Source Analysis
& Tradition History
last update 29 July 2006

  1. Content:
    1. Identify the key features of the Biblical texts you are analyzing (genre, form, structure, etc.)
    2. Given the features of the four Pentateuchal sources:
      1. Which do you find in each of your texts?
      2. Where do you find each of them?
      3. In each case, what textual features contributed to your identification?
      4. If there are places where sources are layered upon each other, with one or more later sources building on one or more earlier ones, where do you see those changes and how do they affect the content/meaning of the text?
    3. What historical and theological significance do you see in the multiplicity of sources behind your texts?
    4. What historical and theological significance do you draw from the fact that the core tradition is repeated in the Bible?
  2. Evaluation:
    1. What is the most important thing you learned by doing this analysis?
    2. What are two or three questions you would like to raise for class discussion of these texts?
  3. References:
    1. The complete and accurate Chicago Manual of Style version bibliographic references for the original sources should be listed at the top of the first page of the analysis, followed by the your name and the date the review was written.
    2. Include any pertinent Biblical reference(s) in the analysis so the class can prepare the passages ahead of time.
  4. Submission & Due Date:
    1. Check the sign-up page for the presentation date for your assignment.
    2. Your written analysis should be available to the class one week before one week before your oral presentation.
      1. You may publish it on the Web, via e-mail, or in print copies for everyone.
      2. If distributed in print form, the document should have a two-line header that appears on the top left of each page, with the your name on the first line and the references for the texts you are analyzing on the second line; page numbers should appear at the top right of each page of the review.
    3. In addition, the document should be compiled in .doc, .html, .ppt, .rtf, or .wpd format and submitted electronically to the course web or via email to the instructor.