“Leading scholars” are usually understood to be dedicated experts with unusually deep knowledge and insight who publish their views for others to evaluate and who have received high marks from others who are equally expert. I don’t think individual scholars should be “trusted” so much as “carefully listened to and considered.” There are some areas of early Christianity that I am miles far knowledgable about than most New Testament Scholars (e.g., the Greek textual tradition of the New Testament) and there are others that I am no where near as knowledgable as others (the Diatessaron). You shouldn’t think that if I say something about the former I’m necessarily right, but I’m more likely to know what I’m talking about than most; and you shouldn’t think the Diatessaron scholar is necessarily right, but you should certainly hear what she has to say and consider it.

So too with the historical Jesus. The scholars we’ve chosen for this New Insights into the New Testament are bona fide experts who can handle the original languages and have read massively in the scholarship in the field that has been produced since the end of the 18th century until … last year. Some of us have studied the primary material diligently for decades along with the scholarship on it; others have not. It doesn’t mean we’re right (especially since we disagree on things!), but it does mean it’s worth considering how well versed someone is in a topic. When my AC breaks down I want a trained specialist to work on it, not the guy next door who knows a wee bit more than me about it.