I enjoyed three main courses this past school year in addition to doctoral colloquia and other projects. For those who may be interested, below are summaries of the three major papers I wrote for my Ph.D. seminars.

TITLE: “Exegesis of Romans 1:18-25”
COURSE: Exegesis of Romans with Dr. Tom Schreiner

Thesis/Summary: “In Romans 1:18–25 Paul launches the first stage of his cosmic indictment against humanity as he charges both Gentiles (1:18–32) and Jews (2:1–3:8) with damnable sin which calls down the judging righteousness of God (1:18) upon all humanity (3:9, 20). This worldwide condemnation (3:9–20) explains why the saving righteousness of God can come only by faith (1:16–17). This paper aims to explain Paul’s argument in 1:18–25 that God judges humanity (1:24–25) because humanity rejects God (1:18–23). This antagonistic relationship sets the stage for the arrival of God’s saving righteousness which is revealed in Christ and received through faith (3:21–26).”

TITLE: “Jonah the (Un)righteous Sufferer: Ironic Intertextuality in Jonah 2”
COURSE: Messiah in the Hebrew Bible with Dr. Jim Hamilton

Thesis/Summary: “I will suggest that this psalm of Jonah should be interpreted through an ironic lens as Jonah recapitulates the prayers of righteous sufferers throughout the Psalter. Rich with intertextual threads, Jonah weaves into his psalm numerous expressions of distress and deliverance that echo and evoke the sacred hymns of Israel. . . .  In a subtle act of self-satire, the submerged prophet pieces together a patchwork song portraying a suffering saint. But with his suffering self-inflicted and his sainthood firmly in question, the psalm instead paints a parody of the people Jonah represents.”

TITLE: “Distress, Deliverance, Conquest, Dominion: David as New Moses and New Israel in Psalm 18”
COURSE: Old Testament Theology with Dr. Jim Hamilton

Thesis/Summary: “I aim to demonstrate that David has crafted a typological retelling of his personal deliverance by stitching together textual, thematic, and structural threads that portray a clear pattern of distress, deliverance, conquest, and dominion. He implicitly patterns his rise to kingship after major characters and movements in Israel’s history, especially casting his experience in the molds of Moses, Israel, the Exodus, and the Conquest. . . . David’s life matches the pattern of Israel’s history, yet David’s story goes beyond Israel as his kingdom is established in ways that partially fulfill the Abrahamic covenant and the royal predictions of Psalm 2.”