The Gospels do not identify their authors or composition dates in the texts. The familiar first-century dates are later reconstructions; this site finds no surviving attestation for Jesus or Gospel texts before Marcion around 144 CE.
The mythicist reading
The narratives are not contemporary depositions. Shared wording and plot can reflect literary dependence rather than independent memories. Their theological aims and scriptural patterns make their proposed dates and historical claims matters for argument, not facts established by contemporary witnesses.
The strongest reply
The counterargument uses literary relationships and internal historical clues to infer composition before 144 CE, and argues that later texts can preserve earlier traditions. Those are dating arguments; they are not surviving first-century attestations.
Where the evidence leaves us
This site finds no evidence establishing Gospel composition before c. 144 CE. The narratives show what later Christian communities wrote about Jesus; an earlier date requires evidence beyond traditional chronology.