Once again, all I said was that most historians believe he existed, not that they believe anything about his birth story, immaculate conception, Virgin birth, Cherry Tree Carol, etc. In fact, nobody who could have known that part of the story firsthand (Mary, Joseph, Wise Men, etc) left any accounts. People who knew Jesus and may well have written accounts(like Thomas) would only have known him as an adult. In Rapaire's sense, I am referring to JN, not JC. It is simplest to assume that the messianic stories that, as many have pointed out above, floated around at that time, attached themselves to actual people rather than fictional ones. It's not certain, but it's a decent bet.