Luke the evangelist.
Companion of Paul.
Attributed text(s).
Gospel of Luke
.
Acts
.
Epistle to the Hebrews
.
Related text(s).
Four gospels.
Useful links.
Luke in the Online Encyclopedia.
Luke in the Catholic Encyclopedia.
Luke is said in Colossians 4.14 to have been both a physician and
an associate of the apostle Paul. He is also mentioned in 2 Timothy
4.11 and Philemon [1.]24. That Luke travelled with Paul is suggested
also by the Acts
of the Apostles, which claims by its preface (Acts 1.1-2) to have
been written by the same individual as the gospel of Luke (see Luke
1.1-4) and by its use of the first person (Acts 16.9-18; 20.4-16;
21.1-18; 27.1-28.16) to have been written by a sometime travelling
companion of the great apostle.
Papias does not mention Luke or his
writings by name in any of our extant fragments; however, it appears
from a fragment preserved by Andrew of Caesarea that Papias, if the
fragment is genuine, knew something along the lines of Luke
10.18.
Apostolic Constitutions
7.46.5:
Της
δε
Αλεξανδρεων
Αννιανος
πρωτος
υπο
Μαρκου
του
ευαγγελιστου
κεχειροτονηται,
δευτερος
δε
Αβιλιος
υπο
Λουκα
και
αυτου
ευαγγελιστου.
In the [city] of the Alexandrians Annianus was
handpicked [as bishop] first by Mark the evangelist, and Avilius second
by Luke, who was himself an evangelist.
Jerome, On Famous Men 7:
Lucas, medicus Antiochensis, ut eius scripta indicant Graeci
sermonis non ignarus fuit. sectator apostoli Pauli et omnis eius peregrinationis comes,
scripsit evangelium de quo idem Paulus: Misimus, inquit, cum illo fratrem cuius laus est
in evangelio per omnes ecclesias, et ad Colossenes: Salutat vos Lucas medicus carissimus,
et ad Timotheum: Lucas est mecum solus.
aliud quoque edidit volumen egregium quod titulo apostolicorum
πραξεων praenotatur, cuius
historia usque ad biennium Romae commorantis Pauli pervenit, id est, usque ad quartum Neronis
annum, ex quo intelligimus in eadem urbe librum esse compositum. igitur περιοδους Pauli et Theclae et
totam baptizati leonis fabulam inter apocryphas scripturas computemus. quale enim est ut
individuus comes apostoli inter ceteras eius res hoc solum ignoravit? sed et Tertullianus,
vicinus illorum temporem, refert presbyterum quendam in Asia, σπουδαστην apostoli Pauli,
convictum apud Iohannem quod auctor esset libri, et confessum se hoc Pauli amore fecisse,
loco excidisse. quidam suspicantur, quotiescumque Paulus in epistulis suis dicat: Iuxta
evangelium meum, de Lucae significare volumine, et Lucam non solum ab apostolo Paulo didicisse
evangelium, qui cum domino in carne non fuerat, sed et a ceteris apostolis. quod ipse quoque
in principi volumnis sui declarat dicens: Sicut tradiderunt nobis qui a principio ipsi viderunt
et ministeri fuerant sermonis. igitur evangelium sicut audierat scripsit; acta vero
apostolorum sicut viderat ipse composuit. sepultus est Constantinopolim, ad quam urbem,
vicesimo Constantii anno, ossa eius cum reliquiis Andreae apostoli translata sunt.
Luke, an Antiochene doctor, as his writings indicate, was not ignorant
of the Greek speech. A follower of the apostle Paul and companion on all his journeying, he
wrote a gospel about which this same Paul says: We have sent with him the brother whose praise
is in the gospel throughout all the churches, and to the Colossians: Luke the dearest doctor
salutes you, and to Timothy: Luke alone is with me.
He also published another distinguished volume which is known by the
title Acts of the Apostles, whose story comes down to
the two years of the remaining of Paul in Rome, that is, until the fourth year of Nero, from
which we understand that the book was composed in the same city. Therefore, the Journeys of Paul and Thecla and the total fable of the baptized lion we
reckon among the apocryphal scriptures. For how is it that the inseparable companion of the
apostle would be among his other things ignorant of this matter alone? But Tertullian also,
near those times, refers to a certain elder in Asia, a partisan for the apostle Paul, who was
convicted by John that he was the author of the book, and having confessed that he did it for
the love of Paul he left his place. Certain people suspect that, whenever Paul in his epistles says:
According to my gospel, he means the volume of Luke, and that Luke was taught the gospel, not
only by Paul, who had not been with the Lord in the flesh, but also by the other apostles.
As he himself also declared in the beginning of his volume: Just as they who themselves from
the beginning saw and were ministers of the speech delivered to us. Therefore, he wrote
the gospel just as he heard; the Acts of the Apostles he
composed just as he himself saw. He was buried in Constantinople, into which city, in the
twentieth year of Constantius, his bones with the relics of Andrew the apostle were
translated.
Refer to 2 Corinthians 8.18; Colossians 4.14; 2 Timothy 4.11; Romans 2.16; 16.25;
Luke 1.2; Constantius II was emperor in 337-361.
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