Chronological Order Of New Testament

While it is impossible to say with 100% accuracy the exact chronological order of the New Testament, the following list is fairy accurate and will serve as a reasonable list to study from.

  • James – 50 A.D.
  • First Thessalonians – 52-53.
  • Second Thessalonians – 52-53.
  • Galatians – 55.
  • First Corinthians – 57.
  • Second Corinthians – 57.
  • Romans – 57-58.
  • Philippians – 62-63.
  • Colossians – 62-63.
  • Philemon – 62-63.
  • Ephesians – 62-63.
  • Luke – 63.
  • Acts – 64.
  • First Timothy – 65.
  • Titus – 65.
  • Second Timothy – 66.
  • Mark – 66.
  • Matthew – 67.
  • Hebrews – 67.
  • First Peter – 67-68.
  • Second Peter – 68.
  • Jude – 68.
  • Apocalypse (revelations)- 68.
  • John – c. 85.
  • Epistles (Letters) of John – 90-95

The book of 1 John is traditionally attributed to John the Apostle (the son of Zebedee and one of Jesus’ closest disciples), but in modern biblical scholarship, its exact authorship is debated.

The identity of the author rests on a few key pieces of evidence:
  • Internal Claims: The letter itself is technically anonymous, meaning the writer never explicitly names himself. However, the author claims to be an eyewitness who personally saw, heard, and touched Jesus during his earthly ministry.

  • Historical Tradition: Early Christian writers, such as Polycarp, Papias, and Irenaeus, consistently attributed the letter to the Apostle John. Historical tradition indicates he wrote it while living in Ephesus in his advanced age, near the end of the first century.

  • The Johannine Circle: The vocabulary, themes (e.g., light vs. dark, love), and writing style of 1 John closely mirror the Gospel of John. For this reason, most scholars agree that the Gospel and the three letters of John share a single author or a tight-knit community of origin.

  • Modern Debate: Because the prose is written in highly accomplished Koine Greek and differs slightly in rhetorical style from the Gospels and some other New Testament texts, some critical scholars debate whether it was written by the Apostle himself, an “Elder John” from the same church, or a community of early Christian writers.