BIBLIOLOGYClass 01: NT DATING
Maranatha Bible CollegeSpring Semester, 2015
1 Thess. 2:13• “For this reason we also
constantly thank God that
• when you received the
word of God
• which you heard from us,
• you accepted it
• not as the word of men,
but for what it really is,
the word of God,
• which also performs its
work in you who believe.”
Study to show yourself approved
unto God, a workman that need
not be ashamed, rightly dividing the
Word of Truth2 Timothy 2:15
Paula Fredriksen,Prof., Boston Univ.
No one during Jesus' lifetime
(including the man himself)
considered Jesus to be the Messiah.
Our Objectives
• Understand historical context for NT
• Know when NT documents were written
• Know WHY we think so
2 Peter 3:3
•knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.
Liar,
Lunatic,
Lord
• A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. … let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher.
“HISTORICAL JESUS NOT CHRIST OF
CHRISTIANITY”
“Historical Jesus”
Embellishment Theory
“Jesus”
• 30-70 AD
• Saw Jesus as a wise
teacher
• No Cross, No
Resurrection, No
“Gospel”
“Christ”
• 70-100 AD
• Added narrative
myths
• Proclamation of the
death and
resurrection of Jesus
JESUS VS CHRIST TIMELINE”
30 70
Dating Gospels Circular Logic
Biblical Gospels Assert Divinity of Christ
Biblical Gospels Are Late and
Untrustworthy
Original Jesus Was a Man.
Church made him
Son of God, Later
GOSPELS NOT HISTORY & BIASED
No History Before Renaissance?
Luke’s Oral and Written SourcesLuke 1:1-4:
“In as much as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write (it) out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you might know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
1. Written sources (1:1)
2. Oral sources (from
eyewitnesses) (1:2)
3. Luke confirmed this with his
own investigations (1:3)
4. Luke couldn’t “embellish,”
since the material was
already widely known in
the early church (1:4)
“Friend of Caesar” John 19:12
• As a result of this
Pilate made efforts to
release Him, but the
Jews cried out saying,
" If you release this
Man, you are no friend
of Caesar; everyone
who makes himself out
to be a king opposes
Caesar."
“GOSPELS TOO LATE TO BE
EYEWITNESSES”
Manuscripts
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 00
Christ’s
Ministry GOSPELS
GOSPELS
Luke written before paul dies
• the laborer deserves his
wages..
• [Luke 10:7]
• For the Scripture says,
"You shall not muzzle an
ox when it treads out the
grain," and, "The laborer
deserves his wages."
• [1 Timothy 5:18]
Mark 15:8-15
Chief Priests and Crowds• And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as
he usually did for them. And he answered them, saying,
"Do you want me to release for you the King of the
Jews?“ For he perceived that it was out of envy that the
chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests
stirred up the crowd to have him release for them
Barabbas instead. And Pilate again said to them, "Then
what shall I do with the man you call the King of the
Jews?“ And they cried out again, "Crucify him.“ And Pilate
said to them, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they
shouted all the more, "Crucify him.“ So Pilate, wishing to
Matthew 27:20-26
Chief Priests and Crowds• the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to
ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. …
• So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but
rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and
washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am
innocent of this man's blood;[see to it yourselves.“ And all
the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our
children!”
Luke 23:13-25
Chief Priests & Rulers of the People• Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers
and the people, and said to them, "You brought me this
man as one who was misleading the people. …But they
all cried out together, "Away with this man, and release to
us Barabbas"-- a man who had been thrown into prison
for an insurrection started in the city and for murder. Pilate
addressed them once more, desiring to release Jesus, but
they kept shouting, "Crucify, crucify him!" 22A third time
he said to them, "Why, what evil has he done? I have
found in him no guilt deserving death. I will therefore
punish and release him.“ But they were urgent,
John 19:12-16
Jews and Chief Priests• From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the
Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are not Caesar's friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.“ So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour.[He said to the Jews, "Behold your King!“ They cried out, "Away with him, away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar.“ So he delivered him over to them to be crucified.
P.Oxy. LXIV 4405
Matthew XXIII 30-
34; 35-39
Late 2nd/Early 3rd
Magdalen Papyrus
Dated 150 AD
• Magdalen papyrus -
fragment (dated
around 150 A.D.,
but a more recent
dating place it
possible around 50
A.D. !)
Time Intervals
Originals Earliest Copies
“In no other case is the interval of time between the composition of the book and the date of the earliest manuscripts so short as in that of the New Testament.”
Sir Frederic Kenyon
Dating The Gospels:
Arguing From Silence
• Later debates central to the church are missing in the Gospels
– food laws (except Mk 7)
– Gentiles (except Mk 7, Matt 8)
– circumcision (anywhere)
• If the Church were making things up about Jesus, wouldn’t they have been a little more relevant to their time?
Luke written before paul dies
• the laborer
deserves his wages..
• [Luke 10:7]
• For the Scripture
says, "You shall not
muzzle an ox when it
treads out the grain,"
and, "The laborer
deserves his wages."
• [1 Timothy 5:18]
HOW JESUS BECAME CHRIST
Establishing
First Dates
30-50 AD
Period of Oral Tradition
• Jewish culture stressed memorizations of the law.
– Deuteronomy 6:4-9
– In a culture where this was practiced, their memorization skills were far advanced from ours today.
– culture was “a culture of memory.”
• the church preserved the teachings of Christ in the forms of hymns which were easy to memorize.
– E.g., Paul’s summary of the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15
Last Dates
Early Church
Quotations
“WHOLE NT INSIDE
THE SANDWICH”
4 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
“Two significant facts
intervene between the
lifetime of Jesus and the
composition of the
gospels: first, Rome had
destroyed Jerusalem; and,
second, the majority of
Jews had declined to
perceive Jesus as a
messiah.”
Paula Fredriksen, From
Jesus to Christ
Comparing First and 20th Centuries
Decade First Century 20th Century
00-09 Augustus, JC Childhood Queen Victoria, Ted
Roosevelt
10-19 Augustus, JC Teenager Woodrow Wilson, WW I
20-29 Tiberius, JC in 20s->Cross/Resurrection Roaring 20s, Stock Crash
30-39 Tiberius, Caligula, Acts 1-12 FDR, Great Depression
40-49 Claudius, Paul’s Missions, Mark WW II
50-59 Claudius, Nero, Paul’s Letters. Eishenauer, “Happy Days”
60-69 Nero, Paul & Peter Martyred, Luke/Acts Kennedy, LBJ, Vietnam
70-79 Vespasian, Temple Destroyed, Titus
John,
Nixon, Ford, Carter
80-89 Domitian John’s Letters Reagan, Bush (1)
90-99 Domitian, Nerva Revelation Bush (1) Clinton
Dating the Gospels: 3 Views
Early Middle Late
Matthew 40-60 70 80-85
Mark 45-60 55 65-70
Luke 57-60 59-63 85-90
John 40-65 85-93 90-100
Comparing Time Intervals
“WHOLE NT INSIDE
THE SANDWICH”
4 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Dating Gospels Circular Logic
Gospels Prophecy
Destruction of Temple
Gospels Are Written
After Destruction of Temple
Prophecies are
impossible
Dating Gospels Circular Logic
Biblical Gospels Assert Divinity of Christ
Biblical Gospels Are Late and
Untrustworthy
Original Jesus Was a Man.
Church made him
Son of God, Later
THE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
Death Of
Apostle James Death of Paul, Peter and
James, Jesus’ Brother
Luke/Acts John
Paul’s Letters
Peter’s Letters
JESUS vs CHRIST TIMELINE”
4 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Jesus Christ
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
Testing The Timeline
B.C.
50
A.D.
20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150
110
2010
110
40
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
John Rylands
MSS.
Approx 98-130
AD
3040
20
FDR
70
YEARS
40
YEARS
20
YEARS
Hooveer
Testing The Timeline
B.C.50
A.D.20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150
110
2010
110
40
30 A.D.
Jesuscrucified
John Rylands
MSS.
Approx 98-130
AD
3040
20
FDR
70 YEARS
40 YEARS
20 YEARS
Hooveer
20TH CEN. COMPARED
FDR ELECTED
JOHN
MARK
MATTHEW
LUKE
10 3020 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 2010
WWII
JKF SHOT
BEATLESBREAK UP
REAGAN CLINTON
John Rylands MSS.
Approx 98-130 AD
B.C.
50
A.D.
20050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 150
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
THE IMPORTANCE OF SILENCE
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
Death Of
Apostle James Death of Paul, Peter and
James, Jesus’ Brother
Luke/Acts John
Paul’s Letters
Peter’s Letters
Establishing the Gospels’ Dates
4 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Dead
Sea
Scrolls
Oral Tradition Period
30-50 AD
Last John Date
100 AD
Last Luke
Date
Last
Mark
Date
Matthew
WHERE DOES Q FIT?
Author Book Date WrittenEarliest Extant
CopiesTime Gap
No. of
Copies
Homer Iliad 800 B.C. C. 400 B.C. c. 400 yrs 643
Herodotus History 480-425 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,350 yrs 8
ThucydidesHistory of the
Peloponesian
War460-400 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,300 yrs 8
Plato Various dialogs 400 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,300 yrs 7
Aristotle 384 - 322 BC C. A.D.1100 c. 1,200 yrs 5
Demosthenes 300 B.C. C. A.D. 1100 c. 1,400 yrs 200
Caesar Gallic Wars 100-44 B.C. C. A.D. 900 c. 1,000 yrs 10
LivyHistory of
Rome59 B.C.-A.D. 17
4th century (partial)
Mostly 10th century
c. 400 yrs
c. 1,000 yrs
1 partial
19 copies
Suetonius 180 AD C. A.D. 950 c. 750 yrs 8
Tacitus Annals A.D. 100 C. A.D. 1100 c. 1,000 yrs 20
Pliny SecundusNatural
HistoryA.D. 61-113 C. A.D. 850 c. 750 yrs 7
GodNew
TestamentA.D. 50-100
C. 114 (fragment)
C. 200 (books)
C. 250 (most of N.T.)
C. 325 (complete N.T.)
+ 50 yrs
100 yrs.
150 yrs.
225 yrs.
5,366
Importance of
Temple Destruction, 70 AD• The gospels prophesy the
destruction of the Temple
(occurred in AD 70) but
never mention its
fulfillment.
– Matthew 24, Mark 13,
Luke 21. John 2
• Only Gospels Do mention Destruction of Temple!
– Acts
– Hebrews
– Revelation
Matthew
and Luke
70 AD
Destroy
Temple
Mark
The Temple in 1 Corinthians
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that
you are a temple of
God and that the Spirit
of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys
the temple of God,
God will destroy him,
for the temple of God
is holy, and that is
what you are.
Hebrews and the Temple• Hebrews 9:25
nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
Hebrews 10:1For the Law, since it has only] a shadow of [the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.
The Temple in
Matthew
• Matthew 26:61
and said, "This man
stated, 'I am able to
destroy the temple of
God and to rebuild it in
three days.'"
• Matthew 27:40
and saying, “You who
are going to destroy
the temple and rebuild
it in three days, save
Yourself! If You are the
Son of God, come
down from the cross."Emp. Titus Destroyed Temple in 70 AD
The Temple in Mark• Mark 13:1-2
• As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down."
The Temple in
Matthew
• Matthew 26:61and said, "This man stated, 'I am able to destroy the templeof God and to rebuild it in three days.'"
• Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the templeand rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
The Temple
in Luke
• Luke 21:5-6And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down."
The Temple in John• John 2:19-21
Jesus answered them,
“Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will
raise it up." The Jews
then said, "It took forty-
six years to build this
temple, and will You
raise it up in three
days?" But He was
speaking of the temple
of His body.
The Spoils of Jerusalem
Triumph of Titus
Triumphal Arch of Titus
Celebrating Destruction of
Jerusalem, 70 AD.
“JESUS SEMINAR THEORY TIMELINE”
4 B.C.Jesus born
B.C.50
A.D.15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesuscrucified
Establishing the First Dates
4 - 1 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Conversion of Saul
Early vs. Late Dates
4 - 1 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Destruction of Temple
Deaths of Paul & Peter
Review: Dating The NT
Matthew
Luke
John
The Gospels
Mark
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
48-50 A.D.
Galatians
50 A.D.
1&2 Thessalonians
54-56 A.D.
1&2 Corinthians
57 A.D.
Romans60 A.D.
Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon
63-65 A.D.
1&2 Timothy, Titus
60-68 A.D.
1 Peter
85-95 A.D.
1 John
65-80 A.D.
Jude
40-60 A.D.
James
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Establishing the Last Dates
4 B.C.
Jesus born
B.C.
50
A.D.
15050 60 70 80 90 1000 120 140
98 - 130 A.D.
John Ryland
fragment
125 - 150 A.D.
Chester Beatty
fragment
120 A.D.
Polycarp
110 - 115 A.D.
Ignatius
95 A.D.
Clement
30 A.D.
Jesus
crucified
Dead Sea Scrolls
Mark
John
Importance of Silence
• Acts (Luke) Mentions Death of James
• Luke/Acts never mentions the death of Paul and Peter or James the Just
• Peter Mentions Paul’s letters but Never Mentions Death of Paul
• Paul Never Mentions Death of Peter
• No NT Document mentions death of James, Brother of Jesus
• John mentions Death of Peter!
• 44, James martyred
• 61-68, Paul Martyred
• 62-68, Peter Martyred
• 61 Death of James, Brother of Jesus
Time Intervals:
Originals QuotationsDates Church
Father
Quotes Intervals
AD 70-
163
Papias all four gospels 0-110 yrs
AD 69-
155
Polycarp 3 John, James, Hebrews, Jude 0-100 yrs
AD 111 Ignatius quoting Gospels and other NT letters. 20-60 yrs
AD 130-
200
Iranaeus Philemon, James, 2 Peter, and 3
John80-110 yrs
AD 150-
215
Clement of
Alexandria
2 Timothy, and 2 John, 2 Peter and
James100-150 yrs
AD 100-
165
Justin
Martyr
2 Peter, 1,2,3 John, James,
Hebrews, Jude10-75 yrs
NT & First Century Overview
Reign Emperor New Testament
27 BC to 14 Augustus (Octavian)
Life of Christ
Oral Tradition14 to 37 Tiberius
37 to 41 Caligula Oral Tradition + Mark?,
James?
41 to 54 Claudius Paul’s Letters
Luke/Acts54 to 68 Nero
68 to 69 Galba; Otho; Vitellius Peter’s Letters?,
69 to 79 Vespasian Hebrews? Matthew?
79 to 81 Titus John? John’s Letters?
Revelation?81 to 96 Domitian
96 to 98 Nerva
2 Timothy 2:15
• Study to show
yourself
approved unto
God, a workman
that need not be
ashamed, rightly
dividing the Word
of Truth
“Two significant facts intervene between the lifetime of Jesus and
the composition of the gospels: first, Rome had destroyed
Jerusalem; and, second, the majority of Jews had declined to
perceive Jesus as a messiah.”
Paula Fredriksen, From Jesus to Christ
THE WRITTEN
GOSPELS
50-90 AD
Early Church Quotations• 36,000 quotations used
in letters and literature
written by the early
church show we have
the same form as they
had nearly 2,000 years
ago
• John Burgeon, a
Biblical scholar,
cataloged over 86,000
quotations before A.D.
325.
JESUS
SEMINAR
EMBELLISHME
NT THEORY
EVALUATED
EARLY VS LATE DATES
The Spoils of Jerusalem
Triumph of Titus
Triumphal Arch of Titus
Celebrating Destruction of
Jerusalem, 70 AD.
Importance of
Temple Destruction, 70 AD• The gospels prophesy the
destruction of the Temple
(occurred in AD 70) but
never mention its
fulfillment.
– Matthew 24, Mark 13,
Luke 21. John 2
• Only Gospels Do mention Destruction of Temple!
– Acts
– Hebrews
– Revelation
Matthew
and Luke
70 AD
Destroy
Temple
Mark
The Temple in 1 Corinthians
• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Do you not know that
you are a temple of
God and that the Spirit
of God dwells in you?
If any man destroys
the temple of God,
God will destroy him,
for the temple of God
is holy, and that is
what you are.
Hebrews and the Temple• Hebrews 9:25
nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own.
Hebrews 10:1For the Law, since it has only] a shadow of [the good things to come and not the very form of things, can never, by the same sacrifices which they offer continually year by year, make perfect those who draw near.
Hebrews 10:3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year by year.
The Temple in
Matthew
• Matthew 26:61
and said, "This man
stated, 'I am able to
destroy the temple of
God and to rebuild it in
three days.'"
• Matthew 27:40
and saying, “You who
are going to destroy
the temple and rebuild
it in three days, save
Yourself! If You are the
Son of God, come
down from the cross."Emp. Titus Destroyed Temple in 70 AD
The Temple in
Matthew
• Matthew 26:61and said, "This man stated, 'I am able to destroy the templeof God and to rebuild it in three days.'"
• Matthew 27:40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the templeand rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
The Temple in Mark• Mark 13:1-2
• As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down."
The Temple
in Luke
• Luke 21:5-6And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, "As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down."
The Temple in John• John 2:19-21
Jesus answered them,
“Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will
raise it up." The Jews
then said, "It took forty-
six years to build this
temple, and will You
raise it up in three
days?" But He was
speaking of the temple
of His body.
The Spoils of Jerusalem
Triumph of Titus
Triumphal Arch of Titus
Celebrating Destruction of
Jerusalem, 70 AD.
Comparing First and 20th Centuries
Decade First Century 20th Century
00-09 Augustus, JC Childhood Queen Victoria, Ted
Roosevelt
10-19 Augustus, JC Teenager Woodrow Wilson, WW I
20-29 Tiberius, JC in 20s-
>Cross/Resurrection
Roaring 20s, Stock
Crash
30-39 Tiberius, Caligula, Acts 1-12 FDR, Great Depression
40-49 Claudius, Paul’s Missions, Mark WW II
50-59 Claudius, Nero, Paul’s Letters. Eishenauer, “Happy
Days”
60-69 Nero, Paul & Peter Martyred, Luke/Acts Kennedy, LBJ, Vietnam
70-79 Vespasian, Temple Destroyed, Titus Nixon, Ford, Carter
80-89 Domitian John, John’s Letters Reagan, Bush (1)
90-99 Domitian, Nerva Revelation Bush (1) Clinton
1st and 20th Century Timeline
WWII
WWI
Crash
of 29
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 06
Kennedy
Shot
Discovery
Shuttle
Tragedy
Oil
Crisis
Christ’s
Ministry GOSPELS
GOSPELS
20TH CEN. COMPARED
FDR
ELECTED
JOHN
MARK
MATTHEW
LUKE
10 3020 40 50 60 70 80 90 2000 2010
WWII
JKF
SHOT
BEATLES
BREAK UP
REAGAN CLINTON