I learnt two weeks ago in my history unit at university that Homer most likely didn't exist. Oral tradition in the form of bards seems to have given rise to the poems we attribute to 'Homer'. Does this affect me eternally? Not really. Jesus' existence on the other hand does. Maybe that's why this topic gets debated so much.
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" ~ Aristotle


