Defending The Traditional Dating Of New Testament Books

• Introduction:

          -Liberal critics have attempted to cast doubt on the claims of Christianity by insisting that the books of the New Testament were written by pseudonymous authors decades after traditionally ascribed dates. It is claimed that the early church intentionally omitted writings which have now been referred to as lost books of the Bible. However, there is still good reason to hold to the conservative position on who wrote which letters of the New Testament and when. In addition, it has been noted that the New Testament was so frequently cited by early Christian writers before the Council of Nicaea, that all but eleven verses appear in their writings. 

• Colossians And Ephesians:

          -The traditional dating of the Epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians places their composition in the late 50s to early 60s A.D., during one of the Apostle Paul’s periods of imprisonment. The argument for this dating primarily rests on several factors. Firstly, both epistles explicitly state Paul as the author, a claim that is consistent with the style and theological content found within the texts. Secondly, references to Paul’s imprisonment suggest a composition date that coincides with his known periods of incarceration, either in Caesarea or Rome. Additionally, the lack of personal greetings in Ephesians, which is uncharacteristic of Paul’s other letters, suggests it may have been intended as a circular letter for a wider audience, supporting an earlier date within Paul’s lifetime.

          -The theological themes, particularly the emphasis on salvation by grace through faith in Ephesians, align with Paul’s established doctrines. Early Christian writers, such as Ignatius of Antioch, also attribute these letters to Paul, providing external corroboration. For Colossians, the similarity in content and style to the Epistle to Philemon, which is widely accepted as Pauline, further supports the traditional dating. The advanced christology presented in Colossians is seen as indicative of Paul’s mature thought.

• 2 Thessalonians:

          -The traditional authorship of 2 Thessalonians is attributed to Paul the Apostle, with Timothy as a co-author. Arguments supporting this view highlight the epistle’s purpose and historical background, which align with Paul’s second missionary journey, suggesting a composition date around 51–52 AD, shortly after the First Epistle to the Thessalonians. This timing is corroborated by the epistle’s content, addressing persecution and eschatological misunderstandings within the Thessalonian church, which would have been pertinent issues during Paul’s ministry. Despite minor stylistic differences between the two epistles, scholars argue these could be due to the co-writing influence of Silvanus (Silas) and Timothy, or simply reflect Paul’s evolving theological expression over time.

• The Pastoral Epistles:

           -Proponents of Pauline authorship point to similarities in literary style, theological content, and specific phrases that align with Paul’s known writings. For instance, the greetings in the epistles show strong verbal similarities that are distinct from other New Testament writings, suggesting a common authorship. Additionally, the use of unique terms and concepts found across 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus but absent from other Pauline letters is argued to reflect the development of Paul’s thought and circumstances rather than a different author’s hand. Despite critical scholarship’s tendency towards pseudepigraphal attribution, the case for Pauline authorship maintains that the coherence in language, doctrine, and personal references within the texts aligns with Paul’s life and ministry, supporting the traditional stance.

• Early External Source Verification Of The Letters Of Paul:

          -"Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16)

           *Peter assigns the same status to Paul's letters as the Old Testament. Both are considered by him to be inspired Scripture. It is also possible that he included the four gospels when he referred to "the other Scriptures." Paul's epistles were already being circulated around the Middle East and Asia Minor as the apostles lived.

• External Source Verification For Luke And Acts:

          -The historicity and traditional authorship of Luke and Acts can be defended through several key points. Firstly, both texts display a detailed knowledge of first-century geography, politics, and culture, which suggests the author's firsthand experience or access to reliable sources. Secondly, numerous historical details in Luke-Acts, such as the accurate titles of officials and geographical locations, have been corroborated by external sources, including archaeological findings and other ancient writings. Thirdly, the Apostle Paul quoted from Luke's gospel (Luke 10:7) in 1 Timothy 5:18, which gives us reason to believe that both the one gospel and Acts were written at early dates by the traditionally ascribed author.

• On The Historical Reliability Of The Text Of The Gospels:

          -"Even liberal bishop John A. T. Robinson argued in his Redating the New Testament that the entire New Testament was written and in circulation between 40 and 65 A.D. And liberal Peter Stuhlmacher of Tubingen, trained in Bultmann’s critical methodology of form criticism, says, “As a Western scripture scholar, I am inclined to doubt these [Gospel] stories, but as historian, I am obligated to take them as reliable…The biblical texts as they stand are the best hypothesis we have until now to explain what really happened.” (https://www.jashow.org/articles/the-historical-reliability-of-the-new-testament-text-part-4/)

• Challenging The Assertion That Athanasius Is The Earliest Known Source To Provide A Full List Of New Testament Books In His Festal Letter In A.D. 367:

          -"So too our Lord Jesus Christ…sent his apostles as priests carrying well-wrought trumpets. First Matthew sounded the priestly trumpet in his Gospel, Mark also, and Luke, and John, each gave forth a strain on their priestly trumpets. Peter moreover sounds with the two trumpets of his Epistles; James also and Jude. Still the number is incomplete, and John gives forth the trumpet sound through his Epistles [and Apocalypse]; and Luke while describing the deeds of the apostles. Latest of all, moreover, that one comes who said, “I think that God has set us forth as the apostles last of all” (1 Cor 4:9), and thundering on the fourteen trumpets of his Epistles he threw down, even to their very foundations, the wall of Jericho, that is to say, all the instruments of idolatry and the dogmas of the philosophers. (Origen, Hom. Josh. 7.1, as cited in Metzger, The New Testament Canon, 139, cited by Michael J. Kruger)