Luke #94

Luke was a physician and a companion of the apostle Paul, and according to the earliest Christian tradition, the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Together the two works are about a quarter of the New Testament by word count, more than any other single author, including Paul. Luke is named only three times in the New Testament (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 1:24; 2 Timothy 4:11), and neither of his books names its author.

Biblical Significance

Paul calls him “Luke the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14) and lists him among his fellow workers (Philemon 1:24). Near the end of his life, in a prison letter, Paul writes, “Only Luke is with me” (2 Timothy 4:11). In Colossians 4:10-14 Luke is named separately from those “of the circumcision,” which suggests that he was a Gentile, though not all scholars agree.

The identification of Luke as the author rests on early testimony (including Irenaeus, the Muratorian fragment, and other second-century sources) and on internal evidence. Both books are addressed to Theophilus, and the Gospel opens with a careful preface saying the author has “followed all things closely” and wants to write an orderly account (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3). In Acts, the narrative shifts at points from “they” to “we,” beginning with Paul’s voyage to Macedonia (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16), which suggests the writer was present. This includes the journey to Rome and the shipwreck.

Luke’s Gospel gives special attention to the poor, women, outcasts and Gentiles. It alone contains parables like the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, and the infancy stories of Elizabeth and Mary. Acts follows the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome under the Spirit’s guidance.

Legacy

Historians have often praised Luke’s care with detail. His references to titles of officials, local place names, and sailing conditions have been tested by archaeologists and classical scholars, and many judge him to be a careful writer. Others note that ancient historians also shaped their material for theological or literary purposes, and Luke is no exception.

Tradition, from an ancient prologue to the Gospel, says Luke came from Antioch in Syria and died in Greece at a great age, unmarried. Later Christians made him the patron of physicians and, through a medieval legend that he painted a portrait of Mary, of artists. These late stories cannot be confirmed, but they reflect the deep affection the church has for the man who preserved so much of Jesus’ teaching and the early church’s story.