Luke

Info

• #coworker #physician
• Home:: Antioch (tradition)
• Other Locales:: Troas, Philippi, Roman Church, Jerusalem
• References:: Acts 16#16:10-17, Acts 20#20:5-15, Acts 21#21:1-18, Acts 27#27:1–Acts 28#28:16, Colossians 4#4:14, 2 Timothy 4#4:11, Philemon 1#1:24

Notes

• Author of the "we" passages in Acts, indicating firsthand travel with Paul
• Called "the beloved physician" by Paul in Colossians 4#4:14

Summary

Luke wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else. His two volumes, the Gospel of Luke and Acts, make up about one-quarter of the text, surpassing even Paul.

Paul calls Luke "the beloved physician" (ho iatros ho agapētos) in Colossians 4#4:14, the only direct identification of Luke's profession in Scripture. His medical background shows in his vocabulary and his attention to healing narratives across both books. In Colossians 4, Paul lists Luke separately from those "of the circumcision" (Colossians 4#4:11), which has been taken to mean Luke was a Gentile, making him the only Gentile author of a New Testament book. Some scholars suggest he may have been a Hellenistic Jew, but the traditional reading holds.

The "we" passages in Acts trace Luke's physical presence with Paul. The narrative shifts from third person to first person plural at specific points: Luke joined Paul at Troas and traveled to Philippi on the second journey (Acts 16#16:10-17), rejoined Paul at Philippi on the third journey and accompanied him to Jerusalem (Acts 20#20:5, Acts 21#21:18), and sailed with Paul as a prisoner to Rome (Acts 27#27:1, Acts 28#28:16). The gap between the second and third journey "we" sections suggests Luke spent years in Philippi, possibly shepherding the Philippian Church.

In Philemon 1#1:24, Paul lists Luke among his "fellow workers" with John Mark, Aristarchus, and Demas, confirming Luke's presence during the Roman imprisonment. In 2 Timothy 4#4:11, Paul writes "only Luke is with me." Demas had deserted, Crescens had gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia, Tychicus had been sent to Ephesus. Luke was the last one standing.

Early church tradition, starting with the anti-Marcionite prologue (c. 170 AD) and confirmed by Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Jerome, identifies Luke as a Syrian from Antioch. Tradition also reports he remained unmarried, wrote his Gospel in Achaia, and died at age 84 in Boeotia.

Luke's Gospel is the longest of the four. It contains the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, the infancy narratives of John the Baptist and Jesus, the Emmaus road encounter. Acts provides the only canonical account of the early church's expansion from Jerusalem to Rome.

References

• polhillActs1992 - Commentary on Acts, the second volume of Luke's two-part work and the primary source for Luke's role as Paul's travel companion.
• marshallGospelLukeCommentary1978 - I. Howard Marshall's commentary on the Gospel of Luke.
• greenGospelLuke1997 - Joel Green's commentary on the Gospel of Luke.
• wrightChallengeActsRediscovering2024 - Engages with Luke's authorship and theological purpose in composing Acts.
• addisonActsMovementGod2023 - Examines the Acts narrative as a model for church movements, built on Luke's account.
• joreStudyChurchHer2022 - References Luke within the broader mapping of Paul's coworker network.
• reedBILDEncyclicals2017 - References Luke-Acts in the context of early church leadership development.
• paoActsIsaianicNew2002 - Pao's study of Acts through the lens of Isaiah's new exodus, providing theological context for Luke's narrative in the 'we' passages and Luke-Acts authorship.
• Luke the Evangelist - Wikipedia
• Who was Luke in the Bible? - GotQuestions.org
• Saint Luke - Britannica