Calculator Answers
All calculators

Bible

When Was the Bible Written?

The Bible spans roughly 1,500 years of writing. Old Testament books were composed over many centuries before Christ; the New Testament was written entirely in the first century AD. This page gives the broad timeline and notes that exact dates vary by book and scholarly view.

Direct answer

The Bible was written over roughly 1,500 years. The Old Testament was composed over many centuries before Christ; the New Testament was written in the first century AD.

  • Old Testament: traditionally from the time of Moses (~1400 BC) through the post-exilic period (~400 BC).
  • New Testament: all 27 books written in the first century AD, from the mid-40s through the 90s.

Exact dates vary by book and scholarly view; this page summarizes the broadly accepted range.

Was this helpful?

Examples

Law / Pentateuch

Traditionally ~1400 BC (Moses); critical dating varies

Historical books

~1400 BC to ~400 BC

Wisdom and Poetry

Mostly during the monarchy (~1000-500 BC)

Prophets

~800 BC to ~400 BC

Gospels and Acts

~50s to ~90s AD

Epistles

~mid-40s to ~90s AD

Revelation

~95 AD (traditional dating)

How it works

The Bible is a library, not a single book. Different sections were written in different centuries by different authors, with distinct historical settings. The timeline below groups books by section and gives a rough date range for each.

Dates are approximate. Traditional dating (used widely in Jewish and Christian tradition) and critical-scholarly dating differ on several books, especially Genesis-Deuteronomy and some of the prophets. Both views agree on the broad shape.

Old Testament timeline

  • Law (Pentateuch): Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. Traditional dating: ~1400 BC, attributed to Moses. Critical dating: composed and edited from earlier traditions during the monarchy and post-exilic period, reaching final form around the 5th century BC.
  • Historical books: Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, 1-2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther. Composed from the period of the Israelite settlement and monarchy (~1400 BC and later) through the post-exilic period (~400 BC).
  • Wisdom and Poetry: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Job is possibly very old (date debated). Most Psalms come from the monarchy era (David and afterwards). Solomon's writings are dated to the 10th century BC.
  • Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel. Isaiah ministry around 740-680 BC. Jeremiah and Lamentations around the fall of Jerusalem (586 BC). Ezekiel and Daniel during the Babylonian exile (~6th century BC).
  • Minor Prophets: Hosea through Malachi. Composed from ~800 BC (Amos, Hosea) through ~400 BC (Malachi). The collection is named "minor" for length, not importance.

New Testament timeline

  • Earliest letters: probably Galatians or 1 Thessalonians, in the mid-40s AD. James is also sometimes proposed as very early. Paul's major letters (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, et cetera) were written through the 50s.
  • Gospels and Acts: written from the 50s through the 90s AD. Mark is usually considered the earliest of the four Gospels (~60s AD). Matthew and Luke followed; Luke also wrote Acts. John's Gospel is traditionally dated to the 80s-90s.
  • Later epistles: Hebrews, the Pastoral Epistles (1-2 Timothy, Titus), 1-2 Peter, Jude, and 1-2-3 John, written between the 60s and the 90s AD.
  • Revelation: traditionally dated to ~95 AD, during the reign of the Roman emperor Domitian.

About the dating

Dating ancient texts is rarely simple. Internal evidence (style, historical references, language), external evidence (manuscripts, citations by other ancient authors), and theological assumptions all play a role. Different traditions and schools of scholarship reach different specific dates. The broad shape of the timeline above is widely agreed; the precise dating of individual books is not.

Related Bible pages

Frequently asked questions

The Bible was written over roughly 1,500 years. Traditional dating places the earliest Old Testament books (Genesis through Deuteronomy, attributed to Moses) around 1400 BC. Most Old Testament books were composed between then and the post-exilic period (about 400 BC). The New Testament books were all written in the first century AD, with the earliest letters likely in the mid-40s and the latest (probably Revelation and John's letters) in the 90s.

Different scholars give different answers. By the traditional view, the books of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy) are the oldest, written around 1400 BC. The book of Job is also sometimes proposed as one of the oldest, since its setting and language fit a pre-Mosaic era; the date of composition is debated. Critical scholarship often dates the earliest surviving Hebrew material to the period of the Israelite monarchy (around 1000 BC and later).

Among the canonical books, Revelation is typically the latest, written around AD 95 according to most scholars. Some date 2 Peter or one of John's letters slightly later, but all New Testament books were complete by the early second century AD by traditional reckoning.

The 27 New Testament books were written over a roughly 50-year span. Paul's earliest letters (likely Galatians or 1 Thessalonians) date to the mid-40s AD. The Gospels were written from the 50s through the 90s, with Mark generally considered the earliest. Revelation, traditionally dated to the 90s AD, is usually the latest.

No. Dating ancient texts involves combining internal evidence (style, historical references, language), external evidence (manuscripts, citations by other ancient authors), and theological assumptions. Different traditions and schools of scholarship reach different conclusions. The broad shape (Old Testament: centuries BC; New Testament: first century AD) is widely agreed; the precise dates are not.

Related calculators

Bible

Gematria Calculator

Compute English, Hebrew, and Greek gematria for any word or phrase across six ciphers, with a letter-by-letter breakdown.

Bible

Hebrew Gematria Calculator

Compute the standard Hebrew gematria value of any Hebrew word or phrase, with a transparent letter-by-letter breakdown.

Bible

Greek Gematria Calculator

Compute the Greek isopsephy value of any Greek word or phrase — accents are normalized — with a letter-by-letter breakdown.