When was Beowulf written?

Even though several scholars have arrived at fairly specific dates for the composition of Beowulf, using archaeological, historical, linguistic, and religious evidence, most scholars agree that we know with certainty only two dates relating to the poem's possible composition: Hygelac, Beowulf's uncle and king, died in 521CE, and the original manuscript is dated to about 1000CE. Two scholars, working with different evidence, have dated the composition at 723 and 725CE, respectively, and those dates are certainly within the acceptable range for the poem's composition. Because the poem exhibits a blending of Christian and pagan references, and we know that Christianity was most likely well established in the Anglo-Saxon world by 700CE (perhaps even by the mid-600s), sometime after 700CE seems a reasonable beginning point. And as the summary above suggests, recent scholarship favors a later date for composition, perhaps as late as 1000CE. Our current inability to know Beowulf's composition date with certainty is, fortunately, more of a problem for textual scholars than for readers. There are still many elements of Anglo-Saxon culture we do not fully understand, and until other evidence comes to light, Beowulf's composition date (assuming there is only one date—Beowulf probably evolved over time) will remain a compelling unknown.