Who were the authors of the New Testament, and when was each book written? Have you ever wondered that? Below is a list of the books, ordered by when they are believed to have been written. No one knows the exact dates, and scholars don't always agree, so the order is debatable, but these are some of the most specific dates I could find. It is close enough to give us an idea of which ones were written closest to the time Jesus lived. It is believed that the Lord was born ca. 6-4 BC, began preaching ca. 27-29 AD and died between 30-36 AD. I will also list, in parentheses, about how many years after his death each book might have been written.
| Book | Author | Written | Main Content |
| James | James, brother of the Lord? | 48-49 AD (12-19 yrs) | - Jews to live bold Christian life - practical advise - faith transforms us |
| Matthew | Matthew (Levi), disciple of Jesus | 48-50 AD (12-20 yrs) | - genealogy of Joseph's family - Jesus' birth & childhood - ministry of Jesus - death and resurrection |
| Galations | Paul, prior to Jerusalem council | 49 AD (13-19 yrs) | - problems with circumcision - Jews legalizing Gentile believers |
| 1Thessalonians | Paul, to the church in Thessalonica | 52-54 AD (16-24 yrs) | - strengthen believers - mentions 2nd coming - faith, hope, love |
| 2Thessalonians | Paul, to the church in Thessalonica | 52-54 AD (16-24 yrs) | - correct false teaching that 2nd coming had already happened |
| 1 Corinthians | Paul, to the church in Corinth | 56 AD (20-26 yrs) | - cease immorality - divisions among Christians |
| 2 Corinthians | Paul, to the church in Corinth | 56 AD (20-26 yrs) | - depend Paul's apostleship - warn against false teachers |
| Romans | Paul, to the believers in Rome | 56-57 AD (20-27 yrs) | - faith & trust in the Lord - spreading the gospel - salvation through Jesus |
| Luke | Luke, Paul's Greek physician | 59-61 AD (23-31 yrs) | - Jesus' birth in detail - John the Baptist prepares the way - Jesus' baptism - ministry of Jesus - Judas betrays Him - death and resurrection |
| 1 Peter | Peter, disciple of Jesus | 60 AD (24-30 yrs) | - encouragement during persecution - be more holy |
| Acts | Luke, Paul's Greek physician | 60-62 AD (24-32 yrs) | - Holy Ghost - spreading of the gospel - organizing the church - Jewish religion to Christianity |
| Ephesians | Paul, while in prison | 60-62 AD (24-32 yrs) | - encourage believers - serve in unity and love |
| Colossians | Paul, while in prison | 60-62 AD (24-32 yrs) | - response to false teachings - serve more fully |
| Philemon | Paul, while in prison | 61 AD (25-31 yrs) | - forgiveness for runaway servant |
| Philippians | Paul, anticipating release from prison | 62 AD (26-32 yrs) | - appreciation - encourage personal growth |
| 1 Timothy | Paul, to young church leader (Timothy) | 62 AD (26-32 yrs) | - encouragement - leadership guidelines |
| 2 Peter | Peter, disciple of Jesus | 63-64 AD (27-34 yrs) | - warns against false teachers |
| Mark | John Mark, companion of Paul & Peter | 64 AD (28-34 yrs) | - Jesus is the Messiah, Son of God - John the Baptist - baptism of Jesus - calling of 12 disciples - his ministry & service - death and resurrection |
| Hebrews | Paul or Barnabas? | 67 AD (31-37 yrs) | - dealing with persecution - keep the faith |
| 2 Timothy | Paul, to Timothy | 67 AD (31-37 yrs) | - give directions to Timothy - asks him to visit Paul once more |
| Titus | Paul, to Titus, a Greek believer | 66 AD (30-36 yrs) | - leadership direction to Titus - encouragement - dealing with false teachers - our sinful nature |
| Jude | Jude, brother of Jesus & James | 75 AD (39-45 yrs) | - warns against false teachings - truth of Jesus |
| John | John, disciple of Jesus | 85-95 AD (49-65 yrs) | - eternal life through Jesus - John the Baptist - Jesus' ministry - Last Supper - death and resurrection |
| 1 John | John, disciple of Jesus | 85-95 AD (49-65 yrs) | - warns against false teachers - faith and love toward Jesus |
| 2 John | John, disciple of Jesus | 85-95 AD (49-65 yrs) | - abide in truth |
| 3 John | John, disciple of Jesus | 85-95 AD (49-65 yrs) | - praise for faithful service |
| Revelation | John, disciple of Jesus, prisoner | 85-95 AD (49-65 yrs) | - encourage/hope to believers - watch for 2nd coming - final judgement for non-believers |
Who were the original twelve disciples/apostles and where were they from? What was the occupations of each? Which ones of them were related or from the same region? Which ones were martyrs and how did they did?
| Bethsaida | Peter - fisherman - crucified upside down Andrew - fisherman - crucified (brothers) |
James the Elder - fisherman - beheaded John - fisherman - natural causes (brothers) |
Philip - fisherman - hung |
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| Galilee | Bartholomew - of royal birth - flayed alive |
James the Younger - unkown occupation - cut in pieces, then crucified Jude - unknown occupation - shot with arrows (brothers) |
Simon the Zealot - fisherman? - martyred |
Thomas - unknown occupation - speared |
| Capernaum | Matthew - tax collector - martyred |
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| Kerioth | Judas Iscariot - treasurer? - betrayed Jesus - suicide |
Matthias replaced Judas Iscariot after he betrayed Jesus and hung himself. Prayer and casting lots resulted in him being chosen over Joseph/Barsabas.
Other Notable People:
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