I MUST commend E W Carr on his evangelistic zeal (You Say, May 19). However, his knowledge of New Testament scholarship is unimpressive.

If there is no credible evidence for the existence of Jesus Christ, why do virtually all Bible scholars and ancient historians, including those sceptical of Christianity, acknowledge his existence?

There are references to Jesus Christ in Jewish writings. These attack Jesus by attacking his character rather than denying his existence.

Legendary figures do not usually just come straight from the imagination, especially when they are believed in by a large group of people. The legends of King Arthur and Robin Hood are surely grounded in some historic reality.

However, the Jesus narrative of the gospels differs from these legends in developing so rapidly.

The gospel accounts must be regarded as historical evidence in themselves. Many of their details are confirmed by archaeology and history.

For information on the history of Alexander the Great, we are heavily reliant on two main ancient biographies. We have four biographies of Jesus and no more reason to doubt their accuracy than that of the two biographies of Alexander the Great.

M A CLARKE, Hallow.