What swayed me most about the authenticity of the Gospel accounts are their contents. I have read lots of books before, but they were special. Very few contradictions and some excellent advice and moral guidance in there. And as for the theory that a disciple or groups of disciples came together and sucked all of it out their thumbs is somewhat hard to swallow. And as already discussed, to be willing to die for a big lie is highly unlikely from a human standpoint.
Vidqun
Bart Ehrman gets his new students who were manly fundamentalist Christian who believed the gospels as being inspired to get a bible and a pen and writing pad and starting with Matthew take notes of major events about jesus life and ministry and parables and his death etc ,then do the same with the other gospels and then compare them to see if any contradictions.
Or as James tabor a biblical scholar encourages that people read the new testament in date order ,all the letters of paul first then the gospels that were written decades later and see then if it makes sense.