Dates of Books in the B’rit Chadashah
James written between 45 and 48
First Missionary Journey:
Galatians written in 48 from Antioch
Second Missionary Journey:
First Thessalonians written in 50 from Corinth
Second Thessalonians written in 50 from Corinth
Third Missionary Journey:
First Corinthians written in 55 from Ephesus
Second Corinthians written in 56 from Macedonia
Romans written in 57 from Corinth
Mark was written around 58-59 from Rome
Paul’s Journey to Rome: Prison Letters
Ephesians written in 60 from Rome
Colossians written in 60 from Rome
Philemon written in 60 from Rome
Luke written in the early 60s either 60 or 61
First John written between 60 and 65
Second John written between 60 and 65
Third John written between 60 and 65
Philippians written in 61 from Rome
Acts written around 62 from Rome
Fourth Missionary Journey: Pastoral Letters
First Timothy written in 64 from Macedonia
Titus written in 64 from Macedonia
First Peter written late 64 or early 65
Hebrews written 64-65
Matthew written around 65 from Palestine or Syrian Antioch
Jude written around 66
Second Timothy written in 67 from Rome
Second Peter written around 67-68
John written around 80
Revelation was written around 95-96
As long as the apostles were alive, all the gifts of the Spirit were used. But eventually all the apostles were martyred except for John who wrote Revelation, and the canon of Scripture was closed, and the necessity for the gifts authenticating the apostles also ended. John would write in the last chapter of the last book in the Bible: I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll (Revelation 22:18-19). At that time, the Church was established and some of the spiritual gifts ceased to be needed or used.
Determining when the Bible was written poses challenges because it isn’t a single book. It’s a collection of 66 books written by more than 40 authors over more than 2,000 years. Therefore, there are two ways to answer the question, “When was the Bible written?” The first is to identify the original dates for each of the Bible’s 66 books. The second, the focus here is to describe how and when all 66 books were collected in a single volume.
We can say with some certainty that the first widespread edition of the Bible was assembled by Jerome around 400 AD. This manuscript included all 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament in the same language: Latin. This edition of the Bible is commonly referred to as the Latin Vulgate. Jerome wasn’t the first to select all 66 books we know today as the Bible. He was the first to translate and compile everything into a single volume.
The first step in assembling the Bible involves the 39 books of the Old Testament, also referred to as the TaNaKh. Beginning with Moses, who wrote the first five books of the Bible, these books were written over the centuries by prophets and leaders. By the time of Jesus and his disciples, the Hebrew Bible had already been established as 39 books. This was what Jesus meant when he referred to “the Scriptures.”
After the early church was established, people such as Matthew started writing historical records of Jesus’ life and ministry, which became known as the gospels. Church leaders such as Paul and Peter wanted to provide direction for the churches they established, so they wrote letters that were circulated throughout congregations in different regions. We call these the epistles.
A century after the launch of the Church, hundreds of letters and books explained who Jesus was and what he did and how to live as his follower. It became clear that some of these writings weren’t authentic. Church members began to ask which books should be followed and which should be ignored.
Eventually, Christian church leaders worldwide gathered to answer major questions, including which books should be regarded as “Scripture.” These gatherings included the Council of Nicea in 325 AD and the First Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, which decided a book should be included in the Bible if it was:
- Written by one of Jesus’ apostles, someone who was a witness to Jesus’ ministry, such as Peter, or someone who interviewed an apostle, like Luke.
- Written in the first century AD, meaning that books written long after the events of Jesus’ life and the first decades of the church weren’t included.
- Consistent with other portions of the Bible known to be valid, meaning the book couldn’t contradict a trusted element of Scripture.
After a few decades of debate, these councils largely settled which books should be included in the Bible. A few years later, all were published by Jerome in a single volume. By the time the first century AD ended, most of the church had agreed on which books should be considered Scripture. The earliest church members took guidance from the writings of Peter, Paul, Matthew, John, and others. The later councils and debates were largely useful in weeding out inferior books that claimed the same authority.
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