The Meaning of Jesus

Was Jesus born of a virgin?

Did he know he was the Messiah? Was he bodily resurrected from the dead? Did he intentionally die to redeem humankind? Was Jesus God?

Drawing on decades of research, Marcus J. Borg and N. T. Wright examine the historical Jesus to test whether the gospels report literal events or early Christian metaphor.

Borg sees Jesus as a Jewish mystic and Spirit person whose followers metaphorized his life and message after the crucifixion. Wright argues that Jesus understood his own messianic identity, entering Jerusalem to inaugurate the kingdom of God.

Two leading Jesus scholars with widely divergent views go right to the heart of these questions and others, presenting the opposing visions of Jesus that shape our faith today.

• Faith and History: Borg and Wright debate scholarly methodology, weighing whether the synoptic gospels developed through distinct oral layers like Q or must be evaluated as whole historical testimonies.


• Gospel Accounts Comparison: The dialogue examines specific passages across the New Testament, analyzing the wedding at Cana, the Sermon on the Mount, and the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke.


• Early Church History: The authors assess how the post-Easter movement arose, weighing whether the resurrection was experienced through visionary apparitions or an empty tomb in Jerusalem.


• Also by This Author: Ultima Semana, Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time and The Heart of Christianity.