Thanks, this was informative... at least, relative to historicity. He mentions allegory only within the context of the story itself, such as the fig tree symbolizing the temple, but never touches on the allegorical value of the whole story in the greater context of human experience.

Understanding that the story is allegory instead of history is a good first step. The next step is figuring out why very similar stories have always emerged in human populations that have been isolated from each other in time and location.

If the stories were just meaningless fiction, it seems they would all be different, but the same “hero’s journey” theme can be found in all of them, even if they are differently clothed in local color.

Allegory is not just fiction for the purpose of idle entertainment; it’s supposed to represent a deeper truth.
Wikipedia defines allegory as
“a metaphor in which a character, place or event is used to deliver a broader message about real-world issues and occurrences.”

I haven’t read a great deal from Carrier, but I don’t recall him (or hardly anyone else) ever addressing the broader message about real-world issues. The assumption seems to be if it’s not literal it’s not anything. But that’s only half of what allegory conveys. Allegory doesn’t say “This isn’t real. Goodbye.” Allegory says “This isn’t literal, but it symbolizes “X” which is literal.”

What is “X”? What did Jesus symbolize, Dr. Carrier?