The Good Book: Part II

First of all, let me apologize for not posting regularly. It has nothing to do with school or laziness- Charter internet is terrible and I hate it with a fiery passion.

• Matthew. Tradition states that Matthew wrote the book, though there have been much debate about this. The controversy stems from a statement made in the second century. It was traditionally translated "Matthew collected the oracles (logia) in the Hebrew language (Hebraidi dialekto)." However, modern scholars read this as "Matthew compiled the Gospel in the Jewish style." It was written between AD 70 and 80.
• Mark. Mark does not name an author, but church father Papias claimed the Gospel was written by John Mark. He also stated that Mark composed the book based on Peter's point of view. We know that the two did know each other. It was likely written in the 60s.
• Luke. Luke is another, strictly speaking, anonymous work. However, the identity of the author is well known to be Luke. Luke was very possibly a Gentile convert, and one of Paul's followers. He was a physician and was highly educated. He likely wrote his Gospel in Rome in the year 61 or 62.
• John. John is almost always identified as the author of this Gospel from the use of the title "the Disciple whom Jesus loved." It was likely written in Ephesus in 89-95.
• Acts. Acts was written by Luke while he was traveling with Paul. It was written between 63 and 70.
• Romans. Romans is definitely a Pauline letter. It was written around AD 57, at the end of his third missionary journey. It was written to the Romans from Corinth.
• I Corinthians was written by Paul in AD 54-55. It was written from Ephesus, and outside sources acknowledge Pauline authorship just four decades later.
• 2 Corinthians is also certainly written by Paul. Many theorize that it is actually a compilation of multiple epistles to the Corinthians. This hypothesis is based upon the abrupt changes in topics and tone. However, it is also possible that it was a single letter written over a period of time, thus accounting for the changes in the book. It was written in Macedonia in AD 55.
• Galatians was written by Paul, but to whom it was addressed is a topic of debate. If he was writing to the church at Northern Galatia, it was written from Ephesus or Macedonia in the mid-50s. However, if he addressed the letter to the Southern Galatians, he was writing from Syrian Antioch or Corinth in 48 or 49.
• Ephesians is usually attributed to Paul, but there is some debate. It was supposedly written by Paul during his imprisonment in Rome between AD 60-62. Pauline authorship is questionable if one looks at the vocabulary and sentence structure, which is more complex than his other letters and suggestive of a later date. Some also claim the concept of a universal church would have been an anachronism during Paul's life. However, most still accept Pauline authorship. The personal greetings, church tradition, structure, and theology of the book are consistent with other epistles from Paul.
• Philippians was also written by Paul during one of his many imprisonments. It is possible that it is a compilation of letters written to the church in Philippi, but this is not proven.
• Colossians is traditionally attributed to Paul, but many scholars consider it pseudonymous. However, there is little strong evidence for either side in so short a letter. Paul was in prison in Colosse when he wrote the epistle, around AD 60-62.
• I Thessalonians is also Pauline, and was written to the church at Thessalonica in AD 50. 
• 2 Thessalonians was written soon after Paul's first epistle to the church at Thessalonica, likely in the same year.
• I Timothy was written to Timothy after Paul's first imprisonment in Rome. It was written in 63-65, probably from Macedonia.
• 2 Timothy was written at the end of Paul's final missionary journey, around AD 67.
• Titus was written by Paul from Nicopolis in Western Greece between AD 63-65. Titus was a Gentile Christian who was overseeing churches on the island of Crete.
• Philemon was written by Paul during his imprisonment in Rome, around AD 60. It was addressed to Philemon and his wife Apphia, as well as several other members of the church of Colosse.
• Hebrews is anonymous. Though church tradition indicates Pauline authorship, this is definitely not true. It was possibly written by Luke, Clement of Rome, Barnabas, Apollos, Epaphras, Silas, or Priscilla. (Personally, I like the idea that a woman wrote the book, but none of these suggestions are more than mere speculation.) The author was familiar with the Old Testament, familiar to his audience, wrote excellent Greek, and was friends with Timothy. It was written in the 60s.
• James was written by one of several men named James in the Bible. It was probably not James, son of Zebedee; he was dead by AD 44. Most people think that James, the half-brother of Jesus, who wrote the book. It was written around AD 50.
• I Peter was probably written by Peter, though it is disputable. It was written between AD 60, and his martyrdom under Emperor Nero several years later.
• 2 Peter's Petrine authorship is widely disputed today. Scholars cite a lack of early use in the church, its reliance on the epistle of Jude, and second century issues such as Gnosticism. However, scholars who support Petrine authorship insist that similarity to Jude does not mean II Peter is based on the epistle, and a lack of direct references any 2nd century institution. It was written between 64 and 68.
• I John is an anonymous work, but the similarities between the epistle and the gospel of John point to John as the author. It is not written to any particular church, but was rather a circular letter, passed from group to group. It was written in the late first century. John uses the phrase "my children" several times, implying he is elderly. Also, he seems aware of an early form of Gnosticism, which reached its zenith in the second century.
• 2 John's author is identified as "the elder," and John's authorship has never been seriously questioned. It was probably written to a female church leader and her family. It was also written in the late first century, probably from Ephesus.
• 3 John was also written John, around the same time as his first two letters. It was addressed to Gaius, but there are tons of guys named Gaius in the first century, several of whom are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible.
• Jude's author calls himself a brother of James, and Mark's Gospel mentions Jude as a brother of Jesus. It was written around AD 68.
• Revelation was written by someone named John. It's most likely John the Apostle, but many conservative scholars as far back as Dionysius, the third century Bishop of Alexandria, claim the book was written by someone called John the Elder. The book was written at the close of the reign of Roman Emperor Domitian, late in the first century. It was written on the island of Patmos, a Roman penal colony. There are historical records of a John being released from Patmos under the emperor Nerva.

Several Judeo-Christian Gospels were widely accepted in the early church, but have been lost. We know of them only through quotes from other sources. These include: Gospel of the Ebionites, Gospel of the Hebrews, and the Gospel of the Nazarenes.

Infancy Gospels were popular, and understandably so. Who wouldn't want to know more about the childhood of the Christ Child? The Infancy Gospel of James claims to be the work of James the Just, supposedly a son of Joseph by a former marriage, and thus Jesus's stepbrother. However, it is definitely pseudepigraphical, and was written in the second century. The Infancy Gospel of Thomas is attributed to "Thomas the Israelite." But whoever wrote it was clearly not a Jew. It was written sometime before 185. Other examples of Infancy Gospels are: The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, the Syriac Infancy Gospel, the History of Joseph the Carpenter, and the Life of John the Baptist.

Non-Canonical Gospels emerged in the second and third centuries. It is possible that these texts are later copies of earlier versions of the canonical Gospels. We know this was a controversial subject in the early church, but none of these documents survive in their entirety. These Gospels include: the Gospels of Marcion, Mani, Apelles, Bardesanes, and Basilides.

The Gospel of Thomas is a sayings gospel- that is, a collection of sayings and parables of Jesus that lack a cohesive narrative. It is possible that this document predates the canonical Gospels.

People were also fascinated by the Passion, and a number of Gospels were written about it. These include: The Gospel of Peter, Gospel of Nicodemus, Gospel of Bartholomew, Questions of Bartholomew, and the Ressurrection of Jesus Christ.

There are a ton of non-canonical books. I think I'll write more about them tonight. Assuming my internet is working, that is.