The Obsolete Paradigm of a Historical Jesus

by Richard C. Carrier

More than a decade has passed since peer-reviewed studies began questioning the historical existence of Jesus. This study surveys what has happened since, and how biblical studies has continued moving toward that conclusion even while attempting to avoid it. By exploring newly published takes on Docetism, the aims and sources of the Gospels, the interpretation of the Epistles, and the logic of historical reasoning, the old paradigm of biblical studies is here argued to be obsolete. Too much work is being built on the assumption that Jesus existed, and that something about him can be recovered, and this is leading scholars to false conclusions about Christianity and its origins. Historians need to rethink their entire paradigm and begin studying the Bible anew on the assumption that there was no such Jesus to recover. It is here shown how that approach will produce important new knowledge of early Christian history and the interpretation of the New Testament.

Genres: History

440 pages, Paperback

Published November 11, 2025

About the author

Richard Cevantis Carrier is an American historian, published philosopher, and prominent defender of the American freethought movement. He is well known for his writings on Internet Infidels, otherwise known as the Secular Web, where he served as Editor-in-Chief for several years. As an advocate of atheism and metaphysical naturalism, he has published articles in books, journals and magazines, and also features on the documentary film The God Who Wasn't There, where he is interviewed about his doubts on the historicity of Jesus. He currently contributes to The God Contention, a web site comparing and contrasting various worldviews.

Reviews

[Brian Springer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally enjoyed the book even if I felt Carrier’s treatment of the subject was handled better (or in a more interesting fashion)in Jesus from Outer Space and Proving History/On the Historicity of Jesus. The best part of the book is by far chapter 7 which covers whether or not Docetism as we understand it really existed or is a modern construct wrongly imposed on texts that might be describing sects of Christians who didn’t read the gospels literally (and thus the earthly life of Jesus). I feel like Carrier’s arguments are generally convincing. I think more and more, some scholars are beginning to see that many of the earlier paradigms we’ve relied on (Q, Johannine independence from the Synoptics, low christologies, Judaism being insulated from Hellenistic influence, etc.) have more often than not been wrong and that the evidence makes better sense once we move past them and begin interpreting them anew.

The last three chapters go over material covered extensively in his various blog posts. Though having them all in one place is pretty nice. So, I’m not complaining. Anyway, he dedicates a chapter to each of the three passages from Paul’s epistles thought to contain evidence for Jesus’s family (Romans 1:3, Gal 4:4, brothers of the lord). Once again, I think his arguments are generally solid.

I feel like the conclusion he reaches is very probable. I just can’t see how you can still insist Jesus was a historical figure given that the sources for his supposed earthly life ultimately just comes down to Mark who clearly uses Paul, Homer, the Septuagint, maybe Josephus as his literary models for just about every aspect of his story. As well as 3 extremely vague passages from the epistles which upon closer inspection are more likely than not describing something other than biological relatives of a recently deceased founder. Everything else is pretty much useless as evidence and chapters 5 and 6 show how this puts the certainty of a historical Jesus far below even a figure like Apollonius of Tyana.

Anyway, I recommend reading this book. Hopefully, the field takes note and maybe gets to work putting forth a theory of Christianity origins that moves past the paradigm that has not served it well.

[Timothy Sommerlad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb examination of the facts.

Richard Carrier supplements his initial floor-sweeping (in "On the Historicity...") with a seemingly gapless reiteration of what evidence actually exists in this nightmarish field of human indigence and then concludes the matter almost (probably certainly) irrevocably. Marvellous.