G. A. Wells

G. A. Wells (1926-2017) was a British scholar of German studies who became prominent for his controversial work on the historicity of Jesus and early Christianity. Professor Emeritus of German at Birkbeck College, University of London, Wells authored several books challenging the historical existence of Jesus, including "The Jesus of the Early Christians" (1971), "Did Jesus Exist?" (1975), and "The Jesus Myth" (1999). Drawing on his expertise in intellectual history and textual criticism, he argued that the earliest Christian writings, particularly Paul's epistles, presented a mythical rather than historical Jesus. Wells later modified his position, accepting the possible existence of a historical preacher behind the Q source while maintaining that the Gospel Jesus was largely mythical. His work, though rejected by most New Testament scholars, significantly influenced popular skeptical discourse about Christian origins and sparked extensive academic debate about methodology in historical Jesus research.