Part One, A Tale of Two Gods Summary and Analysis

This section opens with two quotes, the first being a celebration of the birthday of Augustus Caesar, a savior who has ended war and brought peace and order to the world, and the second from the Gospel of Luke in which angels announce the birth of a savior who is the Son of God, Christ the Lord.

The author comments that within two centuries, two different men, the aristocratic Augustus Caesar and the poor-born Jesus of Nazareth, were both proclaimed sons of God, saviors, and bringers of peace. He traces the interweaving of history and myth that led to the declaration associated with Augustus, and then turns his attention to the similar process involving Jesus.

The author comments that of the four gospels, only Matthew and Luke describe Jesus'...