Jacqui - "the realisation that the gospels were cobbled together 400 years AD all came together to make me really think about what I believed in"

For what it's worth, the four gospels were written by Matthew Mark Luke and John. All of these except Luke were eyewitnesses to many of the events mentioned, and Luke (whose profession was medical doctor) based his gospel on close interviews with those involved. Most of the gospels were written around 70 -80 AD, only 40 or so years after Jesus' death, and well within living memory. Moreover, a number of the events are backed up by independent histroical or archaeological evidence. By way of example, we are told Mary & Joseph returned to Nazareth for a census of the whole population that was being taken by the Roman emperor of the time (Augustus, I think). Indeed, Roman historical records confirm this.