Why was the New Testament written so long after Jesus died?

Question

I'm not pretending to be a Bible expert here (that's why I'm asking the question), but my understanding is that most of the NT was written down like 30 years after Jesus died (correct me, please, if you have better information). If we're talking the word of God here, wouldn't it have been important to write that stuff down ASAP?

Doesn't it make a lot more sense if they thought Jesus would return in their lifetime, as he had foretold (and failed to do)?

Answer 1

From me to you, about the New Testement, this is why I am an agnostic . . .

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060738170/002-2157862-6556848?v=glance&n=283155

It will answer some of your questions not all.

Nothing in there about the insect legs from Exodus.

Answer 2

One of the reasons it took so long is that it was written by men. The likelihood that any of the apostles of jesus' could actually write is slight. To even afford or
have access to the necessary implements would be tough.

Back then scribes, clergy and royalty were the main people that had access to and the ability to write. These people all had prejudices and agendas (truth or your best interests not an issue for them).

So the reason it took so long is that the alleged authors did not write anything. The people that did had to have it approved by the clergy/royalty of the day (not much has changed there).

The co-relation between the alleged actual words of jesus or the apostles completely lost in editing and translations over the course of 2000 years.

Pay close attention, think for yourself, you have all the answers
you need. There is a little truth everywhere, you have to put it together for yourself (it will not be handed to you by anyone).

Answer 3

You are correct, most of the New Testament was written down between 30 and 60 years after the death of Jesus.

Before that time you had the 11 Apostles (plus Paul), the 70 other deciles (who Jesus sent out by 2's) plus every one else who was an eye whiteness to at least some of his ministry. All these people were preaching every where they went. They might have written some letters also, but they expected Jesus to come back very soon (they were thinking in human terms).

Only when they began to get old and die off, did they begin to wright things down.

Answer 4

The NT was actually written like a hundred years afterwards. Christian churches back then were teaching different things depending on what church you were at. The Greeks decided that something had to be done about it. So they went to every church and copied what they were teaching, and they went to the middle east and wrote down stories that the people would tell about Jesus. Then they brought it all back home and made a book out of it. They left some things out, "edited" a few things, and poof! The NT was born.

Answer 5

The four gospels were written 20 years apart. The first one was written 20 years after the crucifixion of Jesus. They were also written in 4 different cities, and each reflects the times in which they were written. Thus, the gospels were written over a period of about 80 - 100 years. As far as why I have no idea - that's just the way it is. For a great review of early Christian history see if you can get your hands on the PBS special "The First Christians" - it is quite enlightening.

Answer 6

A lot of it was written down ASAP. In Aramaic. But the writting was not as important then as was the teaching. The Gospel message was inseparable from the office of bishop, which is why Tradition is so important. St. Thomas started a church in India without using one word New Testament scripture.

Extant copies of Plato are 1200 years after Plato's death, and no one questions its authenticity.

For the New Testament it is mere decades giving the New Testament an unheard of historical and documentary veracity.

Answer 7

I can't give you specific dates for all of it, but we do no all of Paul's writings were done within twenty years of Jesus death. Even liberal Biblical scholars agree upon this one, because we know from outside sources the dates of Paul's death. Most also think Mark was written within twenty years as well. I think for a lot of the Gospel writers they were to busy preaching, it took them a while to finally getting around to writing any of this stuff down. Also many felt that Jesus would be returning so soon that it made the idea of recording for posterity seem unnecessary. However I think the main reason is that scripture says that the Holy Spirit came upon them and influenced their writings. So they couldn't write what God had told them to write until, God told them to write it.

Answer 8

This is going to be long probably, and I apologize...

"The Bible is the most unique book that has ever been written." It took over 1500 years to write the Bible. It is written by over 40 authors covering 40 generations. It was written on three separate continents, and has three separate languages: Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. Furthermore, it speaks on hundreds of controversial topics with unity. Now, let us think about this. Over 40 different people from all walks of life: peasants, prophets, kings, shepherds, fisherman, doctors. They are writing different styles of literature: poetry, history, law, letters, biographies. Totally different types of literature. When you put it all together, on those hundreds of controversial topics, the Bible speaks in unity. How in the world could you ever do that? How could you concoct that? You can’t, but God can!

The New Testament writers weren't writing just stories or fables, they wrote what they saw, felt, witnessed, what they experienced. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." (1 John 1:1-4)

After Jesus died, people began to share about Christ through word of mouth for about the first 15 years of the church. "Does that make you nervous? Remember back in grade school when you used to play that game Telephone?" But that is the way people did things back then. They didn't have PDAs or computers or not even really paper! Unless you had a lot of money and could buy a bunch of scrolls. But people often memorized things to retell, especially sacred texts. Back then it was normal. If you look at the way the OT has been preserved, and look at the Dead Sea Scrolls, we find that these things, even though they were a couple hundred years before Christ, you find that they match exactly the manuscripts of the OT that we have before then, and almost exactly what we have today. For thousands of years these things have been passed down faithfully and accurately. And at this point, if people are saying things that aren't true, the apostles are still around to be like, "Uhh, yeah, that's not what He said."

Right about the year 48, letters began to be written by Paul. Then you have the Gospels. Before the Council of Nicea even happened, individual churches decided what books they believed were true, the Council just put like a "stamp of approval" on it. Isn't that crazy? Like all the churches picked the same books, by themselves. "People didn't put together the New Testament; God put together the New Testament."

Answer 9

When it comes to historians treating ancient writings as accurate it has been found that most of the writings that no historians even dispute as being authentic were actually written down HUNDREDS of years after the actual incidents so when it comes to the gospels, they were written down within 30 years of the actual event - enough time that the people who were there when it happened were still alive and people were alive to dispute it but they didn't.

Answer 10

I'm sure there were other things written about Jesus, but those didn't survive because they didn't agree with what the 'church' wanted everyone to believe about Jesus.