Jonathan Bernier - Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament: The Evidence for Early Composition

As anyone who has studied New Testament chronology knows, the dates frequently presented to unsuspecting undergraduates as settled facts are often anything but. In Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament , Bernier presents a synthetic, comprehensive, and rigorously reasoned case for earlier composition. This book is a major contribution to the study of Christian origins. It not only needs to be read; it needs to be reckoned with.

Brant Pitre , Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology

Bernier has written the go-to book on dating the collection of texts now known as the New Testament (and some of the Apostolic Fathers). Bernier provides the first dedicated work on New Testament chronology for the twenty-first century, and it is a resource that I desperately wished for in my earlier years as a student. He combines critical analysis with balanced judgments and communicates technical issues and problems in an easy-to-read, jargon-free way. I found myself surprised, challenged, and better informed. Anyone interested in the emergence of Jesus-movement literature and history must consult this book.

Isaac T. Soon , Crandall University

Chronology provides us with a window into the history of the earliest followers of Jesus and can help to establish an important piece of the contexts in which the books of the New Testament were written. In this rigorous yet accessible book, Bernier presents a compelling case for relatively early dates for the New Testament texts. Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament provides readable, fair, and concise presentations of the central questions, passages, arguments, and debates pertaining to the chronology of the composition of each book of the New Testament. This makes it a fantastic introduction to a key scholarly issue. At the same time, Berniers arguments are methodologically grounded and careful, resulting in evidence-based conclusions that are reasonable and responsible. The book is engaging and clear, making it a good resource for students, but it is also the sort of historically and logically rigorous work that will make it a must-read for anyone interested in historical approaches to the New Testament or early Christianity.

Jordan J. Ryan , Wheaton College

In this carefully argued study, New Testament scholar Jonathan Bernier addresses the deceptively simple but exceedingly complex question of when the texts included in the New Testamentas well as 1 Clement, the Didache, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermaswere written. Most scholars routinely accept what has become the majority view regarding these dates without themselves engaging the multiple problems that lurk below the surface. Here we find, for the first time in fifty years, a full monograph dedicated to offering the reader a synthetic treatment of the issues involved. Regardless of whether one accepts Berniers conclusions, this book is the new must-read volume for anyone who wants to examine the dates of these ancient compositions.

Anders Runesson , University of Oslo

Bernier offers a much-needed corrective to the tendency for dates assigned to New Testament works to drift further in opposite directions due more to ideological preferences than to evidence, or to be placed in the middle of a possible range as though that were the best way to respond to our uncertainty. With careful attention to the evidence for each work, Bernier makes a strong case for dates that are often earlier than the scholarly consensus. He takes seriously our inability to be certain and precise about dates, never shying away from providing a range that starts astonishingly early or continues well into the second century when the evidence supports it. At the same time he never allows the range of possibilities to hinder arguing for what is likely . Whether by gaining wide acceptance or by prompting well-argued responses, Berniers book promises to shake up the scholarly study of the New Testament and some extracanonical Christian works. What Bernier has provided will undoubtedly serve as an impetus to refreshing scholarly conversations for decades to come.

James F. McGrath , Butler University, Indianapolis