These papers need to be 400-700 words long, double-spaced, with complete bibliographic documentation meeting the following requirements:

1. Part One: Write one paragraph on the book Song of Songs in the Bible as a whole in which you give an introduction to the book. What do you need to know about the book to understand it? For example: what period of Israel’s history it describes, what is the overall story, theme, content of the book, etc. This paragraph needs to be researched using 1-2 sources.
2. Part Two: Write 5 observations you make from the assigned text (Song of Songs Chapters 1-8) from the book. This is your reaction to the book using the following guidelines. What do you think about the assigned biblical text? What do you see in the assigned biblical text? Please format these either in a numbered list or bullet points. Each observation must be 4-5 sentences in which you discuss the content of the text. Don’t “theologize” or try to describe what it means for us today. Just look at what is written on the page and make observations. A good rule of thumb is to write about the text in the third person.

Guidelines for Part Two: The second part of the paper is your reaction to the assigned text Song of Songs Chapters 1-8 in several paragraphs.You will need to give proof that you read the entire assigned text and not just comment on the first few verses.

Potential Questions you can use for part 2.

• What type of literature is this text? What purpose does this text serve within the Israelite faith?
• What are some interesting elements of this text you might not have seen before?
• What does this text say about God?
• What are some things you might not have understood in or about this text? Questionsstill remaining about the text?