Cappytan
I have read some of your posts and respect.
You state that even among critical scholars it is thought that jesus existed. I thought that to be the case and this is what I believed until recently. Having read Richard Carrier, I'm now of the opinion that jesus didn't exist. There's some of his lectures on you tube. He is, as far as I am able to determine, a scholar with an independent mind. He seeks the truth rather than having a wish to see jesus dismissed to the WPB of history for no good reason. He even castigates those who would dismiss jesus without adequate proof. He puts forth some pretty convincing arguments such as what was happening to christianity between the so-called death of jesus and the writing of the gospels? because, according to written history, NOTHING was happening? It was as though christianity didn't exist between the so-called death of jesus and the writing of the gospels. Why was this? Why were the gospels written when they were? Why not sooner? The gospels were written by 4 people that we call Mathew, Mark, Luke and John but, in actual fact, the writings were anonymous. If the gospels were writing about the same 'facts', how come they differ so much? Why were the gospels changed after they were initially written?
Mathew's gospel was written first and Mark, Luke and John were based on Mathew. Yet, Mathew appears to be an allegory rather that an accurate account of what happened. So, just how much can we rely on the gospels?
Also, there are people who believe that only 4 gospels exist. Yet, many more were known to exist and, on what basis, were the 4 included and the remainder excluded?
All but 7 of Paul's epistles were forgeries. Why? Paul's epistles (the real ones) are interesting in all sorts of ways. For example, they never actually suggest that jesus actually lived here on Earth.
Richard Carrier also tells us about what was actually happening in the religious world at about the time that the so-called jesus was supposedly alive. He fully explains why it is that jesus may not actually have lived.
I could go on but I'm afraid the existence of jesus isn't as watertight as people believe. I suggest that you take a look at Carrier and then review your decision.