That mythicism is selectively critical, and selectively applies rigorous skepticism to sources, is easy to illustrate. Take Couchoud’s treatment of John the Baptist as summarized in a recent post on the blog Vridar. There is no skepticism expressed about the words and views attributed to John the Baptist in the New Testament, no suggestion that the information in Josephus might be an interpolation, and no hesitation to use Mandaean sources from many centuries later to provide information about the Baptist and his movement.
Need I say more?
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