Dating the Bible

The oldest surviving Hebrew Bible manuscripts date to about the 2nd century BCE. The oldest complete text is a Greek translation called the Septuagint. It dates to the 4th century CE (Codex Sinaiticus). The oldest manuscripts of the Masoretic Text (the basis of modern editions of the Hebrew Bible), date to the 9th century CE. Virtually no biblical text is from the time of the events it describes.

Table I: Chronological overview of the Hebrew Bible[edit source]

These tables summarises the chronology of the Bible and serves as a guide to the historical periods mentioned. Much of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament may have been assembled in the 5th century BCE. The New Testament books were composed largely in the second half of the 1st century CE. The Deuterocanonical books fall largely in between.

Period	Date or dates when books were written
During the monarchic period of Ancient Israel and Ancient Judah (History of Ancient Israel and Ancient Judah) 8th–7th centuries BCE c. 745–586 BCE	Late 8th–early 7th: Amos 2:6-9:10 Isaiah 1–39, so -called "First Isaiah" Hosea and, Micah, the second half of the book is 7th Century Nahum - 7th century Zephaniah in the reign of Josiah, c. 649–609 BCE Habakkuk (possibly shortly before the battle of Carchemish, 605 BCE) The first edition of the so-called “Deuteronomistic history”. The books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings were written in the reign of Josiah. Deuteronomy 5–26 in the reign of Josiah.
Exilic period: when people were in exile in Babylon. 6th century BCE 586–539 BCE	Most of Obadiah around the fall of Jerusalem, 586 BCE. The completion of the so-called "Deuteronomistic history": (Joshua/Judges/Samuel/Kings). Deuteronomy expanded with addition of chapters 1–4 and 29–30. It now served as an introduction to the Deuteronomistic history. Jeremiah Ezekiel So-called "Second Isaiah" ,Isaiah 40–55 Expansion and reshaping of Hosea, Amos, Micah and Zephaniah. Some early Psalms collection (psalms "of David") ending with psalm 89. Lamentations written between 586 BCE and the end of the 6th century BCE
The post-exilic period when Judah was under Persian control 6th–4th centuries BCE 538–330 BCE	The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers (The Torah). Finally completed by 250 BCE Deuteronomy completed, expanding chapters 19–25 and addition of chapters 27 and 31–34. This then served as the conclusion to the Torah. So-called "Third Isaiah" (Isaiah 56–66) Final version of Jeremiah Haggai written at the end of the 6th century Zechariah chapters 1–8 at the same time as Haggai, chapters 9–14 from the 5th century Ruth written in the Persian period Malachi 5th century BCE Esther to the 3rd or 4th centuries BCE Joel – late Persian or Hellenistic The books of Chronicles written between 400–250 BC Proverbs sections written between the 8th and 4Th  century BCE Origins of the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. They may have reached their final version as late as the Ptolemaic period, c. 300–200 BCE, during the time of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Post-exilic during the Hellenistic period 3rd–2nd centuries BCE 330–164 BCE	Job, Ecclesiastes and the Song of Songs. They may have their origins in the 4th or even 5th centuries, but they seem to reflect contact with the Hellenistic world. Book of Jonah (Persian or Hellenistic, no later than 2nd century BCE). Most of the individual psalms making up the final third of the Book of Psalms.
Maccabean/Hasmonean 2nd -1st centuries BCE 164 - 4 BCE	Daniel 164 BCE, combining newly-written visions, chapters 7–12, with the Persian and Hellenistic tales of chapters 1–6.

Table II: Chronological overview of Deuterocanonical Old Testament[edit source]

Period	Date or range of dates when books written
Post-exilic during the Hellenistic period 3rd–2nd centuries BCE 330–164 BCE	Tobit 225–175 BCE
Maccabean/Hasmonean 2nd -1st centuries BCE 164 - 4 BCE	Judith 150–100 BCE, although some estimates range from the 5th century BCE to the 2nd century CE 1 Maccabees 100 BCE 2 Maccabees c. 100 BCE 3 Maccabees 100–75 BCE 4 Maccabees mid-1st century CE Wisdom of Solomon late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE Sirach 196–175 BCE Additions to Daniel Prayer of Azariah (Song of the Three Holy Children) Bel and the Dragon: late 6th century Susanna and the Elders: possibly 95–80 BCE Baruch and Letter of Jeremiah 2nd century BCE Psalms of Solomon in the mid-1st century BCE

Table III: Chronological overview of the New Testament[edit source]

Period

Date or range of dates when book or letter was written

Roman rule of Judea. Roman Emperors: Claudius - 41–54 CE Nero - 54–68 CE Galba - 68–69 CE Otho -January–April 69 CE Aulus Vitellius - July–December 69 CE Vespasian - 69–79 CE Titus - 79–81 CE Domitian - 81–96 CE Nerva - 96–98 CE Trajan - 98–117 CE

Galatians c. 48 or 55 CE; 1 Thessalonians c. 51 CE; 2 Thessalonians c. 51 CE or post-70 CE; 1 Corinthians c. 53–57 CE; Philippians c. 54–55 CE; Philemon c. 54–55 CE; 2 Corinthians c. 55–58 CE; Romans c. 57–58 CE; Colossians c. 62–70 CE Mark c. 65–73 CE. James c. 65–85 CE. First Peter c. 75–90 CE Luke c. 80–90 CE. Acts c. 80–90 CE. Matthew c. 80–90 CE. Ephesians c. 80–90 CE Hebrews c. 80–90 CE. First Letter of John, Second letter of John, Third letter of John c. 90–110 CE John c. 90–110 CE. Revelation c. 95 CE. Jude anywhere from c. 50–110 CE 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Epistle to Titus c. 100 CE. Second Peter c. 110 CE.

Selected Bibliography[edit source]

• Brettler, Mark Zvi (2007). "Introduction to the Historical Books". In Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann (eds.). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195288803.
• Coogan, Michael David; Brettler, Marc Zvi; Newsom, Carol Ann (2007). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocryphal/Deuterocanonical Books. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195288803.
• Dunn, James D. G.; Rogerson, John William, eds. (2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Eerdmans. ISBN 9780802837110.