Helpful Hints for Paper Writing
1) Every paper needs an introduction. What should your introduction include?
You should tell the reader what you are doing (see below for more details on
this part):
a) Indicate what passage you are writing on and include the Mark
parallel (if there is one). There is no need to tell the story…this will
take up valuable space that should be used for other things.
b) Indicate what you will be doing with this passage:
i. Setting the passage within the context of the gospel and
indicating what theme is developed through this passage.
ii. Using different commentaries to help understand the passage.
(You could list the commentaries you will use by the author’s
names.)
iii. Providing a reflection about how this passage might be helpful
for today’s reader.
2) Every paper also needs a title. “Paper 1” or “Luke Paper” is NOT a title.
Often, a title is selected after the paper is written and it “captures” something
about the paper. Short titles with alliteration are good. “The Sneaky Snake
Strikes Again!” Titles that are provocative are also good. “It Is All About
Trust.”
3) Every paper needs certain information. In the top left corner of the first page,
your paper should include your name, the course, and the date. In the top
right corner of the first page, your paper should include page numbers.
4) There is no need for any additional outside sources. Most of your paper will
include material that is paraphrased from the commentaries. When material
is used in this way it is referred to as an “indirect quotation.” In other words,
you are stating in your own words what Lohfink, Johnson, Fitzmyer, etc.
have written. You need to cite this accordingly. As an example:
…. The consequences for listening to the snake have an etiological meaning,
but also a theological meaning. With regard to the latter, the consequences have
a great deal to do with Israel’s ongoing temptation to worship the strange gods
of the Canaanites (Birge 23).
A direct quotation is when you take something directly from the text and use
quotation marks. As an example:
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In this regard, Lohfink states, “Without freedom there would be only puppets
and machines, but no human beings moved by trust and love” (Lohfink 20).
Your paper should be MOSTLY paraphrasing, with only the occasional direct
quotation. Perhaps a line like the one above could be quoted directly because it has
a certain “punch” to it. However, your paper should not have long direct
quotations; most of your paper should be paraphrasing what the authors have said.
5) I gave you many good notes in the MODULES about the Lohfink readings.
You could use them to help you write your paper, but you cannot use the
notes as a “source” for your paper. You should use the notes as a way to “go
to the source” and use the source itself. So, for instance, I might point out
what Lohfink says on page 20. So, you need to go to page 20 and use this
and reference this.
6) By convention, we cite the Bible in a particular way in papers. We do NOT
write: Genesis, chapter 3, verse 16 or Genesis, chapter 3, verses 16 and 17.
Rather, we write: Gen 3:16 or Gen 3:16-7.
At the front of each Bible there is a set of abbreviations. Most of them are
self-evident. Gen for the Book of Genesis, Deut for the Book of
Deuteronomy, Mk for the Gospel of Mark, etc.
Examples of using proper Bible references:
There is an interesting exchange between the snake and woman in Gen 3:15.
At one point in the story, the snake says to the woman, “You certainly will
not die” (Gen 3:4). {Note the punctuation here…the period goes at the end
of the sentence.}
The Creator is called “God” in Gen 1:1-2:3 and the Creator is called “Lord
God” in Gen 2:4-3:24.
Birge writes eloquently about the conversation between the snake and the
woman (found in Gen 3:1-5), showing how the snake influences the woman
to speak differently about God and God’s intentions (33). {Note: because I
mentioned “Birge” within the sentence, I do not have to repeat her name
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within the citation; if I had not mentioned her in the sentence, then I would
have to include her name in the citation, thus (Birge 33).}
7) You need a Works Cited page at the end of your paper. There is a form to be
followed. You can find a model of this form in the “Required Texts” section
of the syllabus. The proper form for our texts is below. Notice that they are
in alphabetical order and have “hanging indent” paragraphs. Only include
the ones you used (so not all of these).
Works Cited
Byrne, Brendan. The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel. Revised Edition.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2015.
Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke. 2 vols. Anchor Bible 3. New York:
Doubleday, 1981-85.
Johnson, Luke Timothy. Luke. Sacra Pagina 3. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1991.
Karris, Robert J. "The Gospel According To Luke." In The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.
Edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fiztmyer, and Roland E. Murphy. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.
LaVerdiere, Eugene. Luke. New Testament Message 5. Wilmington, DE: Michael Glazier, 1980.
Lohfink, Gerhard. Jesus of Nazareth: Who He Was, What He Wanted. Collegeville, MN:
Liturgical Press, 2015.
Perkins, Pheme. “Luke.” In “Reading Guide.” The Catholic Study Bible. Ed. Donald Senior and
John J. Collins. 3rd Edition. New American Bible Revised Edition. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2016: 242-257.
Stuhlmueller, Carroll. “The Gospel according to Luke.” In The Jerome Biblical Commentary.
Edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1968.
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More Detailed Hints for Paper Writing
a--Indicate what passage you are writing on and include the Mark parallel (if there
is one). There is no need to tell the story…this will take up valuable space that
should be used for other things.
b--Indicate what you will be doing with this passage:
1. Setting the passage within the context of the gospel and indicating what
theme is developed through this passage.
2. Using different commentaries to help understand the passage.
3. Providing a reflection about how this passage might be helpful for today’s
reader.
For b) 1. Setting the passage within the context of the gospel and indicating
what theme is developed through this passage.
I think one page should be sufficient for this part on the context and theme.
You want to look at your passage and see where it fits within the gospel of Luke.
Then you want to see if it fits within the different themes that Byrne sets out in pp.
8-22.
For instance, let us take the passage Lk 6:6-11 The Man with the Withered Hand.
For the context, it sits as a story that follows for controversies:
a) healing paralytic: who but God alone can forgive sins?
b) calling Levi: why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?
c) fasting: why do his disciples not fast?
d) sabbath: why does he do what is unlawful on the sabbath?
e) then this story comes with the ending: they became enraged and discussed what
they might do to him. (Read the ending of this story in Mark....it is even worse for
Jesus!)
For how it fits within the themes of Luke’s Gospel (using Byrne):
This story fits with pp. 9-10 "The Lukan Triangle" and p. 16 "Inclusive Scope of
Salvation."
Another example is from Lk 4:16-30.
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For the context, this story is the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and it ends
badly...they want to kill him. This sets the stage for the whole gospel.
For the theme, this story fits perfectly with what Byrne writes in his themes on
page 16-17: "Jesus: The Rejected Prophet." Use this material for the context. You
will notice that there is some repetition when he deals with the passage on pp. 5563, but that is okay...you can just include this material (again) when you come to
using Byrne as one of your commentators.
A third example is from Lk 5:1-11.
For the context, this story comes at the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus.
He has begun his preaching in his hometown of Nazareth, where they end up trying
to kill him. He then expels a demon from a man in a synagogue and a "demon"
(fever) from Simon's mother-in-law. He has other healings and then leaves
Capernaum. This story about the call of Peter follows. After this, Peter and the
other disciples will begin to accompany Jesus as he proclaims the reign of God.
As far as the themes in Luke's gospel set forth by Byrne, I think the one that fits
best is the first one: the hospitality of God. Peter is willing (open, hospitable) to do
what Jesus asks: first, letting him use his boat to preach from, and second, going
out to fish when they had no luck the previous night. But, Peter's openness to Jesus
is rewarded, for he is now, in turn, welcomed into the hospitality of God. His life
will completely change now (although he has a long journey to take for this
change) because he was open/welcoming/hospitable to Jesus.
For b) 2: Using different commentaries to help understand the passage.
I think you should devote at least 4 pages to this part on the commentaries.
a) When you refer to the commentary, always use the commentator’s name. So,
for instance, say: “Johnson clearly lays out three important points for this
passage.” Or “Karris is particularly clear about this point.” Do not include
the other information, such as the book’s name or the chapter’s name…the
reader can find this information in your Works Cited/Bibliography page.
b) As you read the commentary, make some notes about the things that you
have learned. After taking your notes, you might realize that you have 4 or 5
points. These are the points that you can paraphrase under this
heading/section.
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c) When you read the commentaries, you might come across some points that
you do not understand. That is okay. There is probably plenty of things that
you will understand. You can also email and ask me to help you.
d) You have to read the commentaries slowly and carefully. You probably will
have to read them more than once. As you read other commentaries, things
that you did not understand at first will probably become clearer.
e) When you are citing the commentaries in your paper, it should look like this:
Byrne’s third point about the fever is most important. He notes that it is a
“severe” fever, which is a change from what we find in the Mark text (Byrne
16).
f) Remember, you have the option of including some information from
Lohfink about details of this passage or how it fits within the gospel. The
notes I have posted on MODULES can help you here. But, remember to use
them to go back to the Lohfink text.
For b) 3: Providing a reflection about how this passage might be helpful for
today’s reader.
I think you should devote one or two paragraphs to this part on the application.
By the time you come to this point, you might have some ideas about how this
passage might be applied to today’s world. The passage about the disciples in the
boat during the storm at sea, might provide comfort for people who are in the midst
of discouragement, or even despair, thinking that God “is not there” and has
abandoned them. The story about the paralytic reminds us about the gift of
friendship and how devoted these people were to help their friend in his need. The
story of the Greatest Commandment stretches whom we should consider our
neighbor to be. I can help you with this application if you are stuck.
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Luke Paper Instructions
There is one exegesis paper on a passage from the Gospel of Luke Chapter 8: 22-25. The paper
is to follow this basic format:
• 1800 to 2400 words, typed, double-spaced pages, 12 point Times New Roman font, one
inch margins all around, DO NOT RIGHT JUSTIFY, use standard English, spelling, and
grammar
• use the essay form with introduction, body and conclusion
• evaluation will pertain to the quality of writing and expression, the content, and depth of
analysis
• page numbers, title, single spaced heading with name, class, time of class, etc.
• standard method of citation: MLA or Chicago Manual of Style
The main purpose of the paper is to discuss a passage from the Gospel of Luke in detail and
interpret it in relationship to the theology and narrative of the Gospel of Luke.
▪
▪
▪
▪
A passage will be assigned to you when we start to study Luke
Discuss the details of the passage and its fit within the context of the Gospel of Luke.
Read Byrne, pp. 8-22. These pages will help you to see how your passage fits within the
overall context and themes of Luke’s gospel.
Attend to the historical and theological analysis. Use the sources from the list below.
Offer a reflection on the meaning of the passage for Christians today.
For your passage, you must use the following commentaries:
1) Fitzmyer, Joseph A. The Gospel According to Luke. 2 vols. Anchor Bible Series. New
York: Doubleday, 1981-85.
2) Johnson, Luke Timothy. Luke. Sacra Pagina Series. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press,
1991.
3) Byrne, Brendan. The Hospitality of God: A Reading of Luke’s Gospel. Revised Edition.
Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2015.
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
LaVerdiere, Eugene. Luke. New Testament Message Series 5. Wilmington, DE: Michael
Glazier, 1980.
4) Karris, Robert J. "The Gospel According To Luke." In The New Jerome Biblical
Commentary. Edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fiztmyer, and Roland E. Murphy.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990.
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
2
Stuhlmueller, Carroll. “The Gospel according to Luke.” In The Jerome Biblical
Commentary. Edited by Raymond E. Brown, Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E.
Murphy. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1968.
5) If you find some overlap with Lohfink, Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He
Was, feel free to include any insights that he might offer for your passage specifically or
generally.
TOPIC
Contextualizing
Passage using Byrne
Fitzmyer
commentary
Johnson
commentary
Byrne or
LaVerdiere
commentary
Stuhlmueller or
Karris commentary
Lohfink
insights
Reflection upon
meaning for today
Mechanics and
Composition
Total
POINTS
35
45
35
35
30
bonus
40
30
250
POINTS
COMMENTS
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