2) Precisely because this god was both other than the world and continually active within it Jews of Jesus' day had developed several ways of speaking about the activity of this god in which they attempted to hold together what they dared not separate. The works transcendent and immanent are pointers to this belief but do not clarify it much.

3) Some of the monotheistic teachings that can be drawn from Philippians 2:5-11 are

Jesus is God. Jesus humbled himself and became man. Christ gave his life on the cross as an attitude of obedience. God raised him from the dead. The risen Christ is Lord .

4) the historical background of Colossians 1: 15-20 is that Christ is the image of the invisible God. Christ is the 1st born over all creation. Christ is before all things and in Him all things hold together. Christ is the head of the body, the churc

Luke tells the story from Mary's point of view. His setting is just as Jewish as Matthew's, with verbal and narrative allusions to and echoes of the Septuagint. Like Matthew, he insists that with this story Israel's history is reaching it God-ordained climax. But his emphasis, unlike Matthew's is on the very Jewish point that this birth is a direct challenge to the pagan power.

7.) Borg says that he and Wright see the birth stories quite differently which is an obvious statement. Borg's conclusion is "I do not think they are historically factual, but I think they are profoundly true in another and more important sense. For reasons (I will soon explain) I do not think the virginal conception is historical, and I do not think there was a special star or wise men or shepherds or birth in a stable in Bethlehem. Thus I do not see these stories as historical reports but as literary creations. As the latter, hey are not history remembered but rather metaphorical narratives using ancient religious imagery to express central truths about Jesus' significance." Borg makes it very clear that he does believe in Jesus as the Savior, but that everything that happened prior to him being raised from the dead and becoming the Savior, was done by an ordinary man. There was nothing special about his birth, He was not born of a virgin and there were not shepherds or wise men being led by a star directly to where he was. In fact the only thing holy about Jesus was what happened following his resurrection.

5) Matthew's story, told form Joseph's point of view, reminds one of various biblical birth stories. The whole book is about the scriptures being fulfilled in Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus fulfills at least three biblical themes. He brings Israel into the promised land' Jesus is the Greek for Joshua. As Immanuel, he embodies God's presence with this people. As the new David, he is the messiah born at Bethlehem.

Wright says that all of the things that happen

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1330
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)