I think Wodehouse was riffing on people saying the Odyssey was written not by Homer, but by another poet with the same name, an idea taken more or less seriousl

I think Wodehouse was riffing on people saying the Odyssey was written not by Homer, but by another poet with the same name, an idea taken more or less seriously, then and still. But a need for a historical Jesus, and accompanying apostolic drama, in order to support your spiritual doctrine is hard to understand. Either it's right or it's wrong, either you have faith or you don't, whether it was written down right then or only centuries later.