Main conclusion from Papias: eyewitness guarantors refute the telephone-game model

Papias is not saying he heard from someone who heard from someone — he is explicitly saying he sought the original sources for historical accuracy. The disciples did not disappear after Pentecost; they remained as known, identifiable guarantors of authentic Jesus tradition, positioned throughout the Empire. People could and did check with them. Ehrman's telephone-game model is refuted because there were always figures available to correct distortions.