Religion 121 Essay 1: Building Character (Hanson)


    The Hebrew Bible contains an array of fascinating human characters--the conniving but lovable Jacob, aggressive Rebekah, the faithful Ruth, the revered but flawed King David.  It should be clear to you by now that the biblical authors preserved the stories of these characters for a reason: to teach, to entertain, to work through a problem of human existence, etc.  Your goal in this assignment is to choose one such character and, in an essay of 5 pages or so, present an analysis of that character’s story, or at least some main features of it.  Almost all the biblical characters undergo some sort of movement or growth from beginning to end, often involving some sort of testing or suffering.  Your paper should point out the key moments in that journey, and express and support a central observation about that character’s story (examples below).  The following is meant to introduce you to some tools and techniques that will help guide you to your conclusion.

    The first step is to choose a figure from the list at the bottom of the page.  Then you need to find out where in the Bible your character appears; even if you have some idea already (having read Genesis, for example, you have a basic sense of where Rachel's story is found), you should still consult a tool called a concordance.  A concordance lists alphabetically every word (including names) that occurs in the Bible, giving the place where it occurs and a little bit of the context.  Look up your character, and you should find the main blocks of material dealing with him or her.  Also, though, look for isolated references outside the main blocks, which may give an important indication of how that character is viewed or remembered by later authors.  Also look for references in the New Testament, and jot those down.
    You may also wish to try some of the biblical concordances on the Web.  There are many sites that allow you to search an English translation (choose the NRSV or RSV); type in “Rachel,” for example, and it will give you a list of the passages in which she appears.  I encourage you to give this a try, but please do it in addition to using the concordance in the reference room. Two sites worth checking out: Virtual Christianity  (www.internetdynamics.com/pub/vc/bibles.html); and www.crosswalk.com.
    Next, after you have read the material pertaining to your figure, begin to draw a character sketch--i.e., a literary type of examination that tries to get at the central characteristics of the figure.  This is not just a summary of what happens, though some summary is okay, but an analysis of the basic character traits and how they are drawn out by the author.  Characters can be "fleshed out" by authors in several ways: the narrator can tell the reader directly ("He was a ruthless man"); the author can reveal characteristics through what other characters say about yours (though here you have to raise the question of the "reliability" of the characters who are speaking); the character can also display his/her traits through his/her own speech and action.  You will find, I think, that Hebrew narrative uses the last technique most often; that is, character is displayed much more through showing than telling.  You need to pinpoint key scenes, speeches, actions that help define the character.
    Issues concerning the historical aspects of your character can be explored when you turn to a Bible Dictionary, such as the Anchor Bible Dictionary, The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible, or Harper's Bible Dictionary (another potential source is the Encyclopedia Judaica).  Here you will find a summary of the character, as well as added historical information.  Use anything here to augment your presentation; if there are important historical issues to raise (e.g., who the Egyptian Pharaoh was to whom Moses was sent), you will want to discuss these.

    In composing your paper, draw on all of the above to support what you think the character's principal significance is within the Hebrew Bible.  For example, you might conclude about King David that his story reveals  something fundamental about human existence--how human can rise to great heights, but also perpetrate some horrible acts, and that God forgives but at the same time holds people accountable.  If the character undergoes significant suffering, you may want to reflect on how the biblical writers wish us to view that suffering.  In other words, this should not be a “report” about your character, but an interpretive essay.   If you wish, you may also draw any conclusions about "contemporary world" significance--e.g., whether any of the character traits are worthy of emulation today, or should be held up as negative examples, or whether the way the theme of suffering is handled might be helpful.

The paper should be about 5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced.

Character Suggestions:
Abraham, Sarah, Rebekah, Jacob, Rachel, Joseph, Moses, Fred (just kidding), Joshua, Esther, Ruth, Samuel, Saul, David, Solomon, Elijah (If there are any not on this list whom you would like to explore, please check with me.)