Josephus and other contemporaries on Jesus

[The Grand Nudger]

  An obscure preacher telling people to pay taxes to Caesar wasn't a threat to Rome, especially in an area hostile to Roman rule

That;s an example of rehabilitation.  It comes from matthew, where "jesus" is made into a god from birth, puts a mans severed ear back on, the jews are stripped of their status as the chosen people, and rome washes it;s hands of the whole mess.   

Why folks on both sides get all bent out of shape over whether a homeless religious wingnut existed or not 2,000 years ago is puzzling to say the least to this atheist. Homeless religious wingnuts exist today, Why can't they exist any other time?

They can, do and did.  The mythicist position doesn;t assert otherwise.  It posits that the character found in the gospels is just that, a character.  A narrative vehicle manufactured for theology, not a biography (even a loose one).  

To the atheists I say "Why should we give a rat's posterior?" . After all, we know religious cranks were ten a penny in the first century Levant. Mandaeanism promoted JtB as the true Messiah, so it ain't like one can pretend that religious cranks did not abound in the region.

That I don;t believe in gods is really irrelevant to my interest in the story.  The story exists, understanding the nature of that story and how it came to be constructed gives a picture into history and culture and a foundation from which to understand the eventual evolution of a religion which has had an immense impact on humanity.  

That;s why we™ care.