Historical Jesus, Biblical Jesus

[mordant]

Well, you get the hint.

Yet, when an actual historian, like Richard Carrier is mentioned, Free throws a tantrum and insists "he's not a real scholar."

You see why I don't take that asshole seriously?

Yes and no.

Free objects to Carrier based on his reputation / conduct and professional standing, not his training AFAIK.

A master in theology from Harvard doesn't have much in common with a master in theology from, say, Dallas Theological Seminary. So theologians are all over the place in terms of their degree of bias. It CAN be very low (or very high). But it's not monolithic. Just their views on inerrancy / inspiration cover a spectrum. I actually find a Harvard or Princeton educated theologian a paragon of intellectual integrity compared to a Biblical inerrantist.

"Religious studies" is the study of religion, by people interested in religion as a phenomenon, and many of them aren't themselves religious or even theists. It's distinct from theology. A theologian is pushing a particular hermeneutic / dogma, whereas someone studying religion would be more into comparative religion and the like. One can argue that even in religious studies, steeping oneself in religious bullshit can erode one's objectivity to a degree that may influence the view of a person who is not very self-aware. But there is nothing inherently to suspect about an education in religious studies.

All that said, Free does seem far more eager to find fault with those who disagree with him and to overlook faults in those who don't. So there's that. I don't discount Carrier totally and try to separate the man and his occasional assholery from the (counter)factual nature of his arguments. He may be a litigious cunt but that doesn't make him a uniformly bad historian.

Personally my view is that I would find someone more credible who is approaching such topics critically / skeptically than someone approaching it as a pure sociological exercise. And to really trust one's views on topics touching on religion I would prefer an areligious person over either an anti-religious or pro-religious person.