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Does anyone really know the exact chronological order the books of the New Testament were written?

2006-08-23 02:35:01 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture Religion & Spirituality

my main concern is the Book of Revelation. Was it really the last book written?

2006-08-23 02:40:42 · update #1

8 answers

While no arrangement of these books can be made with absolute confidence, the following dates are sufficiently reliable to serve the purpose of the Bible student.

James - 50 A.D.
First Thessalonians - 52-53.
Second Thessalonians - 52-53.
Galatians - 55.
First Corinthians - 57.
Second Corinthians - 57.
Romans - 57-58.
Philippians - 62-63.
Colossians - 62-63.
Philemon - 62-63.
Ephesians - 62-63.
Luke - 63.
Acts - 64.
First Timothy - 65.
Titus - 65.
Second Timothy - 66.
Mark - 66.
Matthew - 67.
Hebrews - 67.
First Peter - 67-68.
Second Peter - 68.
Jude - 68.
Apocalypse - 68.
John - c. 85.
Epistles of John - 90-95.

2006-08-23 02:41:52 · answer #1 · answered by thegodsblessins 1 · 0 0

According to tradition, the earliest of the books were the letters of Paul, and the last books to be written are those attributed to John, who is traditionally said to have lived to a very old age, perhaps dying as late as 100, although evidence for this tradition is generally not convincing. Irenaeus of Lyons, c. 185, stated that the Gospels of Matthew and Mark were written while Peter and Paul were preaching in Rome, which would be in the 60s, and Luke was written some time later. Evangelical and Traditionalist scholars continue to support this dating.

Some other modern critical scholars concur with the dating of the majority of the New Testament, except for the epistles and books that they consider to be pseudepigraphical (i.e., those thought not to be written by their traditional authors). Some do not. For the Gospels they tend to date Mark no earlier than 65, and Matthew some time between 70 and 85. Luke is usually placed in the 80 to 95 time frame. The earliest of the books of the New Testament was First Thessalonians, an epistle of Paul, written probably in 51, or possibly Galatians in 49 according to one of two theories of its writing. Of the pseudepigraphical epistles, Christian scholars tend to place them somewhere between 70 and 150, with Second Peter usually being the latest.

However, John A.T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament (1976), proposed that all of the New Testament was completed before 70, the year the temple at Jerusalem was destroyed. Robinson argued that because the destruction of the temple was prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:15–21 and Luke 23:28–31, the authors of these and other New Testament books would not have failed to point out the fulfillment of this prophecy. Robinson's position is popular among some Evangelicals.

In the 1830s German scholars of the Tübingen school dated the books as late as the third century, but the discovery of some New Testament manuscripts and fragments, not including some of the later writings, dating as far back as 125 (notably Papyrus 52) has called such late dating into question. Additionally, a letter to the church at Corinth in the name of Clement of Rome in 95 quotes from 10 of the 27 books of the New Testament, and a letter to the church at Philippi in the name of Polycarp in 120 quotes from 16 books. Therefore, some of the books of the New Testament were at least in a first-draft stage, though there is negligible evidence in these quotes or among biblical manuscripts for the existence of different early drafts. Other books were probably not completed until later, if we assume they must have been quoted by Clement or Polycarp. There are many minor discrepancies between manuscripts (largely spelling or grammatical differences).

2006-08-23 02:44:19 · answer #2 · answered by williamzo 5 · 0 0

There are many theories, however the best puts Paul's writings first, then the gospels, and then revelation. The library would have the best information about that, because people can put anything on the internet.

2006-08-23 02:41:40 · answer #3 · answered by GLSigma3 6 · 0 0

What happened to 1-3 John?

2014-10-29 07:34:00 · answer #4 · answered by crusadr57@sbcglobal.net 1 · 0 0

Yes it was written by John, Late in life, he was at least in his 90 and may have been over 100 at the writing.

2006-08-23 05:04:15 · answer #5 · answered by Grandreal 6 · 0 0

I have a chart that gives the dates that they were written. Those dates are based on what the writer's themselves said. Many of the writer's will give clues - like in the 5th year of Artaxerxes, etc.

2006-08-23 02:41:04 · answer #6 · answered by grammy_of_twins_plus two 3 · 0 0

Mostt scholars,christian atheist agnostic muslim jew, agree that the order is mark mathew & Luke then mutch later John

EDIT
yes pauls writings predate all the other writings

2006-08-23 02:39:40 · answer #7 · answered by CJunk 4 · 0 0

fatman,
According to The Bible Knowledge Commentary Revelation was the last inspired book of the Bible.

2006-08-23 02:46:39 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0 0

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