of evidence have been given by the commentators for their opinions. In addition, you will be asked to look at a Bible dictionary as well and to see how that might contribute to your understanding of the passage. The paper should have a conclusion, a bibliography and footnotes, and all quotations should be properly noted.

Read a minimum of 3 critical commentaries (a commentary explicitly based on the Greek text) on your passage (e.g., Hermeneia, Word, NIGTC, Anchor Bible, NICNT, Baker Exegetical, etc. [commentary series that are not acceptable include The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, The Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, The NIV Application Series, as well as any volume originally published prior to 1900 such as Matthew Henry]). Make notes from the commentaries about the meaning of the passage and the main ideas/themes that are highlighted by the commentators. Reflect on places of agreement and disagreement between the commentators. Also, reflect on places where you agree with or disagree with the commentators. Make sure to provide reasons for your agreement or disagreement including evidence from the biblical text and other sources. Use this material to write the second part of the assignment as follows: Based on your own interpretive work and the work of the commentators, identify a major theme of your passage. Give a reasoned argument about why that is a significant theme in this passage. Go back through the book your passage is in and consider whether this is a significant theme in the book as a whole (you may use electronic resources as well as your own reading). Use your critical commentary reading above to develop your theme. Look up that theme in a Bible dictionary (Anchor Bible, ISBE, IVP, etc.). What else can you learn about this theme from a Bible dictionary? Conclude with a summary of what you have observed/learned about this passage and the major theme or idea in it. You may also consult scholarly articles on your passage. A bibliography of all the works you have consulted should be included at the end. The bibliography is not part of the word count. All sources in this assignment should use a standard format (SBL or Chicago are preferred).