Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God who walked the Earth as a human being. Some Atheists believe none of the God bits but that there was a man named Jesus who did exist. There is also an ever growing community who believe Jesus did not exist at all. Not as the son of God nor as a man.

On today's episode we speak to someone with evidence to support the claim of Jesus never existing. Duke Mertz joins host Jim Underdown to speak about his work on the subject of Jesus namely his Free Inquiry article, The Quest for the Mythical Jesus. They speak about what led Duke to undergo his research into this controversial topic as they dive into the substance of Mertz's claims. Core to these claims is the story of Christ fundamentally serves as a passion drama for the time. Mertz also provides details on the inaccuracies found throughout the holy text.

Mertz has also provided Point of Inquiry listeners with a PDF of his book, The Quest for the Mythical Jesus, as a companion piece to this podcast. Read the book and learn more about this fascinating subject. Eugene "Duke" Mertz is a columnist for Free Inquiry and author. Duke Mertz took an early retirement from a career in finance to work with nonprofit organizations and to write. He is currently vice president of the Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation Board of Trustees in Chandler, Arizona.