What Scripture says
The Gospels don’t state when they were written. Luke says he wrote after “many have undertaken to compile a narrative”, using what “those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered to us” (Luke 1:1–2, ESV). John claims to rest on the testimony of “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20–24).
What the evidence says
History
The common dates
| Gospel | Mainstream date | Earlier (often conservative) date |
|---|---|---|
| Mark | c. AD 65–70 | 50s to early 60s |
| Matthew | c. 80–90 | 50s to 60s |
| Luke | c. 80–90 | Early 60s |
| John | c. 90–100 | 60s to 90s |
Jesus was crucified around AD 30 or 33. On either set of dates, the Gospels were written within 30 to 70 years, within the lifetimes of people who knew him.
Why the mainstream dates
- Mark was written first, and Matthew and Luke used it, since they share much of its wording and order (see the synoptic problem). So Matthew and Luke come after Mark.
- Jesus’ prediction of the temple’s destruction (Mark 13:2, Luke 21:20–24). Many scholars think the details in Luke, such as Jerusalem “surrounded by armies”, reflect knowledge of the actual siege in AD 70. Others argue that this assumes Jesus couldn’t predict it.
- Later development. Some scholars see more developed theology and church structures in Matthew and John.
Why some argue earlier
- Acts ends abruptly with Paul under house arrest in Rome around AD 62, before his death (mid-60s), before Nero’s persecution (64), before James’s death (62) and before the temple’s fall (70). If Acts was written then, Luke, its first volume, came before it, and Mark before Luke.
- The temple’s fall isn’t mentioned as past. None of the Gospels describes the destruction of Jerusalem as having happened, even where it would strengthen the argument, as in Matthew’s many fulfilment notes.
- John 5:2 says there “is” a pool by the Sheep Gate, using the present tense, which some read as meaning Jerusalem was still standing.
- John A. T. Robinson, a liberal scholar, argued in 1976 that every New Testament book was written before AD 70.
Textual Criticism
Manuscript evidence
The earliest manuscripts give an upper limit:
- Papyrus 52, a fragment of John 18, is usually dated around AD 125–175, though some scholars allow later dates. It was found in Egypt, far from where John was likely written, so John must have been written well before.
- Papyri 66 and 75 (c. AD 200) contain much of Luke and John.
Early quotations
- 1 Clement (c. AD 96) echoes sayings of Jesus found in the Gospels.
- Ignatius (c. 110) and the Didache (late 1st or early 2nd century) know Matthew.
- Papias (c. 110–130) mentions Mark and Matthew by name (see 4.5).
- Justin Martyr (c. 150) describes the “memoirs of the apostles” read in Christian worship.
Comparison with other ancient biographies
The two earliest surviving biographies of Alexander the Great, by Arrian and Plutarch, were written over 400 years after his death in 323 BC. Yet historians consider them generally reliable. By comparison, a gap of 30–70 years is short.
Where they meet
Whether one takes the earlier or later dates, the Gospels were written within living memory of Jesus, when eyewitnesses and their hearers were still alive. The bigger question is not the exact decade but whether they preserve reliable testimony (see 4.5).
What’s still open
- Whether the Gospels were written before or after AD 70.
- The exact order and relationships between them.
Bottom line
Mainstream dating puts Mark around 65–70, Matthew and Luke around 80–90 and John around 90–100. Many conservatives date them earlier, because Acts ends around AD 62. Either way, they were written within living memory of Jesus. The exact dates are debated, so this is rated Debated.