On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt

The "Historical Jesus" by Richard Carrier is a groundbreaking book that challenges the traditional assumption of Jesus' existence as a historical person.

Carrier presents extensive research on the evidence for Jesus and the origins of Christianity, and offers a compelling argument for why a non-historical Jesus may be more plausible than previously thought.

This theory proposes that the Jesus figure was originally conceived of as a celestial being known only through private revelations and hidden messages in scripture, and stories placing this being in earth history were crafted to communicate the claims of the gospel allegorically.

The book offers a more credible explanation for all the disparate evidence surviving from the first two centuries of the Christian era, and provides a robust theory of cultural syncretism between Jewish theology and politics of the second-temple period and the most popular features of pagan religion and philosophy of the time.

This is a must-read for anyone intent on defending a historical Jesus, as Carrier's arguments are sure to challenge even the most ardent believers.