This is the thing isn't it.
christians want to paint anyone who questions the historicity of jesus as a loon or not with the mainstream of straight historian or believing or non-believing theologians. The fact remains there is not stacks of evidence of jesus existing as the person he is represented to be. this is not even addressing the "stacks of evidence" for all the supernatural tricks he allegedly performed. The only thing that gets forwarded is the earliest known mention which is by Josephus, which is universally discredited as an forgery by religious and non-religious scholars alike. It's the supernatural claims which raise all flags. People who still insist in believing bronze age mythology must completely bleach their minds to ignore this part of the story.
A bit of a dichotomy, but you may have nailed it.
My belief is that there is enough evidence to suggest a strong possibility of Jesus existing.
BUT, as you point out, is
that Jesus really an accurate representation of what we have come to understand?
I think not.
It beggars belief that the true and original image of Christ could remain unsullied over two millennia: and it hasn't, imo.
Human nature has prevailed upon the perception of the person of Jesus, and over time, incrementally transformed a simple rural carpenter from being a reforming preacher, to a prophet, to a worker of miracles, to a demi god then into a god himself.
This metamorphosis occurred over a period of centuries - and is still continuing. The society that created the myth needed a myth of a certain structure. Successive societies needed to reconcile the myth within an ever-changing societal paradigm.
All this still occurs over time - more slowly and elegantly with the establishment of the dogma of the 4th C Nicene Creed. This consolidation was needed because of the wild and conflicting claims from various parts of the (disorganised) early church.
The last two centuries has seen a new acceleration with (notably US-based) sects proposing a range of interpretations of the myth - again, in line with the needs or aspirations of that society.
My feeling is that this is how all gods are formed: in the minds of men. Other men just modify the concept.