My own response is:  Says who?  What is the justification for the premise I’ve described?  Why should a difference between what Jesus taught about himself and what believers subsequently came to assert about him be a problem?

More good stuff from Hurtado, and well work a read.

A good example of current work on the Historical Jesus can be found at the Thoughts on Antiquity site, and in particular the short, ongoing series on Q by Chris Zeichmann.

I mention this as it is interesting to see the thought processes and methods behind this strand of New Testament work, regardless of your confidence in attempts to reconstruct a Christ who does not reflect current sensibilities!

We read the Gospels not merely to get a picture or an idea of Christ but to enter in an pass through the words of revelation to establish, by faith, a vital contact with the Christ who dwells in our souls as God.
Thomas Merton, Seeds of Contemplation, Chapter 21