OT: Do you believe Jesus was real?

Frankly I don't see a difference between option 2 and option 3. I believe there was a Jesus of sorts (certainly a historical figure who inspired the Gospel accounts). Do I believe he was actually the Son of God, or rose from the dead? No. I think all associated stories with him have been exaggerated to the point of making him something more than human. He was probably just a really good person who taught some really good things (which would have been rare and radical at that time), and inspired so many people that he became a threat to the Jewish moral authorities who conspired to have him executed. The legend of Jesus became so inflated that now he is basically "God", when in reality he was just a good guy.

I believe in something between 2 and 3. I definitely don't think he is the son of god, and probably isn't entirely made up.

I think there are probably a few different individuals/myths/stories that influenced the creation of the Biblical Jesus. His origins stem from various places.

2 and 3 are the same thing. But I go for 3 myself. The story of jesus was most likely based on a real person, but probably quite loosely.

Re 2 and 3:

It seems to me that 2 is positing a guy named Jesus who, as the Bible claims, had followers and more or less lived the life and said the stuff etc. claimed by the Bible, minus the supernatural stuff. Think of some famous real person where a lot of shit is made up about stuff they did (either by themselves or by others).

3, on the other hand, I'm reading as being akin to how fiction is usually created. The author knows some person or persons that they're basing their character on, but in this case, the author is making up the person's name, and at least aspects of their description, at least aspects of their daily life, etc. The real person(s) is just a launching pad for ideas where only the author would be able to link the fictional creation to the real person.

So under 2, there was a real person named Jesus, who was really born in Bethlehem, his parents were Joseph and Mary, and he was a carpenter, etc. He said a lot of the things that are attributed to him in the Bible. He was charismatic and gained a group of followers. Etc.

Under 3, there was a guy named Joe that the author knew. Joe was born in Amman, Jordan--but the author was familiar with Bethlehem and thought that saying the character he was creating was born in Bethlehem fit the character better. Joe worked as a sheepherder, but the author thought that making Jesus a carpenter metaphorically fit the character he was creating better. Joe, who was a loner and whose only real friend was the author, had a tendency to philosophize about how people should treat each other, and the author put his own spin on stuff that Joe had said for the character. Etc.