66 Books Of The Bible – Dates And Authors
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, January 23, 2026 (Donate)
You might think
this would be a simple task. After all, countless scholars, researchers, and
commentators have proposed dates and authors for the books of the Bible. And
yet, remarkably, they rarely agree with one another!
Why the
Variation?
On Authors
Some
information can be readily found. For example, we know Moses authored Psalm 90.
Why? Because Scripture explicitly tells us: “A Prayer of Moses the man of God”
(Psalm 90:1). That one is straightforward.
But other books
are not so clear. Who wrote the book of Esther? The text never identifies its
human author. Many have suggested Mordecai, and this is certainly plausible.
There is nothing wrong with offering such a proposal, so long as it is
presented as tentative.
In compiling
this guide, I have aimed to remain as conservative as possible, drawing
conclusions from what can reasonably be supported by Scripture itself and then
secondarily from traditions passed down.
Additionally,
some biblical books may involve multiple authors, contributors, editorial
compilation from earlier records (e.g., Genesis),
or authorship that remains entirely unknown to us. Of course, above all, we
must remember that the Holy Spirit is the ultimate Grand Author, working
through men created in His image.
On Dates
Dating biblical
books can be even more difficult. Chronology depends on internal evidence from
the Holy Bible, external history, writing style, and sometimes complex
timelines. And as fallible people, we can make mistakes, especially when
dealing with mathematical chronologies and timelines
spanning centuries.
Some scholars
provide more specific dates, others give broad ranges, and many appeal to respected
chronological systems—and there is nothing wrong with this by the way. The
most reliable anchor, however, is always Scripture itself. God’s Word is the
supreme authority, and biblical data must outweigh human speculation whenever
the two appear to conflict.
Therefore,
humility should be essential when discussing dates. Often, people repeat
traditional timelines simply because that is what they have been taught,
without carefully checking those assumptions against the text of God’s Word itself.
Consider Job as
an example. James Ussher placed Job between Joseph and Moses. Others argue for
Abraham’s era, the time of the Judges, or even later. But how many have gone
back to Job itself to search for internal time markers? I did, because the
debate was active around me. And after
examining the scriptural evidence, I found I had to revise my own view of
when Job lived.
A similar shift
occurred for me regarding Revelation. When I recognized that the Temple was
still standing (Revelation 11:1–2), I concluded the book must have been written
prior
to its destruction in AD 70. Entire works have been devoted to this topic
(such as Before
Jerusalem Fell).
Conclusion
What follows,
then, is what I have been able to ascertain by prioritizing Scripture first,
and then consulting authorities like Ussher,
while erring toward conservative conclusions. This guide intentionally favors
conservative dating over liberal reconstructions. Liberal approaches can
sometimes drift embarrassingly far from the events they claim to describe.
In
Christianity, there are hills worth dying on, chiefly the Gospel
of Jesus Christ. Authorship and dating may have importance, and in some
cases strong biblical reasons exist for defending particular positions. But
estimated dates, especially when Scripture is not explicit, should not become
battlegrounds of division.
But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. (Titus 3:9, NKJV)
Book
Approximate Date Written
Author(s)/Suggested Authors
Genesis
c. 1491-1451 BC
Moses
Exodus
c. 1491-1451 BC
Moses
Leviticus
c. 1491-1451 BC
Moses
Numbers
c. 1491-1451 BC
Moses
Deuteronomy
c. 1491-1451 BC
Moses, (and possibly Joshua for Moses obituary?)
Joshua
c. 1451-1443 BC
Joshua (and possibly Phineas for the final verses?)
Judges
c. 1443-1012 BC
Likely ended with Samuel
Ruth
c. 1322-1085 BC
Unknown, often attributed to Samuel (because the book ends with a genealogy leading to David)
1 Samuel
c. 1117-1015 BC
Samuel, then according to tradition Gad and Nathan finished it
2 Samuel
c. 1117-1015 BC
Gad and Nathan according to tradition
1 Kings
c. 1115-897 BC
No single author named
2 Kings
c. 896-588 BC[1]
No single author named
1 Chronicles
c. 537-450 BC
Traditionally Ezra
2 Chronicles
c. 537-450 BC
Traditionally Ezra
Ezra
c. 537- 450 BC
Ezra
Nehemiah
c. 455-416 BC
Nehemiah and Ezra[2]
Esther
c. 470 BC
Likely Mordecai
Job
c. 1400–1100 BC (Judges period)[3]
Often attributed to Job
Psalms
Psalm 90 (c. 1491-1445 BC) c. 1000–400 BC
David, Moses, Asaph, Solomon, Henan, Ethan, and others
Proverbs
c. 950 BC
Solomon, Agur, Lemuel
Ecclesiastes
c. 935 BC
Solomon
Song of Solomon
c. 965 BC
Solomon
Isaiah
c. 700 BC
Isaiah
Jeremiah
c. 580 BC
Jeremiah, Baruch
Lamentations
c. 586 BC
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
c. 570 BC
Ezekiel
Daniel
c. 535 BC
Daniel (though Daniel 4 is likely Nebuchadnezzar himself)
Hosea
c. 750 BC
Hosea
Joel
c. 835 BC
Joel
Amos
c. 760 BC
Amos
Obadiah
c. 845 BC
Obadiah
Jonah
c. 760 BC
Jonah
Micah
c. 730 BC
Micah
Nahum
c. 660 BC
Nahum
Habakkuk
c. 625 BC
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
c. 630 BC
Zephaniah
Haggai
520 BC
Haggai
Zechariah
c. 520 BC
Zechariah
Malachi
c. 430 BC
Malachi
Matthew
c. AD 40-45
Matthew
Mark
c. AD 40-45
Mark (scribing under Peter)
Luke
c. AD 58-60
Luke (scribing under Paul)
John
c. AD 40-60
John
Acts
c. AD 60-62
Luke (scribing under Peter and Paul)
Romans
c. AD 57
Paul and Tertius
1 Corinthians
c. AD 55
Paul and Sosthenes
2 Corinthians
c. AD 56
Paul and Timothy
Galatians
c. AD 49
Paul
Ephesians
c. AD 60
Paul
Philippians
c. AD 61
Paul and Timothy
Colossians
c. AD 60
Paul and Timothy
1 Thessalonians
c. AD 51
Paul, Timothy, and Silas (Silvanus)
2 Thessalonians
c. AD 52
Paul, Timothy, and Silas (Silvanus)
1 Timothy
c. AD 62
Paul
2 Timothy
c. AD 67
Paul
Titus
c. AD 63
Paul
Philemon
c. AD 60
Paul and Timothy
Hebrews
c. AD 60-64
Unknown (traditionally Pauline influence)
James
c. AD 45
James (half-brother of Christ)
1 Peter
c. AD 64
Peter
2 Peter
c. AD 65
Peter
1 John
c. AD 60
John
2 John
c. AD 60
John
3 John
c. AD 60
John
Jude
c. AD 66-67
Jude (half-brother of Christ)
Revelation
c. AD 63-64[4]
John
□
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist since 1998 helping out in various
churches and running an apologetics website. He spent 21 years working at Answers
in Genesis as a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding
news anchor for Answers News. He was also head of the Oversight
Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over 25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
[1]
Some suspects this could be 586 BC. Ussher has it at 588 BC for the captivity.
[2]
Ezra ad Nehemiah was formerly a single book.
[3]
Some, like Ussher, put Job between Joseph and Moses. A modern trend tries to
put Job in the days of Abraham but without warrant.
[4]
Some attempt to Revelation in the mid AD 90s as well some of John’s other
books.
