We cannot ever be exactly sure of the precise dates that any of the New Testament books were written. This is because none of the New Testament manuscripts include specific dates as to when the author sat down and wrote the text. Also, we do not have any of the original autograph manuscripts. An autograph manuscript is the original document written in the hand of the original author. Thus, dating such an original document through scientific processes is simply not an option to us in the dating of their original writings.

We can know that some of the New Testament books were probably written before or after certain major events took place in the Roman Empire and the Palestinian region. This is based on the individual book’s content and what is mentioned in the text and also by what is left out of the text.

An example of this would be the Mount Olivet Discourse, which is a lesson Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 24. Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. And He said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”  (Matthew 24:1 & 2) In this passage Jesus Christ is specifically prophesying about the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem at some time in the future. He describes this process as a devastating sack of Jerusalem in which the highly revered Jewish temple will be literally destroyed beyond recognition.   

In 70 AD a Roman general named Titus led his troops into Jerusalem and completely destroyed the city, including the Jewish Temple. It was a thorough destruction where the entire city was entirely leveled. Yet, nowhere in the Matthew’s Gospel does the author articulate the fulfillment of the prophecy Jesus made about the Jewish Temple being destroyed.

Thus, it bears strong reasoning that if such a horrendous event like that took place at or before the time of  the writing of Matthew’s Gospel, it would only be logical that the author would have included a record of such an event so as to legitimize the prophetic words of Jesus. So from the precise content of Matthew’s Gospel we can deduct that it was most likely written before 70 AD.

Many times the Greek words, metaphors, idioms and specific key phrases will give clues as to not only when a particular book or passage of a book was likely to have been written, but also to whom in a broader sense it might have been addressed to. Often times certain words and phrases were only used certain ways in literature for a few short years. We can tell this by examining other extant secular documents that are still available from those various time frames in antiquity.        

As we read the content of the various New Testament books, these types of hints are linked to other events and/or chronologies that help us establish somewhat accurate dates for the writing of these books. These blocks of time can usually be approximately 5-15 years, depending on how many comparative documents from antiquity are available for examination.

There are some more liberal scholars who tend to read the Gospels in a more subjective line of thought. They may also read these same Gospels as reflective and symbolic literature rather than fact bearing objective writings. This often causes their dating processes to be much more later than those used in the standard orthodox processes.             

Comparison of Dating Methods for the Gospels

Conservative Dating Method

• Mark 45-50 AD

• Matthew 50-55 AD

• Luke 55-65 AD

• John 85-95 AD

   

  Liberal Dating Method

• Mark 65-75 AD

• Matthew 70-80 AD

• Luke 80-90 AD

• John 90-100 AD

   

   

  When it comes to the Epistles of Paul, there is not much controversy as to when they were probably written. Yet as we discussed earlier, a few of them are still in debate as to whether Paul or one of Paul’s followers wrote some of those epistles shortly after his death. This practice of writing documents in someone’s name that you knew and revered, was very common in the first and second centuries of antiquity. In fact, it is was an honor to do so. It was not looked down on like it would be in our society today.

  Most Biblical scholars and theologians agree that Paul wrote his letters to the various Churches between 49 AD and the time of his death, which is believed to have taken place in the mid 60s AD. Paul’s first letter was either his first letter to the Church at Thessalonica, which he would have written around 50 AD, or his letter to the four Churches located in the region of Galatia in Asia Minor approximately the same time. He may have written to the Galatians on his way back to Jerusalem to meet with the other Apostles in or just prior to 49 AD. There is however another valid argument for a much later writing of Paul’s letter to the Galatians.