Did Jesus exist?

[robvalue]

Here's my summary, as I see it. My opinion.

There are 4 levels of Jesus.

Level 1: A person who the narrative could have been based on.
Level 2: A mixture of several particular people who the narrative was based on.
Level 3: A single, particular person who the narrative was solely based on.
Level 4: A single, particular person who the narrative accurately describes.

Was there a level 4 Jesus?

No. I only expect Christians to disagree.

Was there a level 1 Jesus?

Yes. Hundreds, if not thousands. I expect just about anyone would agree. If you want to point to one of these guys, and name him "Historical Jesus", you are welcome to do so. I personally don't find that very impressive.

Was there a level 2/3 Jesus?

In my opinion, the evidence is not strong enough to say that there was a level 3 Jesus. I'm not saying there wasn't, just that I don't yet see a valid conclusion from the evidence. Even if the gospels authors intended the tale to be about exactly one historical figure, there is no evidence they were eye witnesses. So they couldn't possibly know if they were actually basing it on exactly one person. We are relying therefor on hearsay stories inbetween not picking up any elements of any other historical figures. Putting this together with the authors' blatant disregard for accuracy, willingness to believe nonsense and to even add their own nonsense, we're left with muddy water at best. And that's assuming the whole thing isn't actually meant to be fiction in the first place.

I give level 2 Jesus 40-50% chance, and level 3 Jesus 10% chance.

Of course I don't expect anyone to agree. I think this is a matter of personal opinion and probability, given the huge lack of evidence available. But if someone was to tell me they are 90% confident there was a level 3 Jesus, I would find that conclusion suspect. Of course, any Christian is pretty much required to say there was, as part of the dogma. But I can't take that seriously.

Conclusion

Jesus is gay.