The paper will be 8–12 pages, double-spaced not including bibliography.
The assignment requires the citation of sources, which are to be listed in a separate bibliography attached at the end of the paper.
The paper requires at least 6 secondary sources in addition to the 2 primary source mentioned below in the instructions.
Topic of KINGSHIP for the subject of this research paper
Students will compose a research paper that explores the development of the topic or theme over the course of ancient Jewish history.
The paper must do three specific things in order to receive a strong grade: 1) explain what historical, social, and religious factors shaped the contours of the development of the topic over the course of ancient Jewish history, with specific attention to the destruction of the First and Second Temples (586 BCE and 70 CE) (think about Schlabach’s description of cause and effect); 2) the paper must integrate and analyze critically the value of at least four relevant primary sources into its discussion of the topic; and 3) the paper must demonstrate an understanding of how the methods of history introduced in the course of the class might be brought to bear upon the topic (social history, cultural turn, microhistory, etc.). I would strongly encourage students to read the following guide as part of the preparation for the paper: Rampolla “Writing a History Paper”.
Tips:
• Do not forget to use the Coogan textbook (The Oxford History of the Biblical World) in order to give your paper the appropriate historical frames. The relevant historical information about each period is carefully outlined in this book.
• Do not forget to use Cohen (From The Maccabees to the Mishnah 2nd Edition). Cohen has a brief description of what is happening to certain offices during the Second Temple Period.
• You might think about organizing your paper in the following manner
o Historical frames for each period (FTP & STP): what are the historical and social circumstances
o What are the relevant primary sources for understanding your topic: identify them for the reader and give a description and evaluation of how they contribute to our knowledge of the topic
o What do the primary sources reveal about your topic?
o Hence:
The research question is…
What is the FTP (First Temple Period)
What are the sources and what do they say about X topic…
The Babylonian exile and introduce STP (Second Temple Period)…
How does your topic develop from FTP to STP…
Use JSTOR.org to look up articles. I would also recommend looking at the Anchor Bible Dictionary. This is a topical resource (lists by subject), but it will have a general introduction with bibliography for your topic.
Suggested Resources for Early Jewish History Paper
Kingship
Schniedewind, W.M. Society and the Promise to David: The Reception History of 2 Samuel 7:1–17 (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999).
Berquist, J.L. Judaism in Persia’s Shadow: A Social and Historical Approach (Wipf & Stock, 2003).
• Introduction: Thesis
• The thesis of the paper is not:
• A restatement of the prompt (i.e., “In this paper I will examine kingship during the First Temple Period and Second Temple Period…)
• Your topic (i.e., kingship, priesthood, etc.)
• A statement of fact (i.e., “During the Persian period, the Persian empire turned the independent state of Judah into a colony of the empire…)
• Kingship in the FTP: The transition to this part of the paper will make an argument about how the literary sources from this period characterize kingship (and this part of the paper should relate to or support your thesis)
• The Babylonian Exile
• Kingship in the STP: The transition to this part of the paper will make an argument about how the literary sources from this period characterize kingship (does this transition bring the reader back to your thesis?)
