Debate about the authorship of the Gospel Of John
RESEARCH PAPER
You will be required to submit a research paper on one of the following topics:
1. Research the debate about the authorship of the Gospel of John.
2. Discuss the Gospel of John's use of 1 or more of the Jewish festivals in describing the person and work of Jesus.
3. Trace John's view of the role of the Holy Spirit in this Gospel.
4. Look at the prologue of John (1:1-18) and trace the connections between the topics there and in the rest of the Gospel.
5. Look at 1 of the conversations Jesus has with an individual (i.e., Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman, Pontus Pilate, etc.) and discuss how John uses this conversation to express an aspect of Jesus' Messianic status.
6. Pick a passage in John and write an exegetical paper (please have the passage approved by the instructor first).
Please note: You are welcome to propose another topic, but any other topic must be approved by the instructor before the paper is written.
In preparation for your paper, you will submit a Turabian-style bibliography of 6 or more sources which you plan to use, as well as a well-developed outline.
The paper should follow the guidelines of the most recent edition of Turabian and should be double-spaced, use a 10 or 12 point font (preferably Times New Roman), and contain 1-inch margins. This paper should be at least 12 pages long (and no more than 20 pages) and should follow the basic style guidelines of the seminary. (NOTE: Your title page, table of contents, and bibliography do not count as part of the 12 page minimum). You will be required to have at least 6 scholarly sources (NOTE: Your textbooks do not count toward this total). Proper citation and use of sources is expected. You will be graded on style and content. If you choose to do an exegetical paper, please remember that a basic exegetical paper should include an outline of the passage under consideration, a clear thesis statement, an introduction, some discussion of context issues (i.e., historical context, literary context, etc.) an exegesis of the passage, an application of the passage to Christian life, and a conclusion.