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1 " Roman imperial theology is the oppositional context for much of early Christian language about Jesus. The gospels, Paul’s letters, and the other New Testament writings use the language of imperial theology, but apply it to Jesus. Jesus is the “Son of God”— the emperor is not. Jesus is the “Lord” - the emperor is not. Jesus is the “Savior” who brings “peace on earth” - the emperor is not. The contrast is not just a matter of language. The contrast is also about two different visions of how the world should be. The world of the domination system is a world of political oppression, economic exploitation, and chronic violence. The alternative is a world in which everyone has enough and no one needs to be afraid. The gospel phrase for this is the “kingdom of God,” the heart, as the gospels proclaim, of Jesus’s message. "
― Marcus J. Borg , Evolution of the Word: The New Testament in the Order the Books Were Written
