Why were the titles of Caesar Augustus — Divine, Son of God, God from God, Lord, Redeemer, Liberator, and Saviour of the World — taken from a Roman emperor on the Palatine hill and given to a Jewish peasant on the Palestine plain? Was it low lampoon or high treason? Either way, the Romans were not laughing.

What were the priorities of Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom? How was the status quo of Roman imperial theology subverted by this obscure Galilean whose message continues to indict empire today?

First Light is a 12-session study of the historical Jesus and the Kingdom of God with world renowned New Testament scholars Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan on location throughout Galilee and Jerusalem. There is a time for slow-paced discussion and reactions . . . along with tea and munchies.

The themes and the dates of the meetings are
Sept. 9 The Matrix of Jesus
Sept. 23 The Advent of the Messiah
Oct. 14 God’s Great Cleanup
Oct. 28 Collaborative Eschaton
Nov. 11 The Lake as the World
Nov. 25 Parables as Lures
Jan. 13 Jesus as Lord
Jan. 27 Substitutionary Atonement?
Feb. 10 Demonstrations in Jerusalem
Feb. 24 The Crowd and the Crucifixion
Mar. 10 Resurrection as Resistance
Mar. 24 America as the New Rome

The group meets at 7 pm in the Multifaith Centre.