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EVIDENCE FOR WHEN WAS THE BOOK OF ACTS WAS WRITTEN |
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Protected by Copyscape - DO NOT COPY |
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SOURCE OF THE DATE WRITTEN |
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DATE WRITTEN |
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BOOK |
Number Scholars |
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EARLY |
LATE |
AVERAGE |
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Acts |
1 |
Peter Ainslie, Ph.D. A.D. 62 or 63 to 70 |
|
62 |
70 |
66.0 |
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Acts |
2 |
An Introduction to the New Testament, D.A. Carson Ph.D. & Douglas J. Moo,
PhD mid 60's |
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64 |
65 |
64.5 |
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Acts |
3 |
Apologetics Study Bible, Ted Cabal, Ph.D. Editor |
|
60 |
61 |
60.5 |
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Acts |
4 |
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible, Walter A. Elwell, Ph.D. |
|
63 |
63 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
5 |
Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, A.D. 60 |
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60 |
60 |
60.0 |
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Acts |
6 |
Believer's Bible Commentary, William McDonald, Ph.D. Arthur Forstad, Ph.D.
A.D. 62 to 63 |
|
62 |
63 |
62.5 |
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Acts |
7 |
Believer's Study Bible, W.A.Criswell, Ph.D., Editor,
A.D. 63 |
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63 |
0 |
31.5 |
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Acts |
8 |
The Bible Knowledge Commentary, John Warlvood, Ph.D., Roy Zuck, Ph.D.
A.D. 60 to 62 |
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60 |
62 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
9 |
Craig L. Bloomberg, Ph.D. Not later than A.D. 62 |
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62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
10 |
Blue Letter Bible, AD 62 or 63 |
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62 |
63 |
62.5 |
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Acts |
11 |
Raymond Brown, Ph.D. same as Luke (85, give or take 5-10
years) |
|
75 |
95 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
12 |
F.F. Bruce, Ph.D. It is
difficult to fix the date of the composition of Acts more precisely than at
some point within the Flavian period (AD 69-96), possibly about the middle
of the period. |
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69 |
96 |
82.5 |
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Acts |
13 |
D.A. Carson, R.T. France, and G.J. Wenham, eds. New Bible Commentary: 21
Century Edition, 60 to 65 CE |
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60 |
65 |
62.5 |
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Acts |
14 |
Dictionary of Jesus and The Gospels, Joel B. Green, Ph.D. and Scot McKnight,
Ph.D. |
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64 |
65 |
64.5 |
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Acts |
15 |
M. G. Easton M. A., D. D., AD 63 or 64 |
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63 |
64 |
63.5 |
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Acts |
16 |
Thomas Ehelbert, Ph.D. after A.D. 70 |
|
71 |
71 |
71.0 |
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Acts |
17 |
Joseph S. Exell, Ph.D. AD 63 |
|
63 |
63 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
18 |
James M. Efird, Ph.D. AD 80
to 85 |
|
80 |
85 |
82.5 |
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Acts |
19 |
ESV Bible, Wayne Gruden General Editor |
|
62 |
64 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
20 |
ESV Study Bible, AD 62 |
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62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
21 |
David A. Fiensy, Ph.D. Between
AD 62 to 64 |
|
62 |
64 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
22 |
Joseph A. Fitzmyer, Ph.D. AD
85 |
|
85 |
85 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
23 |
Dennis Gaertner, Ph.D. AD 63 |
|
63 |
63 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
24 |
Kenneth O. Gangel, Ph.D. Holman New Testament Commentary
Not later than A.D. 64 |
|
64 |
64 |
64.0 |
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Acts |
25 |
Norman L. Geisler, Ph.D. AD 62 or before. After Luke in
60 |
|
62 |
60 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
26 |
Robert H. Gundry, Ph.D. A.D. 62 to 63 |
|
62 |
63 |
62.5 |
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Acts |
27 |
Donald Guthrie, Ph.D. Between
AD 62 to 64 |
|
62 |
64 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
28 |
Gary R. Habermas, Ph.D. A.D. 62 to 65 |
|
62 |
65 |
63.5 |
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Acts |
29 |
Colin Hemer, Roman Historian by AD 62 |
|
62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
30 |
A.E. Hill, Ph.D. AD 63 to 64 |
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63 |
64 |
63.5 |
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Acts |
31 |
John Holland, Ph.D. AD 68 to
78 |
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68 |
78 |
73.0 |
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Acts |
32 |
Holman Bible Handbook, David S. Dockery, Ph.D. Editor |
|
62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
33 |
R. Jamieson, A.R. Fausset, and D. Brown, eds.
AD 50 to 60 |
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50 |
60 |
55.0 |
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Acts |
34 |
Luke Timothy Johnson, Ph.D.
AD 85 |
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85 |
85 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
35 |
Howard Clark Kee, Ph.D. AD 85 |
|
85 |
85 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
36 |
Robet Gromacki, Th.D. A.D. 59 to 61 |
|
59 |
61 |
60.0 |
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Acts |
37 |
Craig S. Keener, Ph.D. AD 70's |
|
70 |
70 |
70.0 |
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Acts |
38 |
Simon J. Kistemaker, Ph.D.
prior to AD July 19, 64 |
|
63 |
63 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
39 |
Werner Georg Kummel, Ph.D. AD
80 to 90 |
|
80 |
90 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
40 |
William J. Larkin, Jr., Ph.D.
early AD 60's |
|
60 |
60 |
60.0 |
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Acts |
41 |
John MacArthur, Ph.D.
approximately AD 60 to 62 |
|
60 |
62 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
42 |
K.E. Malberg, AD 63 to 64 |
|
63 |
64 |
63.5 |
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Acts |
43 |
Bruce Metzger, Ph.D. AD 85 |
|
85 |
85 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
44 |
J.P. Moreland , Ph.D. ca. 62 to 64 Professor of
Philosopohy at Talbot School of Theology at Biola University |
|
62 |
64 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
45 |
M.S. Mills, Ph.D. Acts 28:30 requires that we date the
writing of this book in ad 62, a time when Nero was Emperor, and before the
first Roman persecution of Christians was mounted. |
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62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
46 |
Thomas Nelson's KJV Study Bible, Wayne A. Brindle, Th.D. Editor |
|
62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
47 |
Nelson's NKJV Study Bible, Earl D. Radmacher, Th.D. General Editor |
|
61 |
64 |
62.5 |
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Acts |
48 |
S.L. Peterson, AD 85
Timeline Charts of the Western Church |
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85 |
85 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
49 |
John B. Polhill, Ph.D. Around AD 70 |
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70 |
70 |
70.0 |
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Acts |
50 |
Reformation Study Bible, R.C. Sproul, Ph.D. General Editor,
early 60;s |
|
60 |
62 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
51 |
J.A.T. Robinson, Ph.D. Complete by AD 62 |
|
62 |
62 |
62.0 |
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Acts |
52 |
T. Robinson, AD 85 to 90
The Bible Timeline |
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85 |
90 |
87.5 |
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Acts |
53 |
Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Th.D., Ph.D., Ryrie Study Bible
AD 61 |
|
61 |
61 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
54 |
Edward P. Sanders, Ph.D. AD
75 to 85 |
|
75 |
85 |
80.0 |
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Acts |
55 |
William Smith, Ph.D. Smith's Bible Dictionary. A.D. 63 |
|
63 |
63 |
63.0 |
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Acts |
56 |
Edward J. Tinsley, Ph.D. AD
95 |
|
95 |
95 |
95.0 |
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Acts |
57 |
Edward Schweizer, Ph.D. AD 80
to 85 |
|
80 |
85 |
82.5 |
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Acts |
58 |
Merrill F. Unger, Ph.D. Th.D, A.D. 61 |
|
61 |
61 |
61.0 |
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Acts |
59 |
Franklin W. Young, Ph.D. AD
80 to 90 |
|
80 |
90 |
85.0 |
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Acts |
60 |
The Woman's Study Bible, Dorothy Kelley Patterson, Ph.D. General Editor |
|
61 |
53 |
57.0 |
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Acts |
61 |
Willmington's Bible Handbook, Harold L. Willmington, Ph.D. |
|
60 |
60 |
60.0 |
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Acts |
62 |
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Acts |
63 |
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Acts |
64 |
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Acts |
65 |
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Number Scholars |
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61 |
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Range of Dates (Averaged) |
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66.7 |
AD to |
68.1 |
AD |
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Average of Dates |
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67.4 |
AD |
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Updated 3/30/2012 Copyright Errant Skeptics Research Institute 1999 to 2012 |
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Protected by Copyscape - Electronic Copies Are Not Allowed |
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Permission is granted for up to 100 copies on printed paper for classroom
use. |
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An early date is supported by: |
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1. Acts ends with Jerusalem and the temple still standing. Their
destruction occurred in A.D. 70. |
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2. Chapter 28 ends with Paul under house arrest, but free to preach to
all. This had to occur before the A.D. 64 great fire for which Nero blamed
Christians. |
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3. Acts does not mention Paul's death, which appeared imminent in 2 tim.
4, and occurred - ca. A.D. 65. |
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4. Near the end of Acts, Luke portrays the Roman government as benevolent
towards Christianity, and attitude that changed after A.D. 64. |
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5. Certain vocabulary points towards an early date. This includes,
"disciple", "first day of the week", "the Lord's Day", "the people of
Israel", |
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6. There is no indication the Jewish War had begun (in A.D. 66). |
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7. There is no indication Nero's perscutions commenced (in A.D. 64). |
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8. The Apostle James is still alive, and he died, according to Josephus in
A.D. 62. |
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