The Christ and Rome

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The Christ and Rome

In their wonderful book In Search Of Paul, authors Crossan and Reed argue that much of Paul's signature theological phraseology was in fact a direct response (and insurrectionary response) to Roman imperial theology. Since in Rome, politics and theology were the same, calling Jesus the Christ (or the Hebrewequivalent Messiah — John 1:41) was not so much an act of worship to God but much more an act of high treason against Roman imperial theology. Subsequently, the proclaimed Christ died a political death: on the cross.

To modern readers the name Christ doesn't mean anything other than it being the surname of Jesus, but in the time that the Bible was written it was a commonly understood title of the rightful king of Israel. The phrases "Son Of God," Redeemer, and "Savior of the World" came straight from the Romans and were originally applied to Caesar Augustus, son of the deified Julius Caesar.

Even the title "son of God" and the word monogenes, meaning only-begotten, a word made famous by John 3:16, is applied in the Bible to quite a few others (see below)...
The amazing name Christ: meaning and etymology

 

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The miracle of Immanuel

Although many commentators (whether negative or positive) have focused on the virgin birth, the greater rarity lies in God's desire to be with man. The theme of the virgin birth appears frequently in the religious expressions of nations surrounding ancient Israel, but the idea of fellowship of a deity with humans appears to be both unique and central to Yahwism.

See Genesis 26:3, Job 29:5, Isaiah 41:10 and up to a hundred more references in the Old Testament — not to mention the obvious central theme of the New Testament; Mark 3:14, John 1:14. There's absolutely nothing like this to be found in any of the cultures adjacent to Israel in Biblical times.

Until the spread of Christianity, the world outside Judaism believed that the divine was stern and distant, cruel and despotic, demanding and borderline psychotic. Until the gospel of Jesus Christ was brought to the masses, humanity had no idea that God would want to be friends with us (Exodus 33:11, John 15:12-17, James 2:23)..." The amazing name Immanuel: meaning and etymology