Regarding the persona of the individual like you mentioned earlier it's a faith issue. Personally I wouldn't rely on Europe's or any other non African culture to give an accurate account of the life and times of a Northeast African man. Maybe if Alex Haley had written about them but I digress.

>So if he was anti-religion, that's an awfully contradictory
>position for him to have held.
>
>That said, the actual existence of this person is not settled
>history, and the supernatural claims have no good supporting
>evidence.

If that's what you choose to believe that's cool. Cesars and plenty of 1st century scholars did believe in the existence of this person and have written about as much so how one reconciles that is up to them and not really what we were discussing.

>To that end, what is the relevance of the question of whether
>he is anti-religious?

The relevance is that it's a moot point to discuss if one does not believe in unseen intelligences greater than our own. That and what we call religion is mostly (not entirely) the illusion of action in the first place

>>At least one biblical book and the epic of Gilgamesh as well
>>claim the world when Noah lived was one of creation run amok
>>in the form of chimeras (mixed creatures eg the minotaur,
>>satyr, sphinx, etc.)
>>
>>The person we call Jesus is quoted as saying "in the Days
>Noah
>>so shall it be at the coming of the son of man"
>>
>>We have the scientific ability to do exactly what is
>described
>>as having happened in Noah's time by beings greater than
>>ourselves and have done so
>>
>>Is this just a really good guess based on the scientific
>>progress of 70AD?
>
In 70AD the book of Enoch and specifically the book of Giants (both found in the dead sea scrolls along with the more known books) and which also mentions Gilgamesh by name (who was considered a giant even in the Mesopotamian epic) -- these books would have been a part of what was studied concerning the teachings of who we call Jesus.

Most scholars agree on this if not entirely IINM.

Here is what's written in the dead sea scrolls

third fragment - 1Q23 Frag. 1 + 6

2 donkeys, two hundred asses, two hundred . . . rams of the] 3 flock, two hundred goats, two hundred 4 field from every animal, from every 5 for miscegenation

The fourth fragment - 4Q531 Frag. 2
they defiled 2 giants and monsters 3 they begot, and, behold, all 4 with its blood and by the hand of 5 which did not suffice for them and 6 and they were seeking to devour many 7 8 the monsters attacked it.

This is the time of who we call Noah and these scrolls are attributed to that time as he is mentioned in these writings as well as the writing themselves being attributed to one in his line

So when Jesus says "in the days of Noah" it is a reference to these writings which were found with those that have been incorporated into what we call the bible. Writings anyone called "rabbi" would have been more than familiar with in 33AD

There has been no other time in human history where science can and has created interspecies miscegenated life. It can not be said that there have been other times with the exception of our world of today and the time referenced in these writings regardless of it being fiction or non.