English 1120 - Jesus

Brady Cross

Mary F. Heinsohn

English 1120—001

September 13, 2016

Survey:

1. What is the title? – “Jesus-oriented visions of Judaism in antiquity”
2. Who is the author? – Karin Hedner Zetterholm
3. What is the date of publication? – Spring of 2016
4. How did the author obtain his or her information? – She researched and read the books that are brought up in her article.
5. What are the major and minor headings? - The Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions 1.27–71, Jesus; a prophet like Moses, Jews and Jesus-oriented Gentiles, The Pseudo-Clementine Homilies, Baptism and the inclusion of Gentiles, Jesus the prophet of truth, The Didascalia Apostolorum, Jesus as lawgiver, and Prophecy and Baptism within a Jewish context.
6. How is the information organized? – The article has all of its information organized into paragraphs with footnotes throughout. It begins with an abstract as well.
7. Are tables and figures included? – Yes, there are a few figures in the article.
8. What is the focus or emphasis of the source? - The main emphasis is that the Pseudo-Clementine Recognitions 1.27–72, the Pseudo-Clementine Homilies, and the Didascalia Apostolorum would have made sense to Jews in antiquity as Jewish and that they should be considered as part of the history of Judaism.

Inventory:

1. What do you know about the author? – I could not find much on the author herself. I learned that she has been published a few times in journals of a scholarly nature. Zetterholm has written extensively on the subject of Judaism before.
2. What is your attitude towards the author? – While she does not appear to have a PhD, I still believe she is credible enough to write an article on this topic. I am interested in learning what she knows and hopefully using it in my paper.
3. How might your knowledge or attitude regarding the author influence your reading? – Knowing she does not have a PhD might make me cautious in accepting the information I am given in the article, but knowing she has written on the topic before allows me to know she is qualified enough to know what she is writing about.

Subject:

1. What do you already know about the subject? – I know very little on the subject of Judaism, but that is why I am keen to learn about it.
2. What is your attitude towards the subject? – I find the subject extremely interesting. I am excited to learn a lot more about the subject.
3. How might your knowledge or attitudes regarding this subject influence your reading? – I am definitely excited about the subject, and ready to learn more.

Source:

1. What do you already know about this source of information? – Absolutely nothing.
2. Is it often cited? – I do not know.
3. How might your knowledge or attitudes regarding this source influence your reading? – I do not think I will be affected greatly.

Interpret:

1. What assumptions does the author make about your knowledge and attitudes regarding the subject? – Zetterholm does a very good job of not assuming too much of the reader. She does not use specialized jargon, but instead uses words any reader would know. Any words the reader might not be familiar with is explained well enough to develop an understanding.
2. What is the author’s aim or purpose? – She seeks to prove that the books she cites in her article belong in Jewish history.
3. What information does the author provide to establish her credibility? – She cites several texts, implying she is well-versed and has done her research.
4. What is the author’s thesis or claim? What evidence does the author provide to support the thesis? – Her thesis is that the books she goes into detail explaining should be considered a part of the history of Judaism. Zetterholm uses other texts and explains how the books fit into Jewish culture and beliefs.

Evaluate:

1. Is the author a credible source of information? – Yes, she knows her subject and does a great job of explaining it to a reader who knew little about it to begin with.
2. What do you know about the author that you did not know before? – I learned that she is incredibly well-versed in her subject.
3. Is the title clear? – After reading the article, the title becomes much clearer to the reader.
4. Is the organization logical? – Yes.
5. Do the headings emphasize the organization? – Yes. They break up otherwise lengthy passages into smaller more manageable passages.
6. Are tables and figures designed and integrated effectively? – The figures include were illustrations to go along with the text cited and were overall unnecessary.
7. Is the thesis supported by sufficient, plausible, and pertinent information? – Absolutely. I am now inclined to agree with the author.
8. What do you know about the subject you didn’t know before? – That some Jews were followers of Jesus, and that Jesus was seen as the second Moses.
9. Are you motivated to accept the thesis? – Without a doubt.
10. Does the author achieve her objective? – I would have to say that she does.
11. Has reading this source been worthwhile? – Yes. I was entertained and being informed. I would recommend this article for anyone.

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