New Testament Textual Critism and Historic Apologetics

• Paul died between 62 and 64 AD.

     BUT, to cease from the examples of old time, let us come to those who contended in the days nearest to us; let us take the noble examples of our own generation.   Through jealousy and envy the greatest and most righteous pillars of the Church were persecuted and contended unto death.   Let us set before our eyes the good apostles:   Peter, who because of unrighteous jealousy suffered not one or two but many trials, and having thus given his testimony went to the glorious place which was his due.   Through jealousy and strife Paul showed the way to the prize of endurance;   seven times he was in bonds, he was exiled, he was stoned, he was a herald both in the East and in the West, he gained the noble fame of his faith,   he taught righteousness to all the world, and when he had reached the limits of the West he gave his testimony before the rulers, and thus passed from the world and was taken up into the Holy Place,—the greatest example of endurance.(Clement I, 5:1-7, Lake)

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Mindful of him, do ye by all means know that Jesus the Lord was truly born of Mary, being made of a woman; and was as truly crucified. For, says he, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of the Lord Jesus.” And He really suffered, and died, and rose again. For says [Paul], “If Christ should become passible, and should be the first to rise again from the dead.” And again, “In that He died, He died unto sin once: but in that He liveth, He liveth unto God.” Otherwise, what advantage would there be in [becoming subject to] bonds, if Christ has not died? what advantage in patience? what advantage in [enduring] stripes? And why such facts as the following: Peter was crucified; Paul and James were slain with the sword; John was banished to Patmos; Stephen was stoned to death by the Jews who killed the Lord? But, [in truth,] none of these sufferings were in vain; for the Lord was really crucified by the ungodly. 

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Tertullian records the way that Paul was martyred in his Prescription Against Heretics (200 AD) indicating that the apostle had a similar death to that of John the Baptist, who was beheaded – Quintus Septimius Florens, Tertullian. “Prescription Against Heretics Chapter XXXVI.”

Eusebius of Caesarea in his Church History (320 AD) says that when a general persecution was raised against the Christians by Nero, about A.D. 64, under pretense that they had set Rome on fire, both St. Paul and St. Peter then sealed the truth with their blood; the latter being crucified with his head downward; the former being beheaded, either in A.D. 64 or 65, and buried in the Via Ostiensis. He also wrote that the tombs of these two apostles, with their inscriptions, were extant in his time; and quotes as his authority a holy man of the name of Caius. – Caesarea, Eusebius. “Church History Book II Chapter 25:5–6.”

Jerome in his De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) (392 AD) likewise confirms that Paul was beheaded at Rome – Saint, Jerome. “On Illustrious Men Chapter 5.”

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64 ce

He was converted to faith in Jesus Christ about 33 ce, and he died, probably in Rome, circa 62–64 ce.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Paul-the-Apostle

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• Paul is quoting the gospel of Luke. Which means Luke was written before 64 AD.

That means second Timothy was written prior to 64 AD.

That means first Timothy was written prior to that.

Both first and second Timothy assume authority by a person extremely close to Timothy as very personal and pertinent events are discussed about Timothy's life. Both are autographed in it's opening.

1 Timothy 5:18 reads

18 For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages

The first quote called uses here is from Deuteronomy.

The second quote is from Luke.

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• Now, Polycarp, Clement, and Papias all are contemporaries of the first century and every single one of them tells us the same thing occurred.

Papias

14. Papias gives also in his own work other accounts of the words of the Lord on the authority of Aristion who was mentioned above, and traditions as handed down by the presbyter John; to which we refer those who are fond of learning. But now we must add to the words of his which we have already quoted the tradition which he gives in regard to Mark, the author of the Gospel.

15. “This also the presbyter960 said: Mark, having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately, though not in order, whatsoever he remembered of the things said or done by Christ.961173For he neither heard the Lord nor followed him, but afterward, as I said, he followed Peter, who adapted his teaching to the needs of his hearers, but with no intention of giving a connected account of the Lord’s discourses,962 so that Mark committed no error while he thus wrote some things as he remembered them. For he was careful of one thing, not to omit any of the things which he had heard, and not to state any of them falsely.” These things are related by Papias concerning Mark.

16. But concerning Matthew he writes as follows: “So then963 Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew language, and every one interpreted them as he was able.”964 And the same writer uses testimonies from the first Epistle of John965 and from that of Peter likewise.966 And he relates another story of a woman, who was accused of many sins before the Lord, which is contained in the Gospel according to the Hebrews.967 These things we have thought it necessary to observe in addition to what has been already stated. https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201/npnf201.iii.viii.xxxix.html

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Clement

1. And thus when the divine word had made its home among them,387 the power of 116Simon was quenched and immediately destroyed, together with the man himself.388 And so greatly did the splendor of piety illumine the minds of Peter’s hearers that they were not satisfied with hearing once only, and were not content with the unwritten teaching of the divine Gospel, but with all sorts of entreaties they besought Mark,389 a follower of Peter, and the one whose Gospel is extant, that he would leave them a written monument of the doctrine which had been orally communicated to them. Nor did they cease until they had prevailed with the man, and had thus become the occasion of the written Gospel which bears the name of Mark.390

2. And they say that Peter when he had learned, through a revelation of the Spirit, of that which had been done, was pleased with the zeal of the men, and that the work obtained the sanction of his authority for the purpose of being used in the churches." 393https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201.iii.vii.xvi.html

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4. Farther on he says: “But now, as the blessed presbyter said, since the Lord being the apostle of the Almighty, was sent to the Hebrews, Paul, as sent to the Gentiles, on account of his modesty did not subscribe himself an apostle of the Hebrews, through respect for the Lord, and because being a herald and apostle of the Gentiles he wrote to the Hebrews out of his superabundance.”

5. Again, in the same books, Clement gives the tradition of the earliest presbyters, as to the order of the Gospels, in the following manner:

6. The Gospels containing the genealogies, he says, were written first. The Gospel according to Mark1874 had this occasion. As Peter had preached the Word publicly at Rome, and declared the Gospel by the Spirit, many who were present requested that Mark, who had followed him for a long time and remembered his sayings, should write them out. And having composed the Gospel he gave it to those who had requested it.

7. When Peter learned of this, he neither directly forbade nor encouraged it. But, last of all, John, perceiving that the external1875 facts had been made plain in the Gospel, being urged by his friends, and inspired by the Spirit, composed a spiritual Gospel.”1876 This is the account of Clement.

https://ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf201/npnf201.iii.xi.xiv.html

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Polycarp

"I can even describe the place where the blessed Polycarp used to sit and discourse— his going out, too, and his coming in— his general mode of life and personal appearance, together with the discourses which he delivered to the people; also how he would speak of his familiar intercourse with John, and with the rest of those who had seen the Lord; and how he would call their words to remembrance. Whatsoever things he had heard from them respecting the Lord, both with regard to His miracles and His teaching, Polycarp having thus received information from the eye-witnesses of the Word of life, would recount them all in harmony with the Scriptures."

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0134.htm

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Matthew's gospel was written first then Mark then Luke.

We know where they were written We know to whom they were written and we know why they were written.

There's no disagreement.

There's not even anyone questioning the authorship of the gospels until more than 300 years after they were written.

So all the evidence we have, every single bit of it is not only unanimous but all points to the writings of the gospels in the order of Matthew then Mark then Luke and finally John.

So if Luke was written third and was written before 1st Timothy then at the very latest we're looking at the mid 50s.

Paul uses Luke as an authoritative source.

Therefore Matthew and Mark had to be written before this placing them as early as the early '40s.

You can actually view the earliest manuscripts we have at this at the center for study of New Testament manuscripts. 

Photographs and translations of the document can be viewed online here.

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For further evidence consider the gospel of John chapter 5 verses 1 through 3 and the placement of time and throughout these three verses.

Verse 1 is in the past tense verse 2 is in the present tense and verse 3 is in the past tense.

John says the pool of Bethesda is in existence. That means it was in existence at the time of the writing of the book of John because John was written to the Hebrews who lived in Jerusalem and they would know quite well whether or not that pool was in existence at that time or not.

It was destroyed in 70 AD by the Romans.

You can research anything I'm saying here for yourself.

We know when Paul died.

We know that Paul quotes Luke.

You can view the earliest manuscripts of this for yourself.