The Early Christians: Christians, Jews or Both?

Confidence Rankings for New Testament Dates
(AI Generated Table)

Rank	Book	Confidence	Why
1	Acts (later chapters)	★★★★★	Anchored by Gallio, Felix, Festus, Agrippa II, Claudius, Roman officials, and other datable events.
2	1 Thessalonians	★★★★★	Written during Paul’s stay in Corinth immediately after Timothy’s return. Gallio provides the anchor (50–51 CE).
3	2 Thessalonians*	★★★★☆	If authentic, probably written shortly after 1 Thessalonians. (*Its authenticity is debated.)
4	Galatians	★★★★☆	Closely tied to Paul’s early ministry and the Jerusalem meeting, though the North/South Galatia debate affects the exact date.
5	1 Corinthians	★★★★☆	Written from Ephesus during Paul’s third missionary journey, which can be reconstructed fairly well from Acts.
6	2 Corinthians	★★★★☆	Written only months after 1 Corinthians.
7	Romans	★★★★☆	Written from Corinth shortly before Paul’s journey to Jerusalem with the collection (Acts 20).

Rank	Book	Confidence	Why
8	Philippians	★★★☆☆	Usually connected with Paul’s imprisonment, though scholars debate whether that imprisonment was in Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus.
9	Philemon	★★★☆☆	Generally dated alongside Philippians because both were written during the same imprisonment and mention many of the same companions.
10	Colossians	★★★☆☆	Usually grouped with Philemon and often dated to the same imprisonment. Authorship debates affect its dating.
11	Ephesians	★★★☆☆	Similar to Colossians in language and theology and often dated alongside it, though both authorship and date are more disputed.

Rank	Book	Confidence	Why
12	Mark	★★☆☆☆	Usually dated around the time of the Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE), but proposals range from the 50s to shortly after 70 CE.
13	Matthew	★★☆☆☆	Depends partly on its relationship to Mark. Most scholars date it between 70–90 CE, though some argue for an earlier date.
14	Luke	★★☆☆☆	Usually placed after Mark, but scholars disagree over whether Acts’ ending suggests a date before or after 70 CE.
15	John	★★☆☆☆	Traditionally dated to the late first century, though proposals range from the 60s into the 90s CE.

Rank	Book	Confidence	Why
16	James	★★☆☆☆	Proposed dates range from the mid-40s to just before James’s death in 62 CE.
17	Hebrews	★★☆☆☆	Usually dated before or after the destruction of the Temple (70 CE), depending on how its sacrificial language is interpreted.
18	1 Peter	★★☆☆☆	Often dated 62–64 CE, but proposals extend into the 80s depending on views of authorship.
19	Jude	★★☆☆☆	Depends partly on its relationship to 2 Peter, making its date difficult to establish.