He wrote a biography of his aunt Mary Carpenter, the prolific social reformer and educationalist. In his book The Historical Jesus and the Theological Christ (1911) he defended the historicity of Jesus and criticized the claims of Christ myth theory proponents such as Arthur Drews. Congregationalist Reginald John Campbell wrote that the book contains a "temperate and scholarly criticism of the Christ Myth theories."[9]
In 1878, he married Alice Mary Buckton (1854–1931); the couple had no children.[2]
^Godfrey, Peter B. (2001). British Involvement in the International Association for Religious Freedom. In Centennial Reflections: International Association for Religious Freedom, 1900-2000. Van Gorcum: The International Association for Religious Freedom. p. 52. ISBN90-232-3685-8
^GRO register of births December 1844 Carpenter Joseph Estlin Guildford 4 181
^ abcRines, George Edwin; Beach, Frederick Converse. (1905). Carpenter, Joseph Estlin. In The Encyclopedia Americana: A Universal Reference Library. Volume 3. Scientific American Compiling Department.
^Flanagan, Neil A. (1988). Biographical Register 1880-1974. Corpus Christi College. p. 173
^Chakravarty, Bikash. (1998). Poets to a Poet, 1912-1940. Visva-Bharati. p. 70
^Kellogg, Day Otis; Smith, William Robertson. (1902). The Encyclopedia Britannica. Volume 26. Werner. p. 69
^Campbell, Reginald John. (1921). The Life of Christ. D. Appleton & Company. p. 26
