The Irony of Invented Jesus's
Based on no knowledge of what I have read, Jordan's correspondent, John Richards, says that I should read the works I recommend as Schweitzer remarks how historians invent their various Jesuses. (John consistently misspells Schweitzer as "Sweitzer"). Nevertheless, I do read the books and links I recommend (although I didn't recommend the exact book of Schwitzer's John picked me up on) and not only have I been familiar with Schweitzer's thought and the search for the historical Jesus for over 15 years, but this is also similar to thoughts I came to independently when thinking it through during my own deconversion. Indeed, in one of my first ex-Christian notebooks I wrote that "Jesus" is an archetype, something we invent to reflect our own ideals etc." We should also note that Schweitzer was obviously criticising past reconstructions, and 19th century ones at that, and there has been a lot of work done since 1906 when his book "The Quest for the historical Jesus" was written, his book being a survey and critique of the 19th century quest for the historical Jesus. Schweitzer is regarded as being at the end of the first "wave" or "quest" for the historical Jesus, there having been at least two more major waves since then, all of which were very conscious of Schweitzer's criticisms of his forebears. [ref].
The great irony is that this invention of a Jesus to suit ones own ideas is also precisely what St. Paul and later the gospel writers all did. This is the evolution and invention of ideas about Jesus I was alluding to on my first page, and would have become apparent if the links for further study were followed. Not only this but the various historical Jesuses have to wrestle for space with the Jesuses of the gospel agendas, the NT letters, the cosmic Christ of Paul, the canonical Jesus and the myriad Jesuses of countless heresies, schismed churches and mutually ex-communicating congregations throughout history. So it is hardly scholars (let alone post Schweitzer scholars) who need planks taking out of their eyes (Matt 7:3) for making up their own Jesus! Christians still invent Jesus today as is exemplified by their mutual condemnation of others as "false Christians" with no understanding of what Jesus was "really about."
See Jesus? - the scholarly essay by Noel Cheer for some backup to this if my other links have not been read.
John Richards and I have been in discussion by private email, for discussion of the other points he bought up (e.g. Spong) see here.
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