Continuing our summary/review of Tom Wright and Marcus Borg's discussion... For other articles in this series visit http://jmm.aaa.net.au/catalog/section/jc1.htm.

These brief excerpts are meant to provoke thought/reflection...

More from Marcus Borg:

'Tom and I see the birth stories [of Jesus] quite differently... I do not think they are historically factual... but are profoundly true in another and more important sense... 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... They are not history remembered but rather metaphorical narratives using ancient religious imagery to express central truths about Jesus' significance' (p. 179).

[Note from Rowland: To be fair to Tom and Marcus I'm presenting their summary-views before I offer some of my own... You'll have to *think* first, and then wait for my appraisal].

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Shalom! Rowland Croucher