The Disciple by Kipling

He that hath a Gospel
To loose upon Mankind,
Though he serve it utterly —
Body, soul and mind —
Though he go to Calvary
Daily for its gain —
It is His Disciple
Shall make his labour vain.

He that hath a Gospel
For all earth to own —
Though he etch it on the steel,
Or carve it on the stone —
Not to be misdoubted
Through the after-days —
It is His Disciple
Shall read it many ways.

It is His Disciple
(Ere Those Bones are dust)
Who shall change the Charter,
Who shall split the Trust —
Amplify distinctions,
Rationalize the Claim;
Preaching that the Master
Would have done the same.

It is His Disciple
Who shall tell us how
Much the Master would have scrapped
Had he lived till now —
What he would have modified
Of what he said before.
It is His Disciple
Shall do this and more....

He that hath a Gospel
Whereby Heaven is won
(Carpenter, or cameleer,
Or Maya's dreaming son),
Many swords shall pierce Him,
Mingling blood with gall;
But His Own Disciple
Shall wound Him worst of all!

Yes, the canon of the Bible officially came into being 330 years later, but the books of the New Testament were written in the generation after Yeshua ben Yosef and referred to eyewitnesses, though not written by eyewitnesses. Since all the books of the New Testament testify to his existence, there is really no reason to assume that Yosef did not exist at all, any more than there is to assume there was never a Confuscus, or a Siddartha, or a Homer, etc. Then we might as well just assume most ancient documents were pure fantasies. Then we might as well give up on ancient history and denounce our ancient ancestors as mere fairy-tellers.