Justin Martyr And The Dating of The Gospels
Justin Martyr’s interesting Dialogue With Trypho gives this interesting quote from Trypho:
“Moreover, I am aware that your precepts in the so-called Gospel are so wonderful and so great, that I suspect no one can keep them; for I have carefully read them.”
This is significant because of the fact that there was already a written record of the work of Jesus and His demands of His people as early as the mid second century AD.
Just as the John Ryland’s document demonstrates an early dating for the Gospel of John, so this gives an early date for the evangels.
The gospel accounts were not the result of many years of oral transmission concerning Jesus that turned into myth and legend with very little truth. The gospel accounts were from the time of those who observed the events, and from the lives of those who had heard from those who observed those events.
In a world that was antagonistic toward Christianity a fictional, or embellished account of Jesus simply would not have gained currency.
Christians have every reason to have confidence in the Biblical accounts of Jesus Christ.