What date would modern scholars assign to Mark's Gospel?

Answer 1

The almost universal consensus of modern scholars is that Mark's Gospel was written approximately 70 CE. A slightly earlier date is possible. A date in the early 70s is also possible, but most scholars do not place the year very much later.

One of the internal clues to the date of Mark's Gospel is at Mark 13:2, where Jesus was said to prophesy the destruction of the Temple, an event that occurred in 70 CE. According to Mark, Jesus went on to predict the end of the world within the lifetime of his followers.

If Jesus had really prophesied the destruction of the Temple, he would have been correct, but he would have been in error about the imminent end of times. Since it can not be accepted that Jesus made predictions that were capable of being in error, these prophecies must have originated with Mark, writing at a time when he would have known of the destruction or imminent destruction of the temple. Other clues in the Gospel indicate that it could not have been written later than the early 70s.