Dating the new testament

Evidence for an Early Dating of the Four Gospels

As I have been preparing a NT survey course, I felt the need to slightly update the chart. One such update concerns the Epistle of James. In my first chart, I underestimated the number of conservative scholars who consider James to be the first NT book written. The other changes are adjustments to the dates and therefore their order in the table that reflect a broader survey in my own reading. Below, I also reproduce the introduction to my original post.

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By Jonathan Bernier. Does the date of composition matter when it comes to either interpreting the New Testament or receiving it as an authoritative word for the church? Is early better than later? What about those extra-canonical texts like the Didache or the Shepherd of Hermas you thought I was going to say the Gospel of Thomas! If they date to the same period as the canonical texts, does that give them more authority for the church today than if we date them later? Do we really know when they were written?

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Tim Murray writes : It is an exciting time in New Testament studies! For those of you who doubt that biblical scholarship can ever be particularly exciting, let me try to explain what I mean. Of course, having majority positions and assumed starting points is unavoidable, but what is frustrating is when these orthodoxies are repeatedly reasserted even when the original scholarship that they were built on has been substantially challenged. There can be a swell of younger scholars who are no longer convinced, but conduct their research within the established parameters for fear of not being taken seriously by their older colleagues who often hold the influential positions in the guild. However, there comes a time when enough of such older scholars retire or die, and a critical mass of dissent has emerged, that there is a chance to change the default settings. I wonder if New Testament studies is entering this kind of period.

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Biblical Criticism & History Forum - earlywritings.com

Post by Giuseppe » Sun Apr 15, pm. Post by Stuart » Sun Apr 15, pm. Post by arnoldo » Sun Apr 15, pm. Post by Kapyong » Sun Apr 15, pm. Post by Joseph D.

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