Richard Carrier
A public intellectual and controversial historian who argues against the historical existence of Jesus, challenging mainstream biblical scholarship.
Born 1969 (age 57)·American historian and Christ myth theorist·Birthday: December 1·Generation X
Biography
Richard Carrier operates at the contentious intersection of ancient history, philosophy, and skeptical inquiry. With a PhD in ancient history from Columbia University, he applies a rigorously naturalistic framework to the study of Christian origins. His central, and most debated, thesis is that Jesus of Nazareth was not a historical figure but a mythical construct, a position known as the 'Christ myth theory.' Carrier's work, presented in dense scholarly tomes and on popular skeptical blogs, employs Bayesian probability analysis to evaluate the evidence for Jesus's existence, a methodology that has sparked as much debate as his conclusions. While his views remain firmly outside the academic consensus, he has become a prominent voice in secular and atheist circles, engaging in public debates and writing accessible books that challenge believers and skeptics alike to scrutinize the foundations of a major world religion.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Richard was born in 1969, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Richard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1969
#1 Movie
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Best Picture
Midnight Cowboy
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Richard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1969Born
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1974Started school
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1982Became a teenager
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1985Could drive
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1987Could vote
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1990Turned 21
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
1999Turned 30
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2009Turned 40
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2019Turned 50
First image of a black hole; Hong Kong protests
Gas: $2.60/galHome: $224,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Old Town Road" — Lil Nas XBest Picture: Parasite
2026Age 57 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored 'On the Historicity of Jesus: Why We Might Have Reason for Doubt,' a comprehensive academic argument for the Christ myth theory.
- Earned a PhD in Ancient History from Columbia University with a dissertation on the history of science in antiquity.
- Frequently contributed to major skeptical and secular publications and websites, including The Secular Web.
- Published 'Sense and Goodness Without God,' a broad defense of naturalist philosophy and morality.
Did You Know?
He is a former U.S. Army veteran.
He holds a second PhD, in Classics, from Columbia University as well.
His historical work focuses not only on Christian origins but also on the history of science in the Greco-Roman world.
He has stated he was raised a Methodist but became an atheist in his teens.
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