Arcing

What is arcing?

Arcing is a way to trace an argument by a writer. The Bible argues, and arcing is a great tool to identify the logical flow of a passage. It is a tool most helpful in understanding the Epistle letters and other conversation-like passages of the Bible, may not be so helpful in narrative genres.

A simple sentence or a “proposition” always has a SUBJECT and a VERB. A proposition makes a statement about something. For example, saying “I ate” or “I walked” makes a statement about what I did. “I” is the subject and “ate” or “walked” is the verb or action. Arcing shows HOW one proposition relates to another proposition or group of propositions.

Download this “one pager” to use alongside of your study of a passage as you try to figure out which of the 18 ways propositions can relate to one another and what that tells you about the author’s meaning of the passage.

Download this template to use on any Apple device for its Pages program or Microsoft’s Word program and arc a passage of Scripture for yourself. arcing template – portrait