Were the Gospel accounts based on the testimony of eyewitnesses who were still alive when the Gospels were written?

The way the Gospel accounts use correct place names shows that they were based on reliable information from first hand testimony.

Were the Gospel accounts corrupted as they were passed on? Was there any way to prevent this happening?

In a talk given at The Veritas Forum at the University of California, Santa Barbara in October 2000, Professor Craig Blomberg discusses new…