According to modern proponents of the Christ myth theory, Christianity started with the belief in a new deity called Jesus,[REF][REF] "a spiritual, mythical figure,"[REF] who was derived from Jewish writings,[REF] and shows Greek influences and similarities with Pagan saviour deities.
While proponents like Couchoud, Wells, Doherty and Price are concerned with the origins of Christianity, the perception of and debate about the CMT has increasingly turned to the simpler question whether Jesus existed or not [REF].