I didn't expect to agree with this book and I was right. There was some value. The sections on historic context were enlightening particularly regarding the Roman Empire. I find the Borg-Crossan approach to flatten the Gospel accounts. They have no tolerance for that which cannot be explained. Therefore there seems to be no room for wonder and mystery.
I also did not think that this book was well written. Maybe this is a result of the shared authorship.

Another excellent book in Crossan and Borg's ongoing project of providing a carefully grounded historical basis for a revival of social justice theology and politics at the heart of Christianity. Here they make dangerous again the familiar (and almost completely fictional) stories of Christ’s birth that have been largely drained of social and political significance by organized Christianity. They clearly and concisely analyze the historical construction of the Nativity stories found in Mathew and Luke in the now forgotten context of anti-imperial Judeo-Christian politics of first century B.C.E.. While they are careful as always to point out where the paucity of evidence forces them to speculate and interpret, Crossan and Borg do not shy away from the theological and political implications of their work for contemporary Christians struggling with new, more powerful and more dominant forms of empire. ( )

Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan successfully argue that the discrepancies found between Luke and Matthew's Christmas stories are only problematic should one chose to take the biblical narratives literally rather than allegorically. Through a careful analysis of language and symbolic representation, Borg and Crossan reveal how Matthew and Luke both see Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of God's promise to Israel, but communicate this message via different genealogies and troping of the Old Testament.

This book largely supports Borg's message that the Biblical language to describe Jesus was in fact a very intentional attempt to subvert Roman authority. By applying titles used for Roman emperors and nobility to Jesus, Christ is set up as an alternative to the Roman "peace through victory" approach.

Those familiar with the author's theses regarding political subversion and what they call "participatory eschatology" might find the book a bit repetitive. The authors are careful to provide several examples and a thorough investigation of both Matthew and Luke, in addition to their Old Testament references. Borg and Crossan write for a general audience, condensing the more weighty theological principles into concise and relevant explanations. Those who are interested in reading the Bible as more than a literal and historical narrative will no doubt find this book to be very engaging and a good study of what Christmas really means. ( )