PhD Tips: Ideas for Dissertation Topics #1

Introduction

This is the first of what I hope will be a series of posts on potential ideas for dissertation topics.  Though the subjects focus mainly on biblical studies, students in other disciplines may find useful insights based on a certain angle or method that is being highlighted.

These ideas come from my research, and are mainly questions which I do not have the time, inclination or desire to pursue.  I should also mention that they have not been carefully evaluated for their actual worth as PhD dissertation topics.

Nevertheless, if you do become famous with any of these topics, all I ask is that you let people know where you got your inspiration! 🙂

So without further ado, here is “ideas for dissertation topics” #1

Final exhortations in the New Testament epistles

While studying 1 Peter 5:1-11, I immediately noticed two peculiar aspects of this text: 1) It formed part of the final section of that epistle and 2) it was filled with exhortation language.

This lead me to wonder about other “final exhortations” in the New Testament and whether there were any commonalities among the different writings.  I’ve attached a table of the texts that I analyzed as well as a selection of the various Greek terms that appeared in each exhortation:==> Exhortations in NT

A quick analysis revealed some potentially fruitful patterns:

• Be alert or aware; stand firm
• Emphasis on prayer
• Emphasis on humility
• Avoiding divisions and those who cause them
• Abstain from evil
• Avoid disputes, errors, heresy

Potential dissertation avenues

One potential dissertation avenue is to highlight the theology of final exhortations in the New Testament.  Some questions you might ask:

1. Is there a common set of ideas, concepts, “exhortations”?
2. Do these concepts change across the different letters? depending on the author? theme of the epistle? date of the epistle?

Another potential avenue is to do a socio-rhetorical study of these exhortations comparing them to the rhetoric of similar Greco-Roman literature:

1. What is the rhetorical strategy of these exhortations? Does it change by letter, with theme of letter, with author or with date of letter?
2. How does this “rhetoric” compare to similar rhetoric in the literature of the Greco-Roman world?

A third potential avenue of research is to do a socio-historical study.  Here you would compare the common set of ideas in the exhortations (assuming there are common ideas) to similar literature in the Greco-Roman world:

1. How are the exhortations in the NT different from those of other letters in the Greco-Roman world?
2. What themes are highlighted in the NT, which are missing in the GR world and vice-versa?
3. What accounts for the difference?

A fourth potential avenue is to seek out a common literary tradition for these exhortations.  Are there a few written sources from which these exhortations derive?  What are they? Are there Old Testament, Septuagint or Intertestamental sources to which these texts point?

For this study, you would definitely have to choose which exhortations to include in your research.  Perhaps the ones I have chosen do not quality as final exhortations (due to grammar or placement in letter, etc.)  Part of your research would include a set of criteria for justifying your inclusion of various texts.

Finally, the socio-rhetorical and socio-historical studies are very much in vogue at the moment and would immerse you in the Greco-Roman literature, inscriptions and world.

Conclusion

Well that about wraps up this post.  I do hope this exercise has been useful for you.

Even if you don’t take up any of my ideas, you can see how even a simple observation has the potential to become a viable thesis.  The bottom line at this stage of your PhD program is to keep testing out ideas until you hit that dissertation gold.

Happy researching!