We have all, no doubt, had arguments (or discussions!) about who Jesus was.
Profound teacher? Jewish prophet? Misguided Messiah? On one thing most people agree. Jesus existed. However, a number of contemporary authors have tried to push the claim that Jesus is a figure of myth. It sounds bizarre. It is contrary to the clear evidence used by practically every historian and classical scholar. But the claim gains popular momentum and some more articulate writers have joined the circus.
Mythological figure?
Atheist critic Richard Carrier has argued that Jesus was the name given to a mythological celestial figure who was envisioned by his followers as walking the earth. Later, he says, these mythological tales were misunderstood as historical accounts. This suggestion has received little support in scholarship. Among the more liberal theologians there has always been scepticism over the historical value of miracle stories, but without this in any way implying that Jesus was not a historical figure. If the criteria of the ‘mythicists’ were applied to other ancient personalities then they would all begin to evaporate in a mythological haze.
