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There is no indication as to an accurate age for Matthew, although he was called by Christ, as a tax collector shortly after the beginning of His ministry in about 31 AD. His name was Levi, son of Alphaeus, according to Mark 2:14. This indicates that he was a mature man, having some time of establishment as "a receiver of custom (tax collector)." The theologian, Dr. W. A. Criswell, has said: "There is no reason to question the Matthean authorship of the first Gospel."

The Gospel of John was probably written about 80-90 AD, certainly before he wrote the book of Revelation, which he did in exile to the isle of Patmos, about 95 AD. as an aged man. Irenaeus, who was taught by Polycarp, a disciple of John, attested to these matters in the early church.

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The Gospels of Matthew and John were originally anonymous and were only attributed to the disciples whose names they now bear, later in the second century. We do not really know who wrote these gospels, but biblical scholars say that it is most unlikely that they were the disciples Matthew and John. It would indeed be strange if Matthew, as an eyewitness disciple, wrote the Gospel attributed to him, given that nearly all biblical scholars now accept that the author relied on Mark's Gospel for much of his information about Jesus. Why would an eyewitness copy so much material, often word for word in the original Greek, from another gospel that was not written by an eyewitness? A similar point can be made about the authorship of John's Gospel.

We can not say how old the actual authors were, and it is very likely that John was a committee effort.

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Q: How old were Matthew and John when they wrote the Gospels?
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How old were Matthew Mark Luke John when they wrote the Gospels?

Assuming that the Authors were contemporary of Jesus, then:1.There is little in the gospel (Matthew) itself to indicate with clarity the date of its composition. The majority of scholars date the gospel between the years 70 and 100.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_MatthewIf Matthew is the real author of the Gospel ascribed to him, then he must be 100-130 yrs old when he wrote the book.2.Since Mark may have been written around the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem, around 70, Luke would not have been written before http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_lukeIf Luke is the real author of the Gospel ascribed to him, then he must be 100+ yrs old when he wrote the book.3."Most scholars agree on a range of c. 90-100 for when the gospel (John) was written, though dates as early as the 60s or as late as the 140s have been advanced by a small number of scholars. " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_johnIf John is the real author of the Gospel ascribed to him, then he must be between 90-170 yrs old when he wrote the book.4. "There is wide scholarly agreement that Mark was written sometime between the late 60s or the early 70s.[13] There are vocal minority groups that argue for earlier or later dates. However, as most scholars believe that either Matthew or Luke was written around the year 80 and used Mark as a source, they find a date past 75 unlikely."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_markIf Mark is the real author of the Gospel ascribed to him, then he must be 105+ yrs old when he wrote the bookAnswerThe Gospels were written much earlier than previously thought for, among other things, the obvious problems with the ages of the authors, together with internal evidence. The fact that the Book of Matthew, like the other synoptics, together with Acts does not report the AD 70 fall of Jerusalem, but has it as still future can mean one of two things. Either they were written before or long after this significant event (when it was no longer relevant). If one takes the most simply logical view that they were written before, this makes most sense of this historical setting.Thus, all of the New Testament Gospel writers in order for them to be the authors, and some of them being actual direct eyewitnesses to the events they record, would have to be considerably younger than mentioned above, even if blessed with considerable longevity.


Where in the bible does it state the crucifition of Jesus?

All four of the Gospels document it. Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. It's also referred to in the rest of the New Testament, and predicted in the Old Testament, but those four chapters contain the historical documentation of it.


What are the similarities of the old testament and the New Testament in Matthew 3 to 4 and luke 4 verse 1 to 30?

Both Matthew and Luke are in the New Testament. It is about John the baptist and Jesus going to the wilderness.


How many Gospels does the Old Testament have?

The Old Testament does not have any Gospels (Good News) as there was not much in the way of good news such as in the New Testament and the Good News that the world now has a Savior, Jesus Christ.


Who was the first person that translate bible to English?

This is a very difficult question to answer because it took place over several centuries, beginning with monks who started doing some texts.As early as the late 7th century, the complete Book of Psalms was translated by Aldhelm. In the 10th century the Lindisfarne Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John) were translated into English by Aldred. As the English language evolved, so the translations were updated. Around 990, the Wessex Gospels were completed. In the 11th century, man books from the Old Testament were translated into Old English. In the 12th century the Ormulum presented a Middle English version.Ultimately, in the 14th century, John Wycliffe released the Wycliffe Bible, a complete Bible which was a collaborative translation with other writers contributing to the translating.

Related questions

Is pilate in old or New Testament?

New, in the Gospels. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)


Are the books Matthew Mark Luke and John in the Old Testament?

No, they are the first 4 books (called the Gospels) of the New Testament. Matthew and John were Apostles.


How old were the evangelists when they wrote the gospels?

A:The Gospel of Mark is believed to have been the first New Testament gospel, written approximately 70 CE. Matthew followed, written in the 80s of the first century. Luke's Gospel was written later in the 90s or very early in the second century. The last New Testament gospel was John, written early in the second century. This tells us that if Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were really the authors of these gospels, they would have been astonishingly old by the time they wrote the gospels. The gospels were originally anonymous, so for a long time no one knew who wrote them. Later in the second century they were attributed to the apostles whose names they now bear, because the Church Fathers felt they need to know who probably wrote each gospel. However, scholars say that there is no good reason to accept these attributions. They also say that none of the gospels could have been written by an eyewitness to the events portrayed, which certainly rules out Matthew and John as possible authors.We do not really know who wrote these gospels and we therefore can not say how old the authors were. It is very likely that John was a committee effort.


Are the Gospels in the New Testament or Old Testament?

The four Gospels (meaning "good news"), were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in the beginning of the New Testament(or the Greek Scriptures), providing an historical account of the life of Jesus.


Was the birth of jesus in the Old Testament or the New Testament?

New Testament. its in the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)


How old is Matthew John Armstrong?

Matthew John Armstrong is 38 years old (birthdate: August 28, 1973).


What books fall under the old and New Testaments?

Genesis to Malachi are the books of the Old Testament. The New Testament begins with Matthew and ends with Revelations. Jesus only appears in the New Testament, and mainly for only the first four books, which are called the gospels. (Matthew Mark Luke and John).


I have a religious education exam next week and im revising and want to know what book 'Jesus feed a large crowd' is in . old or new testament and who wrote it?

Sounds like you have a bit of study to do. Jesus is not in the old testament he is only in the New Testament. There are scriptures about him in the OT but he is not mentioned by name. The gospels are the books about Jesus' life and in the gospels you will find the story about feeding the large crowd Matthew chapter 14 Mark chapter 6 Luke chapter 19 John chapter 6 The gospels are called by the name of the writer ie Mark


What is the name of the first 4 books of new testament that tell us about the life and work of jesus?

The four gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These four can be found in the beginning of the New Testament. A common phrase to remember these four books is "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, hold the mule while I get on."


What is the first old testament book that told about Jesus death?

The Gospels talk about the life and death of Jesus. There are four: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.


What section of the bible contains stories about Jesus?

The Old Testament has many prophecies about Jesus. Then the New Testament tells about His life on earth, specifically the first four books, called the Gospels, which are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.


Why aren't the gospels put in the bible in the order in which they were written?

Matthew was considered to be the most Jewish of the Gospels (rightly so), so it served as a sort of "transition" (not really the right word, but it will do) in between the Old and New Testaments.