Consider Romans 3:21-26. That is a rather dense paragraph, containing several difficult words. One example for our work today is the Greek word hilasterion. Various translations have been suggested including propitiation, expiation and sacrifice of atonement. Use a good Bible dictionary to look up any of the English words necessary. The purpose will be to research the meaning of the original Greek word and suggest a translation. I realize you don’t have access to Greek, and perhaps not to most word study tools, so the purpose of this exercise is to gain understanding of the difficulty in determining word meanings. The student should, therefore, consult and cite three research level commentaries and some English translations. Explain the issues involved in determining the meaning of the word. At least one scholar from a couple of generations ago seems surely to be driven by doctrinal presupposition. If possible, locate and explain the fallacy as mentioned in Blomberg that applies to his thinking. Consider the context, both historical and literary, the results of your research and the reading regarding word meaning. Suggest and support a translation for hilasaterion. The paper is a position paper so it must establish a thesis and argue a point

Each essay should be supported by research from at least three sources. The sources may consist

of the textbook and any other material included in the course. The student may independently

locate other sources. All sources must be of research quality. The student may engage the professor

at any time as to whether sources are acceptable. Study Bible notes, devotional material, church

publications and unpublished websites would not normally qualify.

The essays must be written in standard Turabian format and must follow standard rules of grammar

and spelling. The paper must be accompanied by a standard cover sheet. Do not include an outline

or an abstract. Citations should be footnotes, fully written, but not included in the word count. No

end notes or parenthetical references should be used. Footnotes should cite sources only. They

should not be informational. As long as the footnotes are fully presented, no bibliography is

necessary.

Essays should have an introduction of 50 words or so, including a clearly recognizable thesis

statement. The introduction should briefly set forth the issue to be addressed and the method for

the argument. A brief conclusion of about the same length should appear at the end, in which the

student summarizes the points and argument in the essay. No new arguments should be included

in the conclusion.

Requirements

The essays should be written with 1 inch margins all around and should be double spaced. The

fonts must be 12 point, Times New Romans. No exceptions. Use italics and bold only when

grammatically required. Do not use them to mark a quote or for emphasis.

The essay adequately and thoroughly explained the issue and argued a position. (30 points)

The essay was supported by at least three scholarly research-level sources. (10 points)

The sources were well used in the essay to support the argument. While there is no specific

rule, 3 – 5 citations would probably be used in the paper. 10 points)

The mechanical and technical elements were correct according to normal Turabian usage.