HOW THE LETTERS CAME TO BE · IN TIME · IN ORDER · PAUL'S YEARS · THE DEBATE

In time

When they were written, in what order, and who proposed each date.

IN TIME

When they were written

All twenty-one on one line of years.

Each bar spans the widest range of dates the sources propose. No letter states its own date; 2 John and 3 John have no proposed date in these sources.

IN ORDER

Written order and Bible order

The order of the Bible beside the order of the earliest date proposed for each letter.

The Bible puts Paul's letters first, longest to shortest. By the earliest date proposed, James comes first (AD 40), then 1 Thessalonians and Galatians (AD 48). Click a letter.

PAUL'S YEARS

Paul's life and letters

Paul's life, and his letters where they were written.

The steps of Paul's life follow W. M. Ramsay's scheme of 1895 (the Chronological Index to St. Paul the Traveller); A. T. Robertson's 1915 encyclopedia scheme differs by a year or two at most points. The letters are drawn as ranges spanning the dates the sources propose. None of these years is stated in the Bible; Paul's own notes of time ("after three years", "fourteen years after") overlap and cannot simply be added together. Galatians 1:18 Galatians 2:1 2 Corinthians 12:2 Acts 20:31 [10][17]

THE DEBATE

Who dated each letter, and how

How each letter has been dated, and by whom.

  • Romans
  • 1 Corinthians
  • 2 Corinthians
  • Galatians
  • Ephesians
  • Philippians
  • Colossians
  • 1 Thessalonians
  • 2 Thessalonians
  • 1 Timothy
  • 2 Timothy
  • Titus
  • Philemon
  • Hebrews
  • James
  • 1 Peter
  • 2 Peter
  • Jude
  • 1 John
  • 2 John
  • 3 John

Romans: when it was written

Written when Paul had finished preaching "from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illyricum" and was about to carry the collection to Jerusalem, most likely in the three months in Greece of Acts 20. Moule dates it 58, noting that newer schemes move it to 56; Ramsay about January 57; Schaff spring 58; Easton early 58 (though elsewhere he says 55). Romans 15:19 Romans 15:25–26 Acts 20:2–3 [10][5][19]

WHERE THIS PAGE COMES FROM

  • Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. III, the twenty-one ancient letters: pp. 147-149 (address and salutation), 153 n. 2 (dictation and the autograph close), 158-159 (letters of commendation; closing in one's own hand), 167-172 (Apion's letters: health-wish, thanks, intercession, greetings, farewell), 176-178 notes ("I would have you know").
  • Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. III, §§4-8: pp. 218-224 (letter and epistle; pseudonymous epistles), 225-234 (Paul's letters and 2-3 John as real letters; letter copy-books, pp. 227-228), 234-237 (catholic epistles, Hebrews, 1 John), 239 (Acts and Paul's letters), 244 (the canon).
  • Adolf Deissmann (trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan), Light from the Ancient East (1910), ch. IV, pp. 372-373 (parousia).
  • Adolf Deissmann (trans. Alexander Grieve), Bible Studies: "Prolegomena to the Biblical Letters and Epistles" (1901), pp. 3-59, especially 14-15 (pseudonymity), 50-51 ("catholic"), 55-56 (the collection of Paul's letters).
  • Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, vol. 1: Apostolic Christianity (revised ed.) (1890), §76 (order of the books, with notes 868-870), §86 (The Epistles), §87 (The Catholic Epistles), §88 (The Epistles of Paul).
  • B. F. Westcott, A General Survey of the History of the Canon of the New Testament (7th ed.) (1896), pp. 248-249 (Peshitta), 377 with n. 2 (place of Hebrews in the manuscripts), 400-401 (the seven catholic epistles and Euthalius), 488-491 (Luther's prefaces).
  • W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, new edition (first published 1852) (1891), p. 319 n. 1 (letters written by an amanuensis with an autograph postscript), p. 321 (the stages of an apostolic letter), p. 498 n. 1 (Tertius), p. 499 n. (Phoebe the bearer).
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (1865), note on Gal 6:11, pp. 220-221.
  • J. B. Lightfoot, Saint Paul's Epistles to the Colossians and to Philemon (1875), detached note "The Epistle from Laodicea", pp. 340-366.
  • W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveller and the Roman Citizen (1895), ch. VII, §6, "The Separation of Paul and Barnabas" (Silas and Silvanus).
  • Dwight M. Pratt, "Epistle", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §§1-2, 5, 7, 9; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • Dwight M. Pratt, "Catholic Epistles", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • J. S. Riggs, "Canon of the New Testament", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §II.1-3; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • William G. Moorehead, "Peter, the Second Epistle of", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, ed. James Orr (1915), §§I-II; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • R. Dykes Shaw, "Corinthians, First Epistle to the", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • R. Dykes Shaw, "Corinthians, Second Epistle to the", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • A. T. Robertson, "Paul, the Apostle", International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915), part 1, Sources; checked against CrossWire's digital ISBE (1915), 2026-10-07.
  • Robert Law, "John, the Epistles of", International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, ed. James Orr (1915), vol. III pp. 1711-1720 (checked against the 1915 scan).
  • M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary (3rd ed.) (1897), "Corinthians, First Epistle to the"; "Thessalonians, Epistles to the".
  • Charles Bigg, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistles of St. Peter and St. Jude (1901), pp. 246-247 (secretaries; Zahn on 2 Peter).
  • Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. James (1892), Introduction, ch. VI (date).
  • Joseph B. Mayor, The Epistle of St. Jude and the Second Epistle of St. Peter (1907), Introduction, pp. lxviii, cxxxv, cxliv.
  • John Calvin (trans. John Owen), Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles (1551) (1855), Argument to 2 Peter.
  • John Calvin (trans. William Pringle), Commentary on Galatians (1548) (1854), on Gal 2:1.
  • A. Plummer, The Epistles of S. John (Cambridge Bible) (1886 (1890 reprint used)), notes on 1 John 2:12-14, pp. 97-99; Introduction p. 61 (Demetrius).
  • A. E. Brooke, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Johannine Epistles (1912), Introduction p. lxxxiii.
  • B. F. Westcott, The Epistle to the Hebrews: The Greek Text with Notes and Essays (2nd ed.) (1892), Introduction, "History and Authorship", pp. lxxiv-lxxix.
  • A. B. Davidson, The Epistle to the Hebrews (1882), Introduction ch. III, p. 34.
  • Marcus Dods, "The Epistle to the Hebrews", in The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. IV (1897 (1910 printing)), Introduction: history, pp. 221-224.
  • Marcus Dods, "The Epistle to the Hebrews", in The Expositor's Greek Testament, vol. IV (1897 (1910 printing)), Introduction: authorship, pp. 228-229 (Harnack on Priscilla).
  • R. H. Charles, The Book of Enoch, or 1 Enoch (1912), 1 Enoch 1:9 with note, pp. 8-9.
  • Eusebius (trans. A. C. McGiffert, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1), Church History (1890), 2.15; 2.23.25 with McGiffert's note 528; 3.3.5; 3.25; 3.39.16; 4.14.9; 5.8.7; 5.26; 6.14; 6.20; 6.25; 7.25.
  • Athanasius (trans. R. Payne-Smith, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 4), Festal Letter 39 (1892), §§5-6.
  • Henry R. Percival (ed.), Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 14, The Code of Canons of the African Church (Carthage, 419) (1900), canon 24 (Greek 27), with the editor's note that it is canon 36 of Hippo, 393.
  • Unknown (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 5), The Muratorian Fragment (Canon Muratorianus) (1886), §§3-4.
  • Tertullian (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 3), Against Marcion, book 5; On Baptism (1885), Against Marcion 5.2-21; On Baptism 17.
  • Tertullian (trans. S. Thelwall, Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4), On Modesty (De Pudicitia) (1885), ch. 20.
  • Clement of Rome (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), First Epistle to the Corinthians (1885), ch. 47.
  • Ignatius (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), To the Ephesians (1885), chs. 12 and 18.
  • Polycarp (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Epistle to the Philippians (1885), chs. 7, 12 and 13 (13: the letters of Ignatius).
  • Polycarp (trans. J. B. Lightfoot), To the Philippians (1891), 3:2-3; 5:1; 6:2; 7:1; 11:2-4; 12:1.
  • Irenaeus (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1), Against Heresies (1885), preface to book 1; 3.13-16 (3.16.5 and 3.16.8 on 1 and 2 John); 5.2.3.
  • Clement of Alexandria (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2), Stromata; Fragments (Comments on the Second Epistle of John) (1885), Stromata 1.14 and 2.15; Comments on 2 John.
  • Jerome (trans. E. C. Richardson, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 3), Lives of Illustrious Men (1892), chs. 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 18.

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