Meeting Jesus Again For the First Time--Chapter 5
Questions for Chapter Five:
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If Christology “deals with the nature of Christ…the
relationship between Jesus and God…the humanity and divinity of Jesus and
how the two are related to each other,” why are the church councils of
Nicea (AD 325) and Chalcedon (AD 451) important?
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In Chapter 5 (“Jesus, the Wisdom of God: Sophia
become Flesh”), how does Borg justify the following statement? “Sophia
is not simply personification of wisdom in female form, but
personification of God in female form. Sophia is a female image of
God” (page 102).
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How would you respond if Christians prayed to “Our
Heavenly Mother” rather than “Our Heavenly Father?” What images does “Our
Heavenly Mother” bring to mind? Is there any difference between praying
to “Our Heavenly Parent” verses “Our Heavenly Mother?”
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If Jesus equates Sophia or the feminine concept of
wisdom with God, why does he refer to God as Abba (Father or Daddy) on
the cross?
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What are the ramifications of a statement such as
“the Kingdom of which Jesus spoke may well be the Kingdom of Wisdom and
not a Kingdom coming with the fires of the final judgment” (page 103)?
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Borg discusses the concept of justification in
Paul’s ministry. What is justification? What’s its relationship to “life
under the law” whether the Torah or Christian requirements? How does the
concept of justification by “grace” verses “works” connect with the
concept of “wisdom” in Paul’s writings (page 104-105)?
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Why is the Sophia language discussion important to
us today?
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What phrases have you marked in this chapter? Any
statements that particularly bother you? Or that you strongly agree with?
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If you could ask Marcus Borg any question based on
what you’ve read in Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time what
would you ask?
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Do you believe in the concept of the Trinity? Is the
concept important for you? For Christians today?
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If we believe in God the Father and Christ the Son,
where's the feminine aspect of God? Is the Holy Spirit feminine?
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