Why are the Gospels so Late?

Episode Outline:
00:00 Introduction: Why were the Gospels written so late?
05:21 Did Gospel dates concern Bart as a Christian?
06:13 When scholars think the Gospels were written
07:09 How scholars date ancient historical documents
12:03 Are the Gospels our earliest accounts of Jesus?
16:11 How Jesus stories circulated before being written down
21:35 When the Gospels became linked to eyewitnesses
28:41 How late Gospel dates affect historical reliability

Episode Description

In this episode, Megan Lewis and Bart Ehrman compare early job experiences—including Bart’s comically short-lived stint as a 12-year-old dishwasher—before diving into one of the most important historical questions about early Christianity: Why did it take so long for anyone to write down the life and teachings of Jesus?

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

- Most modern scholars agree that the first Gospel, Mark, wasn’t composed until around 40 years after Jesus’s death. Matthew and Luke followed in the 80s, and John came even later, circa 90-95 CE. But why the delay?

- Bart and Megan break down what ancient historians look for when dating a text: What’s the internal evidence? Whom are the authors quoting? How does their theology compare to what’s found elsewhere in the ancient world?

- Were there lost earlier sources? Bart examines the tantalizing hints at oral and possibly even written traditions before Mark, including the mysterious Q source and Luke’s own admission that “many” attempted to write accounts of Jesus.

- What do we know about oral tradition and memory in cultures without widespread literacy? Bart explains why, contrary to some popular beliefs, ancient people weren’t necessarily better at memorizing long stories, and how stories about Jesus inevitably changed over decades of retelling.

- How does the late dating of the Gospels affect their reliability as historical documents? Bart offers a nuanced take: the time lag is a challenge, but the real problem is the medium of oral tradition, which transforms stories before they’re ever written down.

- Plus, a lively Q&A segment addresses everything from the possibility of Jesus being a vegetarian to the practicalities of communication between Paul and the Jerusalem apostles.

Three Key Takeaways:
- The Gospels Were Written Decades After Jesus’s Death: Contrary to longstanding tradition, none of the canonical Gospels were authored by eyewitnesses or by Jesus’s immediate disciples. Instead, they emerged 40-65 years after Jesus, shaped by decades of oral storytelling.
- Oral Tradition Was Powerful—But Unreliable: Most stories about Jesus circulated orally in early Christian communities, where details could be and often were altered, omitted, or embellished—sometimes drastically—long before any writing took place.
- Historical Reliability is Complicated: While the Gospels provide the earliest surviving accounts of Jesus, historians must weigh the effects of the long oral tradition period and the fact that the stories reflect the theological needs and beliefs of later communities.

Key Points

- Gospel Dating: Scholars generally date Mark’s Gospel to around 70 CE, Matthew and Luke to the 80s CE, and John to the 90s CE.
- Anonymous Authors: None of the Gospels name their authors or claim to be eyewitness accounts; the traditional attributions to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John arose later.
- Historical Evidence: The earliest manuscript evidence and external references point to the Gospels being in circulation by the mid-2nd century, but not before.
- Oral Tradition Dominance: For at least 40 years after Jesus’s death, stories were transmitted orally, frequently adapted to fit different audiences and needs.

Also watch these episodes:
Stories about Jesus Before the Gospels: Oral Traditions in the Early Church
Stories about Jesus Before the Gospels: Oral Traditions in the Early Church

Are We Missing a Gospel? Unpacking the Q Source Debate
Are We Missing a Gospel? Unpacking the Q Source Debate

What Are the Synoptic Gospels?
What Are the Synoptic Gospels?