Luke the Evangelist

Luke the Evangelist (also known as Saint Luke) is one of the four evangelists credited with writing the gospels of the New Testament of the Bible. These gospels are the narratives that describe the life and death of Jesus Christ. Alongside Luke, the other three evangelists were Saints John, Mark, and Matthew. Luke is generally attributed as the author of both the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Due to the length of these works, he is credited with making the largest written contribution to the New Testament.

Luke is the patron saint of a variety of professions. These include artists, bookbinders, brewers, butchers, doctors, glassmakers, goldsmiths, painters, and sculptors. His feast day (the annual day when a saint is commemorated) is celebrated on October 18.

Brief History

The biography of Luke the Evangelist remains largely unknown. The few biographical details ascribed to him suggest that he was born in the Greek-Syrian city of Antioch, which is found in modern-day Turkey. Beyond this, most of his life is based upon conjecture and brief references made about him elsewhere in the New Testament. He is directly attested to on several occasions in the New Testament, including Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; and Philemon 1:24. He is credited as being a doctor by his fellow apostle Paul, who refers to him as "our beloved physician." He may also have been a former slave.

Luke is believed to have been a close companion of the early Christian convert Paul the apostle. He accompanied Paul on his second journey around the eastern Mediterranean after leaving Jerusalem in 49 CE. Luke remained in Philippi when Paul went on his third missionary trip. After Paul returned in 57 CE, Luke joined Paul on his return to Jerusalem. There, Paul was faced with angry crowds and seized by the Romans. Luke stayed with Paul during his resulting two-year incarceration in Caesarea (in the modern state of Israel). During this period, Luke gathered much of the source material he later used to write his gospel and Acts.

After Paul was freed by the Roman governor, he was threatened with a new trial. Luke chose to travel to Rome with Paul in 60 CE when the latter decided to plead his case before Caesar. It is thought that Paul died in Rome a few years after his arrival in the city. After Paul's death, Luke dedicated himself to composing his gospel and Acts, which he is thought to have written sometime between 70 and 85 CE. Luke is said to have died in 84 CE. His remains (or relics) are spread among religious institutions in Padua, Italy; Prague, Czech Republic; and Thebes, Greece.

Overview

Many scholars regard Luke as the only Gentile (of non-Jewish heritage) author in the Bible. Luke was not one of the original apostles of Jesus, but he was a later convert. As such, his accounts of Jesus's life were likely based upon the firsthand testimony provided to him by contemporaries of Jesus and other primary sources, such as the Gospel of Mark.

The Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles are the third and fifth books of the New Testament. Like the other gospels, Luke's writings provide a biographical account of the life and works of Jesus. The word gospel is derived from the Old English word gōdspel, which was itself a translation of the Greek word euangélion, meaning "good news" or "good story." Euangélion also is the source word for evangelist. Luke's gospel and the Acts of the Apostles were specifically written for a Christian named Theophilus. The identity of Theophilus is unclear. The name means "lover of God," so it may refer to either a specific individual or to all Christians in general. Luke's intent was to provide a thorough account of the origins of the Christian church. Although Luke likely respected other biographies of Jesus, he nonetheless sought to present an authenticated version that told the story of Jesus and the church in its proper historical context.

Luke describes his process in the first paragraph of his gospel. In it, he notes his attempts to organize and authenticate the stories of Jesus. He sorted through firsthand accounts and other written materials available to him, including the Gospel of Mark (which is the oldest of the gospels) and two unknown sources described as the Q Source and the L Source by biblical scholars. The Q Source (the letter Q standing for the word quelle, meaning "source" in German) is believed to have been culled from one or more sources that contributed to the composition of Luke and Matthew but not to either Mark or John. It is uncertain whether the Q Source was derived from oral or written traditions, but it is known that it incorporated a collection of Jesus's parables. Such well-known parables as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are only found in Luke's gospel. L Source material (the L standing for Luke) is from a source unique to Luke's gospel.

With these materials in hand, Luke organized the story of Jesus into a narrative that he supplemented with his own contributions to provide a more complete account of his life. As a result, while Luke's gospel repeats some of the same events found in Mark and Matthew, he presents it through a new and different perspective. In particular, as Luke is also the author of the Acts of Apostles, he is equally focused on both the foundation of the church and the life of Jesus.

Luke's gospel is distinct for his deliberate promotion of the role of women in biblical history. For instance, while Matthew presents the story of Jesus's birth from Joseph's point of view, Luke chose to relate it from Mary's perspective. Luke likewise promotes the idea that Jesus equally treated the suffering of both men and women during his ministry. Luke is alone in emphasizing the dedication and discipleship of Mary Magdalene and other women to Jesus.

The Acts of the Apostles is intended to extend the message of Jesus in the period after his death. The message of the early Christian church was spread through the works of the Apostles who established Christian congregations and churches throughout much of the ancient world. Acts presents their story, and in so doing, establishes how the church was under the guidance of the Holy Spirit after the death of Jesus and shows that the grace of God had been extended to include both Jews and Gentiles.

Bibliography

"The Acts of the Apostles." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org/bible/acts/0. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.

Edwards, Sue. Luke: Discovering Healing in Jesus' Words to Women. Kregel Publications, 2012.

González, Justo L. The Story Luke Tells: Luke's Unique Witness to the Gospel. Eerdmans, 2015.

"The Gospel According to Luke." United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org/bible/luke/0. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.

Kreitzer, Beth. Luke. InterVarsity P, 2015.

"Luke the Gospel Writer." American Bible Society, bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/luke-the-gospel-writer. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.

Miller, Don. "Saint Luke." Franciscan Media, 19 July 2016, www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-luke/. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.

Scholz, Daniel J. "The Gospel of Luke: Jesus as the Universal Savior." Jesus in the Gospels and Acts: Introducing the New Testament. Anselm Academic, 2009, pp. 85–117.

Sproul, R.C. "What Is the 'Q-Source'?" Jesus.org, Salem Web Network, www.jesus.org/is-jesus-god/the-gospels/what-is-the-q-source.html. Accessed 2 Mar. 2017.

Wilson, Brittany E. Unmanly Men: Refigurations of Masculinity in Luke-Acts. Oxford UP, 2015.