Dating the New Testament (Part 2)

 Let us take up the remainder of these reasons for an earlier date for the New Testament.


4.  The Apostle Peter has two letters dealing with Christian life. In the last post we saw that this man of God was put to death in ad 64-67 as well as Paul. This makes it clear that these letters were written in the first half of the 7th decade of the 1st century (60-65ad); but what may not be well known is that this man of God was the human vessel that contributed to the formation of another book that can be found in the New Testament; that being the gospel of Mark, which when we consider what we are told in Acts 15: 36-41 we see that there was a split between Paul and Barnabas regarding Mark.  Why is this important?  for this simple reason: this took place around ad 49 and in later letters we have him mentioned in 2 Timothy 4: 11-12; in Colossian 4: 10b and Philemon 23 (written between 59-64); and the last reference we have to mark is found in 1 Peter 5:12-13 (ad 62-63).  All this gives us a window of no less than 7 years in which mark wrote this gospel with Peter; and the best timing would be 55ad.

5. The books of Hebrews and Jude are next to be considered. And to put it succinctly they were written between 60-67ad for obvious reasons. The book of Hebrews was written before 66ad as in it we have the mention of all the Old Testament sacrificial related element. And it would hard for Jews to go back to what htey had formerly practiced in that manner if the city of Jerusalem and the temple had been destroyed. And we know this took place after 66ad. The book of Jude was written after the 2nd letter of Peter as chapter two warns us of what was to come and Jude tells us that has already taken place concerning false teacher and spiritual terrorist. And this puts it at 67ad. 

6. Matthew and James these books (letters) are two of the first three books to be put out (along with Galatians). The dates can not be given to the exact point but it is likely that Matthew was 44-47; James was 49; and Galatians was 48-49.  Both Paul and James seem to be dealing with same issue in these letter favouritism. And it is the question of how one demonstrates that their faith is true? But putting that aside there is a similarity between James and Matthew as well  (or at least two)  (a) the place of the Law in the Christians life.  (2) the place of wisdom in the Christians life.  

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