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rebcamuse's review
3.0
[author: Marcus Borg] and [author:John Dominic Crossan] successfully argue that the discrepancies found between Luke and Matthew's Christmas stories are only problematic should one chose to take the biblical narratives literally rather than allegorically. Through a careful analysis of language and symbolic representation, Borg and Crossan reveal how Matthew and Luke both see Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel, but communicate this message via different genealogies and troping of the Old Testament.
This book largely supports Borg's message that the Biblical language to describe Jesus was in fact a very intentional attempt to subvert Roman authority. By applying titles used for Roman emperors and nobility to Jesus, Christ is set up as an alternative to the Roman "peace through victory" approach.
Those familiar with the authors' theses regarding political subversion and what they call "participatory eschatology" might find the book a bit repetitive. The authors are careful to provide several examples and a thorough investigation of both Matthew and Luke, in addition to their Old Testament references. Borg and Crossan write for a general audience, condensing the more weighty theological principles into concise and relevant explanations. Those who are interested in reading the Bible as more than a literal and historical narrative will no doubt find this book to be very engaging and a good study of what Christmas really means.
This book largely supports Borg's message that the Biblical language to describe Jesus was in fact a very intentional attempt to subvert Roman authority. By applying titles used for Roman emperors and nobility to Jesus, Christ is set up as an alternative to the Roman "peace through victory" approach.
Those familiar with the authors' theses regarding political subversion and what they call "participatory eschatology" might find the book a bit repetitive. The authors are careful to provide several examples and a thorough investigation of both Matthew and Luke, in addition to their Old Testament references. Borg and Crossan write for a general audience, condensing the more weighty theological principles into concise and relevant explanations. Those who are interested in reading the Bible as more than a literal and historical narrative will no doubt find this book to be very engaging and a good study of what Christmas really means.
karnaconverse's review against another edition
5.0
The Christmas story, told in context of first-century history and theology
For many, the seasons of Advent and Christmas are sentimental and filled with childhood memories. They're filled with shepherds, angels, wise men, a manager, and the good news of a savior born to bring light to the darkness.
The First Christmas challenges readers to dig deeper into the story and to look at the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in light of who wrote them, when they were written, why they were written, and what it was like to live during the first century CE.
At the time this book was published, Biblical scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan claimed more than ninety years between them in the scholarly study of Jesus but The First Christmas is not a hard-to-read academic tome. It is, in fact, patient and encouraging in both in structure and tone--helping readers see the story as parable, personal, and participatory.
A book worthwhile of rereading every year.
For many, the seasons of Advent and Christmas are sentimental and filled with childhood memories. They're filled with shepherds, angels, wise men, a manager, and the good news of a savior born to bring light to the darkness.
The First Christmas challenges readers to dig deeper into the story and to look at the Gospels of Matthew and Luke in light of who wrote them, when they were written, why they were written, and what it was like to live during the first century CE.
At the time this book was published, Biblical scholars Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan claimed more than ninety years between them in the scholarly study of Jesus but The First Christmas is not a hard-to-read academic tome. It is, in fact, patient and encouraging in both in structure and tone--helping readers see the story as parable, personal, and participatory.
A book worthwhile of rereading every year.
readermeginco's review
challenging
informative
slow-paced
3.75
Borg and Crossan look at all of the prophecies surrounding Jesus’ birth and give them new meaning by providing their historical context. In short, Jesus (and all He represented) was the alternative to Caesar Augustus and the Roman Empire. It’s pretty dry theology and poses a great challenge to conservative Christians. I had started this 4 times but never read it all the way through until this year. Glad I did, but I would have appreciated it more if I had read it much earlier in my faith journey.
slelswick's review
I'm a huge fan of Marcus J. Borg. Even though The First Christmas is pedantic at times and a bit repetitive, I really liked the overall message that Borg tried to convey, which is not to look to Biblical stories for facts per se, but to believe in the Christmas stories as metaphorical parable. Knowing and understanding the historical context of Matthew and Luke's Christmas stories infuses them with richer meaning, thus deepening the mystery of faith.
tanya_the_spack's review
3.0
I didn't do research on the authors when I picked this book, so when it started out with the theory that the Christmas story is a parable and everyone in it a fictional character, that was a head scratcher. I hit Google and learned the authors are associated with the Jesus Seminar. Ah. That explains things. But despite being seriously theologically mismatched, I kept reading. Though I completely disagree with the driving premise, there is still some interesting info in the book.
For example, near the end comes this gem, to which I say, amen, brothers!
"The meaning of repentance in the Bible is quite different from that in widespread postbiblical Christian understanding. Many Christians think of repentance as primarily contrition—as being sincerely sorry for our sins, confessing them, and perhaps doing penance, but the biblical meaning emphasizes change.
"... To repent is to turn to God. ... The New Testament meaning of the word continues the Old Testament meaning and adds an additional nuance. In the New Testament, the root of the Greek word translated as “repent” means “go beyond the mind that you have,” to enter into a new mind-set, a new way of seeing. To repent means to begin seeing differently."
For example, near the end comes this gem, to which I say, amen, brothers!
"The meaning of repentance in the Bible is quite different from that in widespread postbiblical Christian understanding. Many Christians think of repentance as primarily contrition—as being sincerely sorry for our sins, confessing them, and perhaps doing penance, but the biblical meaning emphasizes change.
"... To repent is to turn to God. ... The New Testament meaning of the word continues the Old Testament meaning and adds an additional nuance. In the New Testament, the root of the Greek word translated as “repent” means “go beyond the mind that you have,” to enter into a new mind-set, a new way of seeing. To repent means to begin seeing differently."