We seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. I hope we can fix that; there was no ill intent on my part. As I said, I'm glad to wait until you're finished. However, to answer your question, for topics as POV-prone as religion, I prefer to also see references from modern scholars outside the religion. And now that I think about it, part of what made me think it was an essay was that the text seemed POVish to me. However, it seems like you're not particularly interested in outside feedback on your article at this stage, so I'll move along. Feel free to press on ahead; perhaps I'll check it out again in a month or so.