The History of the New Testament

Understanding the history of the New Testament will give you a better understanding of the Bible and the world it was written in. Scholars have criticized the Bible more than any book in history.  This criticism is unfounded and based more on the individual’s personal views instead of historical fact.  There are many issues critics of the Bible try to highlight to support their positions. 

Some critics have argued that the individuals who Christians believe to be the authors of the New Testament could not have written it.  Others argue that the stories are just legends.  The most unbelievable statement made by some critics is that Jesus Christ was not a real person.    

Jesus Christ in secular history

To better understand the history of the New Testament we need to look into the historic evidence of the central character of it. Jesus Christ is the central focus of the entire Bible, particularly within the New Testament.

Many historical sources mention Jesus Christ and early Christians.  Individuals who opposed Christianity often wrote those sources, which establish Christ as a real person who lived in the Roman world.  Much of the history of the New Testament can be reconstructed using secular sources.

A Roman historian named Cornelius Tacitus (55-120 AD) in his most well known work the “Annals,” mentions the death of Christ and the existence of Christians in Rome.  The main issue Tacitus was writing about was a fire that destroyed much of the city and the belief it was set by the Roman emperor Nero: 

Annals XV,44:  But not all the relief that could come from man, not all the bounties that the prince could bestow nor all the atonements which could be presented to the gods, availed to relieve Nero from the infamy of being believed to have ordered the conflagration, the fire of Rome.  Hence to suppress the rumor, he falsely charged with the guilt, and punished with most exquisite tortures, the persons commonly called Christians, who were hated for their enormities.  Christus, the founder of the name, was put to death by Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judea in the reign of Tiberius: but the pernicious superstition, repressed for a time, broke out again, not only through Judea, where the mischief originated, but through the city of Rome also.  (The misspelling of Christ as “Christus” was a common error made by pagan writers).

Roman historian Suetonius, who was a court official during the reign of the Emperor Hadrian wrote in his work Life of Claudius: “As the Jews were making constant disturbances at the instigation of Chrestus, he expelled them from Rome.”  (Life of Claudius 25.4).  Chrestus is a misspelling of Christus.  Acts 18: 2 mentions Claudius’ expulsion from Rome in 49 AD.  

In another of his work Lives of the Caesars, Suetonius wrote, “Punishment by Nero was inflicted on the Christians, a class of men given to a new and mischievous superstition.” 

Suetonius places Christians in the Roman capital less than 20 years after the crucifixion of Jesus.  He reports they were suffering for their faith, dying for their conviction, that Jesus had really lived, died, and that He had risen from the dead. The reresection of Jesus Christ is the central focus of the Gospels and the entire history of the New Testament focuses on that central theme. Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins and was risen for our justification.

Flavius Josephus was born in Galilee around 37 AD.  He was a Jewish priest, general and historian.  Considering when Josephus lived, it is very likely he personally knew the Apostles and other early Christians.  As a Pharisee, he was opposed to Christianity as well.  His two greatest works of Jewish history are The Jewish War, written in the early 70’s and Jewish Antiquities, 94 AD.  There is a passage in Jewish Antiquities that has created heated debate among scholars for decades: 

Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works, a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure.  He drew over to him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ, and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him; for he appeared to them alive again the third day; as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him.  And the tribe of Christians so named from him are not extinct at this day.” Antiquities, XVIII, 33

Another secular scholar quoted by Julius Africanus was Phlegon who wrote a history called Chronicles.  Julius’ quote of Phlegon also comments on the darkness at the time of Christ’s crucifixion:  “During the time of Tiberius Caesar an eclipse of the sun occurred during the full moon.” (Julius Africanus Chronography, 18.1)   

Many other historical sources mention Jesus Christ other than the Bible.  Many of those documents also mention early persecutions faced by Christians.  These secular accounts are very important in establishing an early history of Christians aside from supporting the Biblical accounts. 

Copies of the New Testament still in existence are closer to the events they record then most other historic writings

Now that we have shown from secular sources that Jesus Christ did live in Israel and had a significant following, it is logical to assume that some of His followers would write an account of His life and Ministry.  More manuscripts of the New Testament date closer to the time the events occurred than any other historical document.  The chart below highlights some examples: 

Author	Date Written	Earliest Copy	Time Span	Copies (extent)
Secular Manuscripts:
Herodotus (History)	480 – 425 BC	900 AD	1,300 years	8
Thucydides (History)	460 – 400 BC	900 AD	1,300 years	?
Aristotle (Philosopher)	384 – 322 BC	1,100 AD	1,400 years	5
Caesar (History)	100 – 44 BC	900 AD	1,000 years	10
Pliny (History)	61 – 113 AD	850 AD	750 years	7
Suetonius (Roman History)	70 – 140 AD	950 AD	800 years	?
Tacitus (Greek History)	100 AD	1,100 AD	1,000 years	20
Biblical Manuscripts: (note: these are individual manuscripts)
Magdalene Ms (Matthew 26)	1st century	50-60 AD	co-existant (?)
John Rylands (John)	90 AD	130 AD	40 years
Bodmer Papyrus II (John)	90 AD	150-200 AD	60-110 years
Chester Beatty Papyri (N.T.)	1st century	200 AD	150 years
Diatessaron by Tatian (Gospels)	1st century	200 AD	150 years
Codex Vaticanus (Bible)	1st century	325-350 AD	275-300 years
Codex Sinaiticus (Bible)	1st century	350 AD	300 years
Codex Alexandrinus (Bible)	1st century	400 AD	350 years

(Total New Testament manuscripts = 5,300 Greek MSS, 10,000 Latin Vulgates, 9,300 others = 24,000 copies)
(Total MSS compiled prior to 600 AD = 230)

The oldest piece of a book in the New Testament is a fragment of the Gospel of John and dates as early as 100 AD.  However, many scholars dispute that dating and place the fragment as late as 150 AD.  The front of the fragment contains lines from chapter 18:31–33, in Greek.  The back contains lines from verses 37–38.  Since 2007, the papyrus has been on permanent display at John Rylands Library in Manchester England.

Either way, the significance of this fragment is very important to establishing the history of the New Testament.  John lived to approximately 100 AD.  No matter which dating of the fragment is correct, there were certainly individuals living who knew about the Apostle John, his Gospel of Jesus and who were certainly alive during the period the manuscript the fragment came from was written. 

There is a misconception about the development of New Testament cannon.  Many people believe their was a special council held to select the books that make up the New Testament.  It was common in the ancient world for the bishop of Alexandra  to write a letter to the Egyptian churches under his authority each year.  A letter written in 367 by Athanasius lists the 27 New Testament books we presently use as the definitive canon. 

From Athanasius’ 39th Festal Letter in the year 367:

Continuing, I must without hesitation mention the scriptures of the New Testament; they are the following: the four Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, after them the Acts of the Apostles and the seven so-called catholic epistles of the apostles — namely, one of James, two of Peter, then three of John and after these one of Jude. In addition there are fourteen epistles of the apostle Paul written in the following order: the first to the Romans, then two to the Corinthians and then after these the one to the Galatians, following it the one to the Ephesians, thereafter the one to the Philippians and the one to the Colossians and two to the Thessalonians and the epistle to the Hebrews and then immediately two to Timothy , one to Titus and lastly the one to Philemon. Yet further the Revelation of John

This letter shows that early on in Christian history, the 27 books of the New Testament used today were in common use in the early periods of the church.