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The First Christmas
- What the Gospels Really Teach About Jesus's Birth
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
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Publisher's summary
In The First Christmas, two of today's top Jesus scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, join forces to show how history has biased our reading of the nativity story as it appears in the gospels of Matthew and Luke. As they did for Easter in their previous book, The Last Week, here they explore the beginning of the life of Christ, peeling away the sentimentalism that has built up over the last 2,000 years around this most well known of all stories to reveal the truth of what the gospels actually say.
Borg and Crossan help us to see this well-known narrative afresh by answering the question, "What do these stories mean?" in the context of both the first century and the 21st century. They successfully show that the Christmas story, read in its original context, is far richer and more challenging than people imagine.
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Favors Christianity
- By Dianne on 12-18-15
By: Mateen Elass
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Christ
- A Crisis in the Life of God
- By: Jack Miles
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Jack Miles's book is a provocative and revisionary look at the life of Jesus, in which many of the most well-worn truths about Christ are recontextualized and revisited. It does not look for the historical Jesus, but takes the Gospels as the sole source about his life.
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Missed a lot of stuff
- By Wintertao on 01-08-21
By: Jack Miles
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The Great Shift
- Encountering God in Biblical Times
- By: James L. Kugel
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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Why does the Bible depict a world in which humans, with surprising regularity, encounter the divine - wrestling an angel, addressing a burning bush, issuing forth prophecy without any choice in the matter? These stories spoke very differently to their original audience than they do to us, and they reflect a radically distinct understanding of reality and the human mind. Yet over the course of the thousand-year biblical era, encounters with God changed dramatically.
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Changing Conceptions of God and the Self
- By DJ on 10-27-22
By: James L. Kugel
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Understanding the Bible
- By: John R. W. Stott
- Narrated by: Simon Vance
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Understanding the Bible will provide you with a foundational comprehension of the entirety of Scripture with a focus on broadening your vision of Jesus Christ.
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Excellent exposition of the Christian faith
- By GW on 02-25-12
By: John R. W. Stott
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The Jesus Dynasty
- A New Historical Investigation of Jesus, His Royal Family, and the Birth of Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: James D. Tabor
- Length: 5 hrs and 53 mins
- Abridged
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Based on a careful analysis of the earliest Christian documents and recent archaeological discoveries, The Jesus Dynasty offers a bold new interpretation of the life of Jesus and the origins of Christianity. The story is surprising, controversial, and exciting as only a long-lost history can be when it is at last recovered.
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Provocative book
- By Dan on 08-27-06
By: James D. Tabor
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The Bible's Cutting Room Floor
- The Holy Scriptures Missing from Your Bible
- By: Joel M. Hoffman
- Narrated by: Jonathan Todd Ross
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Bible’s Cutting Room Floor, acclaimed author and translator Dr. Joel M. Hoffman gives us the stories and other texts that didn’t make it into the Bible even though they offer penetrating insight into the Bible and its teachings. The Book of Genesis tells us about Adam and Eve’s time in the Garden of Eden, but not their saga after they get kicked out or the lessons they have for us about good and evil.
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Good content, rather poor presentation by narrator
- By J_T on 12-28-16
By: Joel M. Hoffman
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How God Became King
- The Forgotten Story of the Gospels
- By: N. T. Wright
- Narrated by: James Langton
- Length: 9 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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New Testament scholar N. T. Wright reveals how we have been misreading the Gospels for centuries, powerfully restoring the lost central story of the scripture: that the coronation of God through the acts of Jesus was the climax of human history. Wright fills the gaps that centuries of misdirection have opened up in our collective spiritual story, tracing a narrative from Eden to Jesus to today.
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Jesus' life matters, not just his death
- By Adam Shields on 03-17-16
By: N. T. Wright
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Paul and Jesus
- How the Apostle Transformed Christianity
- By: James D. Tabor
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 9 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Historians know virtually nothing about the two decades following the crucifixion of Jesus, when his followers regrouped and began to spread his message. During this time the man we know as the apostle Paul joined the movement and began to preach to the gentiles. Using the oldest Christian documents that we have - the letters of Paul - as well as other early Christian sources, historian and scholar James Tabor reconstructs the origins of Christianity.
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Paul or Jesus?
- By James on 01-29-13
By: James D. Tabor
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Desire of the Everlasting Hills
- The World Before and After Jesus
- By: Thomas Cahill
- Narrated by: Brian F. O'Byrne
- Length: 9 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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In his subtle and engaging investigation into the life and times of Jesus, Thomas Cahill shows us Jesus from his birth to his execution through the eyes of those who knew him and in the context of his time—a time when the Jews were struggling to maintain their beliefs under overlords who imposed their worldview on their subjects. Here is Jesus the loving friend, itinerate preacher, and quiet revolutionary, whose words and actions inspired his followers to journey throughout the Roman world and speak the truth he instilled.
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Desire Delivers
- By David on 04-18-03
By: Thomas Cahill
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Reading the Bible Again for the First Time
- Taking the Bible Seriously but Not Literally
- By: Marcus J. Borg
- Narrated by: Maurice England
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Many Christians mistakenly believe that their only choice is either to reconcile themselves to a fundamentalist reading of scripture (a "literal-factual" approach) or to simply reject the Bible as something that could bring meaning and value into their lives. In Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, Marcus Borg shows how instead we can freshly appreciate all the essential elements of the Old and New Testaments - from Genesis to Revelation - in a way that can open up a new world of intelligent faith.
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Great Material…
- By Jeremiah Marvine on 08-31-24
By: Marcus J. Borg
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The Lost Gospel
- Decoding the Ancient Text That Reveals Jesus' Marriage to Mary the Magdalene
- By: Simcha Jacobovici, Barrie Wilson
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 12 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Waiting to be rediscovered in the British Library is an ancient manuscript of the early Church, copied by an anonymous monk. The manuscript is at least 1,450 years old, possibly dating to the first century, Jesus' lifetime. And now, The Lost Gospel provides the first-ever translation from Syriac into English of this unique document that tells the inside story of Jesus' social, family, and political life. The Lost Gospel takes listeners on an unparalleled historical adventure through a paradigm-shifting manuscript.
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Very well-crafted but uses lot of sketchy material
- By Leifen on 01-09-18
By: Simcha Jacobovici, and others
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God and Empire
- Jesus Against Rome, Then and Now
- By: John Dominic Crossan
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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In contrast to the oppressive Roman military occupation of the first century, Crossan examines the meaning of the non-violent Kingdom of God prophesized by Jesus and the equality advocated by Paul to the early Christian churches. Crossan contrasts these messages of peace with the misinterpreted apocalyptic vision from the Book of Revelation, which has been misrepresented by modern right-wing theologians and televangelists to justify US military actions in the Middle East.
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Smart Book
- By Wesley Bishop on 07-01-22
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The Holy Land Key
- Unlocking End-Times Prophecy Through the Lives of God's People in Israel
- By: Ray Bentley, Genevieve Gillespie
- Narrated by: Ray Bently
- Length: 7 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
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The study of prophecy inspires elaborate timelines and speculation about which world leader might rise to power in the last days. But meanwhile, it’s far too easy to miss the significant prophetic signs contained in stories of biblical characters, in God’s creation, and in the lives and actions of today’s Israelis and Palestinians. This is your introduction to prophetic signs that God reveals in sometimes unexpected ways. He does not want us to miss the work he is doing to usher in the coming Kingdom.
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Some is over my head
- By dena on 06-19-15
By: Ray Bentley, and others
What listeners say about The First Christmas
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kara Soderquist
- 11-23-22
Great read going into advent season
I appreciated the objective and scholarly look at these stories that I’ve heard a thousand times but never this way!
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- Rory Cooney
- 10-03-11
Fine book from Crossan and Borg, as always, but...
I have to say that someone who reads books in a particular discipline (in this case, scripture and to a lesser extent Christian liturgy) ought to have a bit more expertise in the vocabulary of that discipline. "Magnificat", general pronounced with soft Italian (or liturgical Latin) vowels, was constantly pronounced like a character in a Lloyd Webber musical. "Collect", meaning a specific liturgical prayer in the liturgy, was pronounced with the accent on the second syllable, like the verb. Things like this are a distraction from the text as a whole, and really should be better directed and edited. No complaints about the book itself, and I'm grateful that this kind of book, somewhat less in vogue than, say, John Grisham or Stephen King, is also made available for us audio addicts.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Jacobus
- 02-02-12
Christmas... Something interesting for everyone
Following their book "The Last Week" the "The First Christmas" is a collaboration between two liberal yet main stream New Testament scholars, Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, on the two nativity accounts in the Bible, that of Matthew and Luke. The writers take each account and discuss it in its own right, therefore moving away from the classic harmonisation of how Matthew and Luke relate Jesus' birth. With their background knowledge of the era in which Jesus live, they are able to illuminate both stories with very interesting facts, that puts Christmas in a new light. In the light of Roman Imperial theology they also bring out the political message for Christians.
The way that they respected and used Christian tradition while discussing the two Christmas narratives stood out. I think this is one of the highlights of this book. The book is also written in a very accessible manner. What I found a bit challenging was the references to Biblical texts that were difficult to remember especially when the content of an Old Testament passage was not discussed. Some information might also be common knowledge, especially for ministers of religion.
The book is guaranteed to provoke further discussion about Christmas and its meaning. While written by liberal theologians, this book will also be of value to Evangelical Christians and may even interest atheists. The narration is fair and easy to follow.
The book comes highly recommended.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 12-16-16
A well-researched and thoughtful exploration
as usual, Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan thoroughly expore the Hebrew and Greek scriptures to provide an exultant tale of "God with us" past, present and future. My own spiritual path is always illuminated by these writers. Prudden is tge perfect narrator. I can't believe Marcus can never shine a wriiten light again.
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- Michael
- 12-11-12
Quality if you are looking for understanding
What made the experience of listening to The First Christmas the most enjoyable?
The quality of thought was high. I enjoyed the value these two guys bring to the thinking of the time.
Who was your favorite character and why?
It is not about characters, but themes Christ brought to the world and the various take each Godspell writer had on them.
Which scene was your favorite?
Justice through peace or Justice through violence.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me think. I like to listen to a book that gives me a new thought that I had not had myself. There are a few good nuggets in this book.
Any additional comments?
This is worth it. I generally like this type of book, but most times these type writers will be too high brow or pompous to be worth the time. These guys are just trying to explain.
They also do not seem to have an agenda of converting your or proving that God does not exist. The are reflective with context.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Carole T.
- 05-27-12
Not a Good Listen
I have read and enjoyed a number of books by these 2 authors, and much that they point out here is interesting. BUT they say it over and over again. I'm just not sure that so very much repetition is acceptable in any book. The reader, also, doesn't help. He is very much of the college-professor-reading-a-lecture style. There is no feeling in his reading -- not sure he's even registering himself what he says.
Then there's a personal complaint. Extensive quotations from the Bible are very appropriate, of course, but using the "plain English" version as opposed to the beautifully poetic King James version is really a crime here, and it especially mars the audio edition. The selected translation may be accurate, but it is very drab and so diminishes the power of the Biblical Christmas stories.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Alice K. O'Neill
- 01-05-23
Interesting and hard to grasp concepts
Complements my faith that has been developed over the years with with scriptures confirming Jesus authenticity.
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- Greg K.
- 01-30-13
Insights I never knew about
Where does The First Christmas rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
3rd quartile
What did you like best about this story?
Having studied the New Testament (in Greek) during six years in the seminary, the Old Testament references outlined by Borg & Crossan were new to me - though not surprising now that I think about it since the authors of the New Testament birth stories only knew of the Old Testament. Fleshes out with scrupulous documentation (that only Crossan can do) new insights about the New Testament stories.
Which scene was your favorite?
No particular favorite - the entire work was fascinating.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
No laughs - no cries
Any additional comments?
A worthwhile read for the novice and the experienced first century history buffs.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Eric Markamn
- 12-01-22
Insightful, well organized, thoughtful, inspirational, spiritual, theological, comprehensive, fully scriptural, inspirational,
Insightful, well organized, thoughtful, inspirational, spiritual, theological, comprehensive, fully scriptural, inspirational, thank you for the insights!
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- Curt Curtis
- 12-12-22
Preparation for Advent
I listen to this book each year during Advent. It is a wonderful way to prepare for Christmas.
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