Schweitzer on the Mythical Jesus

I’ve just been re-reading Albert Schweitzer’s Quest of the Historical Jesus, and was interested by his passing comments on mythicist views of Jesus:

To be in any way scientific, the mythical theory must not only explain his origin, which is difficult enough, but also show how this fictitious non-Jewish figure was introduced into the Judaism of the early Roman Empire – a hopeless undertaking. Why make him a preacher of the coming of the Kingdom of God, moving entirely within the circle of Jewish thought, and secretly holding himself to be the future Messiah? Why attribute to him unfulfilled predictions of impending persecutions and his own immediate coming as Son of Man upon the clouds of heaven? (xiii)

Schweitzer pronounces the “death-blow to the mythical Jesus”, but adds, “This does not mean, however, that no further attempts will be made to revive the theory.”