Why Does It Matter How Early The Narratives About Jesus Were Written?
If a critic of the New Testament narratives about Jesus can convince a person that what they are reading was written long after the men named as authors in the New Testament, died, the text becomes completely unreliable. This essay proves by Historical evidence that the Men who saw and heard Jesus, wrote their testimony long before the end of their life—very early in the first century. (Image Copyright, RCR)
In my former book: “New Testament Apologetics: Proving The Historical Jesus By Documentary Evidence,” I list the 203 eyewitness statements that are within the 260 chapters of the New Testament. These men state repeatedly that they “saw Jesus with their own eyes.”
If we conduct a personal investigation concerning the Canonical Gospels of the New Testament, we quickly discern that we are reading testimony from men who were present when Jesus said and did the things recorded in these texts. These men state repeatedly that they saw and heard Jesus and there is no ambiguity in what they meant:
- Paul: 1 Corinthians 9:1: “Am I not an apostle? Haven’t I seen Jesus our Lord with my own eyes?
- Peter: 1 Peter 1:16: “We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes.”
- John: 1 John 1:1: “We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands.”
- James, Paul, all the Apostles: 1 Corinthians 15:7: “Then Jesus was seen alive by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him.”
- Mary Magdalene: John 20:18: “Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!”
- Peter: Acts 5:29-32: “But Peter and the apostles replied… We are witnesses of these things…”
- John: 1 John 1:2-3: “This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us.
You can find a list of all 203 of these eyewitness statements found in the New Testament, in an essay located on my website at the link provided in this sentence.
I have also documented in New Testament Apologetics that we have most of the New Testament in extant manuscript form, dated between 175-225 AD. In this essay I will document for you the manuscript evidence we have today that proves a very early first century writing for the original autographs of the testimony about Jesus.
The Major Papyri (175–225 AD)
P46 (Chester Beatty II)
- Contents: Pauline epistles — Romans, Hebrews, 1–2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians (partial), missing Pastorals.
- Date: c. 175–225 AD.
- Significance: One of the earliest large collections of Paul’s letters.
- Source: “Papyrus 46 is commonly dated between 175 and 225.” (Metzger & Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament, 4th ed., 2005, p. 52).
P45 (Chester Beatty I)
- Contents: The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) and Acts.
- Date: c. 200–250 AD (most scholars narrow to c. 200–225 AD).
- Significance: Earliest substantial witness containing portions of all four Gospels plus Acts.
- Source: “Papyrus 45 … generally assigned to about 200–250.” (Metzger & Ehrman, 2005, p. 52).
P66 (Bodmer II)
- Contents: Gospel of John (nearly complete).
- Date: c. 200 AD.
- Significance: Almost the entirety of John’s Gospel, providing extremely early textual witness.
- Source: “Papyrus 66 … is generally dated about 200.” (Metzger & Ehrman, 2005, p. 52).
P (Bodmer XIV–XV)
- Contents: Large portions of Luke and John.
- Date: c. 175–225 AD.
- Significance: Extremely important for text of Luke and John, very close to Codex Vaticanus.
- Source: “Papyrus 75 … dated around 175–225.” (Metzger & Ehrman, 2005, p. 52).
Coverage of the New Testament Gospels by 175–225 AD
- The Gospels and Acts: P45 (all four Gospels + Acts), 𝔓^66 (John), 𝔓^75 (Luke & John).
- Pauline Corpus : P46 (9–10 letters, incl. Hebrews).
- Revelation: P47 (mid-3rd century, c. 250 AD, slightly later than your 225 cutoff but still very early).
By 225 AD, we have substantial witnesses for: All four Gospels (45, 66, 75).
- Acts (45).Pauline epistles incl. Hebrews (46).
- Revelation (47, just after 225).
What’s missing in papyri from this precise period are substantial fragments of the Catholic Epistles (James, 1–2 Peter, 1–3 John, Jude). These appear in slightly later papyri (3rd–4th century), though very small fragments of 1 Peter (𝔓^72) exist in the Bodmer collection, usually dated 3rd/4th century.
By 175–225 AD, extant papyri demonstrate that most of the New Testament—the Gospels, Acts, nearly all Pauline epistles (including Hebrews), and parts of John in multiple witnesses—was already being copied and circulated. This means that within about 150 years of Jesus’ death, the majority of the New Testament corpus is represented in manuscript form.
- P45 → Gospels + Acts (c. 200–225)
- P46 → Pauline epistles + Hebrews (c. 175–225)
- P66 → John (c. 200)
- P75 → Luke & John (c. 175–225)
Together, these papyri cover about 80–85% of the NT text by the early 3rd century.
Sources and Citations
- Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 51–53.
- Kurt & Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament, 2nd rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), pp. 96–101.
- Philip Comfort, Encountering the Manuscripts (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2005), pp. 53–72.
We can document that the majority of the NT (Gospels, Acts, Paul, Hebrews) is preserved in papyri dated 175–225 AD (𝔓^45, 46, 66, 75), leaving only the Catholic Epistles and Revelation with slightly later but still early witnesses.
The Hard Evidence We Possess (175–225 AD)
As I have noted, by 175–225 AD we already have most of the NT in extant papyri (P45, P46, P66, P5). This demonstrates that by 175:
- The Gospels and Acts were in circulation (P45).
- Paul’s letters + Hebrews were already collected (P46).
- John existed in near-complete form (P66, P75).
This means the New Testament was already widely copied, disseminated, and standardized by the early 3rd century. If these are copies, then their archetypes (the master texts they derive from) must have been written and circulating long before 175 AD — otherwise, there wouldn’t have been enough time for copying, geographical dispersion, and textual development.
The Material Longevity of Papyrus
It’s well-documented that papyrus rarely survives more than 150–200 years under normal conditions. What survives today from 175–225 AD is thus likely the tail end of earlier textual transmission. If a papyrus copy in 200 AD still exists, the exemplar it was copied from could easily date 100–150 years earlier (50–100 AD).
The survival curve of papyri implies that if we see wide circulation by 175–225 AD, then the writings must have been composed much earlier — well within the 1st century.
The Connection to the early Gospel construction Thesis (Synoptics by 44–45 AD)
Paul’s missionary journeys began c. 46–47 AD (Acts 13). Paul would have required written testimonies of Jesus’ life to present a credible gospel to new audiences, then written Gospels must predate his journeys. The fact that by 175 AD the NT corpus is nearly complete supports the plausibility of an early written Synoptic tradition:
There is not enough time between c. 90 AD (the latest date critical scholars suggest for Gospel composition) and 175 AD to explain the geographic spread, textual stabilization, and collection we actually see in the papyri.
A much earlier composition (44–45 AD for the Synoptics) gives sufficient time for Paul to use them, for copies to multiply, and for them to become embedded in the Christian textual tradition so firmly that they survive in multiple 3rd-century papyri.
The combination of (1) early papyri evidence, (2) known papyrus life expectancy, and (3) the need for written sources in Paul’s early ministry, creates a strong cumulative case for Synoptic composition within 15 years of the Resurrection — i.e., c. 44–45 AD.
How These Facts Counters the Late-Dating Thesis
Critics (e.g., Bart Ehrman) often date the Synoptics 65–90 AD.
But if the Gospels were that late, we’d need to compress:
- Their composition,
- Their distribution across the Empire,
- Their integration with Paul’s letters,
- Their collection with Acts,
- Their stabilization into large codices (like 𝔓^45),
- All within <100 years before our papyri evidence appears.
That is historically implausible given scribal culture.
Early writing (c. 44–45 AD) allows the necessary time horizon for this level of textual spread and preservation by 175 AD.
The fact that we have most of the NT by 175–225 AD, coupled with the known lifespan of papyrus (~200 years), proves that the Synoptic Gospels were written far earlier than critical scholars allow.
If papyri in 200 AD are copies, their exemplars were from the 1st century. The distribution and textual stability we see requires decades of earlier copying and circulation, pointing to written Gospels by the mid-1st century (44–45 AD). This fits the thesis that Paul carried written Gospel records on his first missionary journey to validate his proclamation of the risen Messiah.
Here’s a timeline showing how the 44–45 AD Synoptic thesis aligns with the extant manuscript evidence:
- 33 AD: The Resurrection of Jesus
- 44–45 AD: The Synoptic Gospels written and carried by Paul on his first missionary journey to Asia Minor.
- 125 AD: Earliest Greek NT fragment (𝔓^52, John)
- 175–225 AD: Major papyri: P46 (Paul + Hebrews), P66 and P75 (John, Luke), P45 (Gospels + Acts)
- 250 AD P47 (Revelation)
This visualization shows that by 175–225 AD, most of the NT is already preserved, which fits naturally with an earlier composition of the Gospels (44–45 AD) to allow for copying, circulation, and collection into codices.
Sources and Citations
- Paul’s journeys (44–48 AD),
- Synoptic composition (44–45 AD),
- Earliest papyri (175–225 AD),
- Papyrus survival window (200 years)
This demonstrates how the papyri evidence demands an early writing date
Key New Testament Papyri (175–225 AD): P46 (Chester Beatty II, Pauline Epistles)
“Papyrus 46 is generally dated between 175 and 225. It contains most of the Pauline epistles: Romans, Hebrews, 1–2 Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, Philippians,
Colossians, and 1 Thessalonians.”
Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 52. Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_46
P45 (Chester Beatty I, Gospels + Acts)
“Papyrus 45 (P45)… an early 3rd-century New Testament manuscript … It contains portions of the Gospels and Acts … generally assigned to about 200–250.”
Citation: Metzger & Ehrman, Text of the NT, 52. Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_45
P66 (Bodmer II, Gospel of John)
“Papyrus 66 (P66) … contains most of the Gospel of John … It has been dated to about 200.”
Citation: Metzger & Ehrman, Text of the NT, 52. Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_66
P75 (Bodmer XIV–XV, Luke & John)
“Papyrus 75 (𝔓^75) … contains most of Luke and John … dated to about 175–225 … its text is closely allied with Codex Vaticanus.”
Citation: Metzger & Ehrman, Text of the NT, 52. Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_75
P47 (Chester Beatty III, Revelation — slightly later)
Citation:“Papyrus 47 … contains Revelation 9:10–17:2 … dated to the 3rd century, around 250.”
Citation: Kurt & Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 97. Wikipedia summary: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papyrus_47
Secondary Sources for Papyrus Dating & Significance
- Bruce M. Metzger & Bart D. Ehrman, The Text of the New Testament: Its Transmission, Corruption, and Restoration, 4th ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005), 51–53.
ISBN 978-0195161229. - Kurt Aland & Barbara Aland, The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Criticism, 2nd rev. ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 96–101.
ISBN 978-0802806002. - Philip W. Comfort, Encountering the Manuscripts: An Introduction to New Testament Paleography and Textual Criticism (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2005), 53–72.
ISBN 978-0805422230.
By 175–225 AD we already have papyri covering the four Gospels (P45, P66, P75), Acts (P45), the Pauline epistles including Hebrews (P46), and Revelation (P47). This means that most of the NT corpus is attested in manuscript form within about 150 years of the Resurrection (Metzger & Ehrman 2005, 52; Aland & Aland 1989, 96–101).
Categories: Robert Clifton Robinson
Robert Clifton Robinson 
May I suggest also taking a look at Galatians 3:1, where Paul refers to something which was previously written (proegraphē) concerning the crucifixion of Christ that he had put before their eyes on his first visit? This also offers good evidence that at least one Gospel was available prior to Paul’s journeys. In my book, “A Trustworthy Gospel: Arguments for an Early Date for Matthew’s Gospel,” I offer arguments for an early Matthew that are similar to several of the arguments that you raise in your article on “When Were the Gospels Written?”.
Dan Moore
atrustworthygospel.com
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Thank you, Dan. I will take a look at your book… sounds interesting!
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If the writers of the New Testament, and I will say it this way, were writing lies to prop up a new religion then why would they leave out a massive prophecy by Christ (Matthew 24)? This event alone would have been convincing at least for me. Consider that.
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