# When Were the Gospels Written? > Irenaeus places Matthew in the lifetime of Peter and Paul at Rome, Mark after their departure, Luke with Paul, and John later at Ephesus. He gives no year. A copy of John was already in the second century. - Canonical: https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/when-were-the-gospels-written - Religions: Christianity - Denominations: none - Beliefs: none - Tags: bible, gospels, history - Updated: 2026-10-11 - Author: [Paul Ambrose](https://apologetics.wiki/author/hi-its-paul) ([GitHub](https://github.com/hi-its-paul)) Irenaeus says Matthew issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, that Mark wrote what Peter had preached after their departure, that Luke recorded the Gospel Paul preached, and that John afterwards published a Gospel at Ephesus. He does not give a year. A fragment of John in Manchester was dated by its first editor to 100–150, and the library’s page says recent research points nearer to 200. A copy is later than the book. This page does not assign a decade the opened evidence does not give. [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) quotes Papias and Irenaeus on the names. [Who Wrote the Gospel of John?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john) stays on John. [When Was the New Testament Written?](/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written) is the wider set of books, including Paul. ## Key Points - Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1, names Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in that order and ties Mark to the departure of Peter and Paul. He does not give a year. [(1)](#ref-1) - He says Matthew wrote among the Hebrews in their own dialect. He does not say the Greek Gospel of Matthew is a translation he has compared, and he does not recover the first copy. [(1)](#ref-1) - Greek Papyrus 457, in the John Rylands Library, copies lines from John 18. The first editor dated it to 100–150. The library’s page says recent research points nearer to 200. [(2)](#ref-2) - [Luke 1:1–3](/bible/luke/1) says many have taken the story in hand, and that Luke writes in order to most excellent Theophilus. [(5)](#ref-5) - [Luke 8:3](/bible/luke/8/3) names Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward. [Luke 24:10](/bible/luke/24/10) names her among the women who told the apostles. [(5)](#ref-5) - This site’s King James text includes [Matthew 17:21](/bible/matthew/17/21). The verse is in that edition. This page does not survey later English Bibles. [(6)](#ref-6) ## When Was the Gospel of Matthew Written? Irenaeus is the early writer who puts a time next to Matthew’s name, and the time is a life, not a year. On [Against Heresies 3.1.1](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103301.htm): > Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, did also hand down to us in writing what had been preached by Peter. Luke also, the companion of Paul, recorded in a book the Gospel preached by him. Afterwards, John, the disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at Ephesus in Asia. [(1)](#ref-1) “While Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome” is the clause for Matthew. Irenaeus does not say which year of that preaching, and he does not say Peter and Paul had died before Matthew wrote. The death he may be marking is the next sentence, about Mark. [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) quotes Papias, through Eusebius, on Mark as Peter’s interpreter and on Matthew composing the oracles in the Hebrew language. [(3)](#ref-3) Those lines still do not yield a year. Some readers date Matthew after the year 70 because the Gospel reports Jesus predicting the temple’s fall, and they assume a prediction of that kind is written after the event. That assumption should be named. It is a rule about prophecy, not a sentence in Irenaeus. [What Is Bible Prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) quotes [Matthew 24:2](/bible/matthew/24/2) and does not date it. ## When Was the Gospel of Mark Written? The same paragraph says Mark wrote after the departure of Peter and Paul. Departure can mean their death. Irenaeus does not say so in a second sentence, and he does not give a year. [(1)](#ref-1) He calls Mark the disciple and interpreter of Peter, and he says Mark wrote what Peter had preached. [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) is the Papias passage that says Mark followed Peter and wrote accurately what he remembered, without making an ordered arrangement of the Lord’s sayings. A date in the 60s or the 70s is a modern estimate. It is not a number on the New Advent page. ## When Was the Gospel of Luke Written? Irenaeus calls Luke the companion of Paul and says he recorded the Gospel Paul preached. He places that book before John and does not date it. [(1)](#ref-1) The Gospel itself opens with a patron and a claim to have followed the story from the start. [Luke 1:3](/bible/luke/1/3): > It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, [(5)](#ref-5) [Luke 1:1](/bible/luke/1/1) says many have already taken in hand to set forth a declaration of the things most surely believed. Luke writes after other accounts, in his own telling. He does not say how many years after Jesus, and he does not say he wrote after the temple fell. The Muratorian fragment, in the Roberts-Donaldson English, also names Luke and John among the books the church reads. The Latin is fragmentary, and the English follows restorations. [(4)](#ref-4) [Who Wrote the Book of Acts?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-book-of-acts) is the second volume, which ends with Paul alive in Rome. ## When Was the Gospel of John Written? Irenaeus says John published afterwards, at Ephesus, and he calls John the disciple who leaned on the Lord’s breast. [(1)](#ref-1) “Afterwards” is after Matthew, Mark, and Luke in that paragraph. It is still not a year. The earliest copy this site’s pages cite is Greek Papyrus 457 in the John Rylands Library, a fragment of John 18. The library’s page says the first editor dated it to the first half of the second century, between 100 and 150, and that recent research points nearer to 200. [(2)](#ref-2) A scrap that copies the Gospel is later than the writing of the Gospel. It rules out a first composition in the third or fourth century. It does not choose between 90 and 110. [Who Wrote the Gospel of John?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john) and [When Was the New Testament Written?](/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written) use both dates and do not collapse them into one. ## Was the Gospel of Matthew Written in Aramaic or Greek? Irenaeus says Matthew issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect. [(1)](#ref-1) Papias, as Eusebius quotes him, says Matthew composed the oracles in the Hebrew language. [(3)](#ref-3) Those sentences claim a Hebrew or Aramaic writing from Matthew. They do not print that writing, and they do not say the Greek Gospel now in manuscripts is a translation Irenaeus checked line by line. The John fragment in Manchester is Greek. [(2)](#ref-2) The public text on this site is the King James Version in English. The Greek word study on a verse page is the SBL Greek New Testament. None of those three facts dates Matthew, and none of them replaces the dialect sentence. The name Jesus in Aramaic is a different question from the language of the book. This page does not reconstruct a Galilean pronunciation. [Who Wrote the Gospel of John?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john) stays with the Greek title and the early claim that John wrote. ## Why Do the Four Gospels Differ? Matthew, Mark, and Luke share a great deal of wording, and John often tells episodes the other three do not. [Luke 1:1](/bible/luke/1/1) already says many have taken the story in hand. Shared wording can mean the writers knew the same preaching. It can also mean one writer used another’s book. Irenaeus still names four authors. He does not describe a lost draft. [Does the Bible Contradict Itself?](/christianity/does-the-bible-contradict-itself) opens passages that look as if they cannot both be true. [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) is the overlap of the first three. ## Who Was Joanna in the Bible? Luke names her twice. [Luke 8:3](/bible/luke/8/3) says Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, ministered to Jesus of their substance. [Luke 24:10](/bible/luke/24/10) says Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women with them, told the resurrection to the apostles. [(5)](#ref-5) She is a named woman in Herod’s household who traveled with Jesus and who was among the women at the empty tomb. The Gospel does not give her a later biography. ## What Does the Name Theophilus Mean? [Luke 1:3](/bible/luke/1/3) addresses most excellent Theophilus. The Greek name is built from theos, God, and philos, a friend or a beloved person. Luke calls him most excellent, which is a title of respect. The verse does not say whether Theophilus was a Roman official, a patron, or a name made for any reader who loves God. This page does not invent that life. Acts opens by addressing the same name. [Who Wrote the Book of Acts?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-book-of-acts) quotes that line. ## Why Is Matthew 17:21 in This Bible? This site’s King James text of [Matthew 17:21](/bible/matthew/17/21) reads, “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” [(6)](#ref-6) The verse is in that edition. This page does not open a modern committee Bible and does not claim that some other edition removed the line. A reader who meets the verse in one printing and misses it in another is looking at two editions, not at a blank in Irenaeus. ## Why Do People Ask About 2033? Irenaeus, the Rylands fragment, and Luke’s preface do not mention 2033 or 2026. [Matthew 24:34](/bible/matthew/24/34) says this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled. [(6)](#ref-6) [What Is Bible Prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) quotes that verse and does not date it. A century added to the crucifixion is an arithmetic someone else brought to the text. ## What Does the Gospel Say About Left-Handers? The Gospel of Luke does not mention left-handers. Joanna, Theophilus, and the date of the book are the questions the text does answer. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### When Were Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Written? In Irenaeus’s order: Matthew while Peter and Paul preached at Rome, Mark after their departure, Luke as Paul’s companion, and John afterwards at Ephesus. No year is on that page. A copy of John existed in the second century, on the Manchester library’s dating. [(1)](#ref-1) [(2)](#ref-2) ### Is It Correct to Say “the Gospel of Matthew”? The book’s traditional name is the Gospel according to Matthew. Irenaeus says Matthew issued a written Gospel. [(1)](#ref-1) The phrase is the ordinary name of the book. ### What Audience Was Each Gospel Written For? Irenaeus says Matthew wrote among the Hebrews in their own dialect, Mark wrote Peter’s preaching, Luke wrote what Paul preached and addresses Theophilus, and John wrote at Ephesus. [(1)](#ref-1) [(5)](#ref-5) Those are the audiences the early sentence names. ## Keep Reading - [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) - [Who Wrote the Gospel of John?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospel-of-john) - [When Was the New Testament Written?](/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written) - [Who Wrote the Book of Acts?](/christianity/who-wrote-the-book-of-acts) - [Does the Bible Contradict Itself?](/christianity/does-the-bible-contradict-itself) - [What Is Bible Prophecy?](/christianity/what-is-bible-prophecy) - [Did Jesus Really Exist?](/christianity/did-jesus-exist) - [Is the Bible True?](/christianity/is-the-bible-true) ## Passages Quoted on This Page ### Luke 1:1–3 King James Version. > [1:1] Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, [1:2] Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; [1:3] It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, ### Luke 8:3 King James Version. > And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. ### Luke 24:10 King James Version. > It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. ### Matthew 24:2 King James Version. > And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. ### Luke 1:1 King James Version. > Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, ### Matthew 24:34 King James Version. > Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. ### Papias, in Eusebius, Church History 3.39.15 Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, New Advent. [Open on newadvent.org](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm) > 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. For 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, 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. ### Muratorian fragment, on Acts Roberts-Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers 5. [Open on earlychristianwritings.com](https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/muratorian.html) > Moreover, the Acts of all the Apostles are comprised by Luke in one book, and addressed to the most excellent Theophilus, because these different events took place when he was present himself; and he shows this clearly-i.e., that the principle on which he wrote was, to give only what fell under his own notice-by the omission of the passion of Peter, and also of the journey of Paul, when he went from the city-Rome-to Spain. ## Sources Numbered to match the HTML References list. Item 1 is `#ref-1` under `#references`. Scripture links to the King James Version on this site. 1. [Against Heresies, 3.1.1](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103301.htm) (Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.1.1. Ante-Nicene Fathers, as published on New Advent, revised and edited by Kevin Knight. He names the four writers and gives no year.) 2. [Greek Papyrus 457, P52](https://www.digitalcollections.manchester.ac.uk/view/MS-GREEK-P-00457/1) (University of Manchester, John Rylands Library. The first editor dated the fragment to 100–150. The library’s page says recent research points nearer to 200.) 3. [Church History, 3.39.15–16](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/250103.htm) (Eusebius, Church History 3.39, quoting Papias. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, as published on New Advent.) 4. [Muratorian fragment, Luke and John](https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/muratorian.html) (Roberts-Donaldson translation. The Latin is fragmentary. The English follows restorations.) 5. [Gospel of Luke, 1:1–3; 8:3; 24:10](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/luke/1). King James Version 6. [Gospel of Matthew, 17:21; 24:34](https://apologetics.wiki/bible/matthew/17/21). King James Version ## See Also - [Does Archaeology Confirm the Bible?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/does-archaeology-confirm-the-bible) — The Pilate stone, the Tel Dan stele, Hezekiah’s tribute on the Taylor Prism, the Siloam tunnel inscription, and the Cyrus Cylinder name people and events the Bible also names. Each find has a limit. - [When Was the New Testament Written?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/when-was-the-new-testament-written) — The New Testament was not written hundreds of years after Jesus. Paul writes while witnesses are still alive, Acts leaves Paul alive in Rome, and a copy of John survives from the second century. - [Who Wrote Matthew, Mark, and Luke?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/who-wrote-the-gospels) — Papias and Irenaeus name Mark as Peter’s interpreter, Matthew as the writer of a Gospel in Hebrew, and Luke as Paul’s companion. The books themselves do not open with those names. - [Did Christianity Spread by the Sword?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-christianity-spread-by-the-sword) — Christianity spread for three centuries without state power, under persecution. Later rulers sometimes forced baptism. The New Testament does not command that. - [Did Jesus Really Exist?](https://apologetics.wiki/christianity/did-jesus-exist) — Yes. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified under Pontius Pilate. Paul, the Gospels, Tacitus, and Josephus all place him there, and a skeptic who rejects the resurrection still says the man was real.