The date of Matthew’s writing can be deduced from this report by Irenaeus, a second-century church father, who said that Matthew composed his gospel “while Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel and founding the church in Rome.” (Against Heresies, III.1.1) The only time that we know of Peter and Paul together in the capital of the Roman Empire was the early to mid-60’s.
–evangelical Christian authors, Josh and Sean McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, p. 43
Gary: What??? Since when do Protestants believe that there is good evidence that Peter helped to found the Roman church or that he even stepped foot in that city?
Article published by the Biblical Archeology Society (non-denominational):
The absence of connection between Peter and Rome in the New Testament, the lack of references to him in our earliest Roman Christian literature, and what we know of Peter’s background and character all combine to make it unlikely…that he ever went to Rome.
–Nicola Denzey Lewis, Associate professor of Biblical Studies, Brown University
Source: here
