Most modern scholars date the Gospel (Book) of Matthew to roughly 80–90 CE, with a wider common range of about 70–100 CE. Some Christian traditions and conservative scholars argue for an earlier date, often around 50–65 CE, but this is a minority view.

Traditional early dating

Many early church writers thought Matthew was written relatively soon after Jesus’ death.

  • Church tradition (e.g., Papias, Irenaeus) associates the Gospel with Matthew the disciple and places it “within the first few decades” after Jesus, sometimes before the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE.
  • Some modern conservative sources therefore suggest a date around 50–65 CE for the book of Matthew.

Scholarly majority view

Critical scholarship has shifted toward a later first‑century date.

  • Most scholars see Matthew as using the Gospel of Mark as a source, and Mark is usually dated just after 70 CE, which pushes Matthew later.
  • On this basis, many studies give a composition window of about 80–90 CE (often broadened to 80–95 or 70–100 CE) for when the book of Matthew was written.

Range of proposed dates

Different viewpoints can be summarized like this:

  • Traditional/early : about 50–65 CE, sometimes even as early as the 40s, based on church tradition and a view that Matthew was an eyewitness writing soon after events.
  • Scholarly consensus : last quarter of the first century, commonly around 80–90 CE, reflecting literary dependence on Mark and post‑70 CE context.

In practical terms, when people ask “when was the book of Matthew written,” the most standard academic answer today is: around 80–90 CE, in the late first century.