German theologian who wrote The Life of Jesus Critically Examined (1835) — arguing that the Gospels are not historical records but mythological expressions of the early Christian community's faith — effectively launching the modern historical Jesus enterprise and destroying his academic career.
Applied Hegelian philosophy and mythological analysis to the Gospels — distinguishing between the natural (rationalist) explanation of miracles, the supernatural (orthodox) explanation, and his mythological explanation — making the mythological reading the most intellectually credible and the most theologically radical.
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